A little stressed about flights

[gelatoni fan]

Southwest does cancel at the gate but they have very frequent flights on most of their routes so you can just get a seat on the next available flight to the same place. Spirit and Frontier tend to have less frequent flights and in the event of a cancellation, you can basically get nothing. I would also be prepared to look up every single flight to/from your airport and Disneyland area airport in the event of an issue. Southwest not only flies to Santa Ana but also Los Angeles, Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario. From my flights these two months, it's been far less painful working with Southwest than airlines like United when delays/cancellations happen.

It can help to pack only carry-ons if they're big enough because in the event of a change at the gate, you can then hop on any other flight and not worry about your bags being sent to the wrong place.

Funnily enough, I was on a Southwest flight where nearly 1/3 of the passengers were actually flight attendants or pilots in uniform. Since the flight attendant seated next to me kept getting up to help out, I guess he was technically at work but schedule changes meant he had to be transported somewhere to meet demand.

 

[MillauFr]

OKC to MCI why not just drive?

 

[sarajoy]

I didn’t realize how frequently flights have been getting canceled at the gate. Yikes! I guess I’ve been lucky. I’ve flown 6 times since last November- they’ve all had several flight changes but never canceled last minute. Good advice to look up back up flights just in case.

 

[kappyfamily]

I travel a ton and just a reminder that if you have family on separate reservations that you’re traveling with, always make sure to link your reservation numbers. A lot of airlines you can do this on your own, some you have to call an agent and they will do it. When you link your reservations, if there’s any flight changes or cancellations everyone linked together will move together. Hope this helps for the future!

 

[JWelch62]

I travel a ton and just a reminder that if you have family on separate reservations that you’re traveling with, always make sure to link your reservation numbers. A lot of airlines you can do this on your own, some you have to call an agent and they will do it. When you link your reservations, if there’s any flight changes or cancellations everyone linked together will move together. Hope this helps for the future!

Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware you could do this. We just recently travelled under two reservation numbers (wife and son used travel credits) and when we were rebooked we were not seated together.

 

[mcrowder1978]

This is pretty normal these days. I have a funny story about this actually. This past April I went to WDW with my daughter flying United from Syracuse to Orlando with a stop in Newark. About a month and a half before our trip I just happened to check my flights and they had been changed. At first I didn't think much of it other than it was Syracuse to Dulles (DC) to Newark and then to Orlando. An extra leg is no big deal to me because I like flying.

The problem was that the flight into Orlando arrived 7 hours BEFORE my initial flight out of Syracuse. That's right....I would need to time travel in order to make the itinerary. Once I got over the shock and confusion of how it was possible for their system to allow this I was more upset because I didn't even get a notification or email about the change. I ended up calling them and telling them that the new itinerary wouldn't work and I needed to change it....the rep actually asked me why I was requesting the change....my response was that I am not a time traveller and at that point the silence on the other end told me there was alot of confusion on there end lol. In the end it all worked out and I ended up getting better flights including having a couple of fees waived.

I wouldn't worry about it for your flights but I would definitely keep an eye on them. Thankfully Southwest is a bigger airline and has a good reputation. They should be able to take care of you if there are any conflicts.

 

[Bigmace]

Yeah flights are a little shaky right now. Almost every flight I have booked has had some changes. SW just straight up cancelled our flight home from SNA to PDX when we were are the parks late June. They didn't even let us know until we got to the airport. Said they would get us home "tomorrow morning" I was not happy to hear that. Luckily there was a flight heading to Sacramento that got delayed several hours and we were able to rush through security and get on right as they were boarding and then home from there. But was pretty stressed for a moment.

 

[starry_solo]

SWA rescheduled a September flight of mine on 7/18. I just rescheduled yesterday. I don't think there's a 24 hour limit. Or at least they are being very accommodating right now.

its 10-14 days to change to new flights once they change yours.

 

[CO2CA]

We travel frequently and very rarely have had a flight changed (maybe twice). We just had our flights for October changed, luckily it was only pushed back 30 minutes. It was timely, since I had read your post and then got an email a few hours later. Knock on wood this is the only change.

 

[sophy1996]

This is pretty normal these days. I have a funny story about this actually. This past April I went to WDW with my daughter flying United from Syracuse to Orlando with a stop in Newark. About a month and a half before our trip I just happened to check my flights and they had been changed. At first I didn't think much of it other than it was Syracuse to Dulles (DC) to Newark and then to Orlando. An extra leg is no big deal to me because I like flying.

The problem was that the flight into Orlando arrived 7 hours BEFORE my initial flight out of Syracuse. That's right....I would need to time travel in order to make the itinerary. Once I got over the shock and confusion of how it was possible for their system to allow this I was more upset because I didn't even get a notification or email about the change. I ended up calling them and telling them that the new itinerary wouldn't work and I needed to change it....the rep actually asked me why I was requesting the change....my response was that I am not a time traveller and at that point the silence on the other end told me there was alot of confusion on there end lol. In the end it all worked out and I ended up getting better flights including having a couple of fees waived.

Same thing happened to us. Southwest changed our nonstop to a connecting flight, with the second leg leaving before the first leg landed. When I called, though, the rep saw the problem right away. I think they used the time traveler line. I’m really surprised the system even allows a schedule that is literally impossible.

 

[mcrowder1978]

Same thing happened to us. Southwest changed our nonstop to a connecting flight, with the second leg leaving before the first leg landed. When I called, though, the rep saw the problem right away. I think they used the time traveler line. I’m really surprised the system even allows a schedule that is literally impossible.

That was the part that surprised me the most too. I could kind of understand if there are a bunch of time zones or the international date line is involved...but I was going from NY to Florida lol.

 

[jacandjan]

Here is the actual language that Southwest sends when they change your flight.

We recently made a change to your upcoming trip due to shifts in our flight schedule. You can see your new itinerary above. If this change works for you, you don't need to do anything—your reservation is already confirmed.
If your new itinerary won't work, you can change your flight date and/or time by up to 14 days from your original travel date at no additional cost. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to visit Southwest.com/rebook and enter your name and confirmation number. If you still need help or have questions after going online, you can call us at 1-800-IFLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). Wait times to speak with someone may be high.
We're looking forward to welcoming you onboard,
Your friends at Southwest


I have been told that all of Southwests flight schedules are now generated by computer. Perhaps it's time for some human interaction.