Anyone been bumped on a Southwest flight

[LynnTH]

Just did this 2 weeks ago coming back from Disney. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:00 am. They asked for volunteers. I went up to see what kind of compensation we would get and what time the next flight would be. They said we would get $222 each for that leg of our ticket (it was not a direct flight) and $300 on top of that. So, I put our name on the list. Did not hear anything from them so boarded the plane. In the middle of boarding they came on board and asked if we were still willing to give up our seats. We were -so we got off the plane. There were 4 of us and we each got a voucher for $522 (so almost $2100 total). We were on a flight 4 hours later. So, that was totally worth it. Flights have to be used within a year.

 

[mm1971]

We have had the chance, but always had young children so never really considered it. Now that my kids are older or if it was just the adults, I would certainly consider it. We fly to Disney every year. Having vouchers that pay for flights the next year would be awesome!

Or maybe enough to finally make the trip to HI seem doable.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

This is not a theme parks attractions and strategies discussion and is much better suited for the Transportation board.

 

[mrsdrake625]

Wonder how this works with ME, as the flight itself isn't cancelled or moved.

 

[Rpsemont]

We've volunteered a few times for bumps with SWA. It usually happened when we were flying during the peak school vacation weeks.

I always look at later flights before going to the airport so what my options might be if they try to bump me.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Haven't done it on Southwest but have several times on Delta Airlines. Usually going home. The compensation voucher has either paid or partially paid for out next flight to Disney

We only do it as long as it doesn't effect us getting back to work. We take a later flight and go get a meal at the airport, relax and wait for the later flight. They tell you what flight or flights they will put you on and give us the later flight boarding passes, we have even had our checked luggage transferred without issue.

We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Like you we would only consider it (our first time to think about it) on the return flight. But I was wondering about the issue of checked luggage. We fly to Houston then to Birmingham. SW has a later direct flight to Birmingham so if we had checked bags to Houston I wondered how the bags would connect with us, should we be re-routed on that flight.

 

[maxiesmom]

Wonder how this works with ME, as the flight itself isn't cancelled or moved.

I don't think it would matter. Flying to MCO you are not assigned to a particular bus.

 

[WhitGB]

I have a question that is both on-topic and off.

We currently have 7 people flying the same flight, four are on AT (grandparents and my children) so we could get assigned seats. My husband, brother and myself are on SW due to points and the free bags.

The flight home in November has been sold out since Day 2 of going into the system. If we were to volunteer to be bumped to a different flight, how would/could this work? We have taken a seven person bump before but it has been on Delta, they loved us since they can clear seven seats quickly.

Due to the two different airlines, do they have different rules or because this is an AT flight (available to SW) we play by the AT rules?

Thanks

 

[mom2rtk]

I have a question that is both on-topic and off.

We currently have 7 people flying the same flight, four are on AT (grandparents and my children) so we could get assigned seats. My husband, brother and myself are on SW due to points and the free bags.

The flight home in November has been sold out since Day 2 of going into the system. If we were to volunteer to be bumped to a different flight, how would/could this work? We have taken a seven person bump before but it has been on Delta, they loved us since they can clear seven seats quickly.

Due to the two different airlines, do they have different rules or because this is an AT flight (available to SW) we play by the AT rules?

Thanks

I hope for your sake that they get the merger issues all worked out before your trip. We just got back from a trip to Florida involving both AirTran and SW. What a frustrating MESS! We booked going down on AirTran, but one leg was a Southwest flight. Two of us booked Southwest coming home, but it was actually an AirTran flight.

We had different issues going down than we did coming back. AirTran would point us toward SW, and SW would point us to AT. Gate personnel would say we had to call in, the phone people would say we had to talk to the people at the gate.

After flying for years on these 2 airlines without incident, I was left frustrated beyond belief. I completely lost track of how many times I called on of the airlines or the other.

The worst was our trip home. It was a Southwest booking, but AT plane. So in their infinite wisdom, they opted to just willy nilly assign seats to everyone on the plane. Which is all fine and good, except that they didn't keep parties together. One party after another (myself included) found themselves seated away from their minor children. They tried to move me closer to my daughter, and I ended up in a row of 3 with somebody else's 3 year old twins. I was like...... NO WAY.

But maybe by November they'll have some of the nonsense worked out. At the very least maybe they can get a better handle on who handles what. I could tell their staff was beyond frustrated with it all.

 

[mrsdrake625]

I don't think it would matter. Flying to MCO you are not assigned to a particular bus.

I guess I thought they had your flight number, and depending on when you were supposed to arrive, I've heard that they will wait for you to show up to let the bus leave? We have never used the service as we have always driven but this January we will be.

Guess I should check the sticky

 

[mom2rtk]

I guess I thought they had your flight number, and depending on when you were supposed to arrive, I've heard that they will wait for you to show up to let the bus leave? We have never used the service as we have always driven but this January we will be.

Guess I should check the sticky

They do have your flight and assign a time based on it. But I doubt they hang around waiting for you. In fact, I'd be SHOCKED if they did. That would have the potential to hold everyone else up. If I was there on time and they held the bus for someone else and I ran late making my flight, I'd be quite unhappy. And it's entirely possible someone else just ran late and took a cab or something.

And I would think that most bumps happen once you're AT the airport already. So you'd still need to keep your original ME reservation.

 

[Sugardimples]

We're volunteered to be bumped on SouthWest several times and each time they told us in advance what flight they would be able to put us on. We look for bumping opportunities!

 

[shyjade]

I guess I thought they had your flight number, and depending on when you were supposed to arrive, I've heard that they will wait for you to show up to let the bus leave? We have never used the service as we have always driven but this January we will be.

Guess I should check the sticky

They most definitely do not hold the bus until you arrive. They fill busses up to capacity and if there are still people waiting in line to go to those particular resorts, they will have to wait until the next bus comes along.

For example, if you're a party of 6 and there are only 2 seats left on the bus, a party of 2 waiting in line behind you might get to board the bus and your party of 6 will board the next bus that comes along. Same way they sometimes board rides at Disney. One of the perks of being a 2-person family at Disney.

My guess is they ask for your arrival info so they have an idea of crowd levels at any given time.

 

[Capt_BJ]

my wife PLANS trips around the 'bump' ... PLANS for it and do NOT get 'tween her and the desk if they look like the announcement is coming! You'll get trampled.

we went for 3 years w/out paying for a flight while having a stack of 'anyplace we fly' vouchers on the desk . . . her record is booking a flights on vouchers for we 4, and by the time we got home we each had 3 more. Yes it did cost us an extra night in Vegas but we all must suffer sometimes.

 

[mrsdrake625]

They most definitely do not hold the bus until you arrive. They fill busses up to capacity and if there are still people waiting in line to go to those particular resorts, they will have to wait until the next bus comes along.

For example, if you're a party of 6 and there are only 2 seats left on the bus, a party of 2 waiting in line behind you might get to board the bus and your party of 6 will board the next bus that comes along. Same way they sometimes board rides at Disney. One of the perks of being a 2-person family at Disney.

My guess is they ask for your arrival info so they have an idea of crowd levels at any given time.

Ah, this is helpful. Thanks!

 

[Rpsemont]

WhitGB - Regarding a 7 person bump - more often than not - at least for us - they won't bump 7 unless they need 7 seats and I have never seen this on SWA. We usually travel as a threesome, me, DH and DD, and we volunteer for a 1, 2, or 3 person bump. There have probably been as many times that just 1 or two of us has been bumped, as ther have been that all three of us get bumped.