Frustration with Southwest -lower fares

[jacksonholt]

I booked 6 rountrip tickets with Southwest. 1 Leg of the flight is now $30 cheaper per ticket (figures). So I tried to rebook online to get the $180 credit. My online credit was only listed at $60. So I called customer service. I was told that only 2 seats were available at the reduced fare, but to re-book over the phone I would have to cancel my entire reservation (the return fare is higher) and split into 2.

So I returned online to get the $60, only to find out that they were splitting the refund into $10 over the 6 tickets. If there is really only 2 flight avail at the reduced fare, I was hoping to get a $30 credit for myself & DH.

And even more frustrating, when I look online now, it shows that I can get 4 tickets at the reduced rate.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

 

[jenf22]

I've been bitten by the number of seats thing before too. If I were you, I would just keep re-booking the same flight to get as much credit as I can. Unfortunately, the credit can only be used for the person the ticket is issued to. So if you end up with a $10 credit per person and not everyone is planning to fly again before they expire, you've just lost those credits. It is really annoying, but at least Southwest lets you get some kind of credit when the fares change. I've never had any luck with any other airline. Good luck!

 

[phred52]

This is why I make our reservations one by one or in pairs, and only one way at a time. I can capture the price drops much easier this way than if everyone is on one reservation.

 

[jacksonholt]

Lesson learned - I will start booking one by one from now on, and I guess one leg at a time, too. What a pain! Their old rebate policy was so much better.

FWIW, I always do a price search for only 1 adult - I've gotten burned by putting in 6 before - and if there are only 5 low fares, you only get shown the highest price.

Hopefully others will learn from my mistake

 

[aan1701]

I am sorry you do not like the new exchange policy. Just like most great things it takes only a few to mess up a good thing. The reason behind it was people would book tickets then not go and give to others, then the others would not go either. Basically it would keep getting passed down till expired then the 5th person down would complain cause they bought this ticket from the third party. That's why now it's only the named person.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[rosermama]

You can get a refund on airtran as well which makes sense since they are owned by southwest. The difference is you have to call them to do it. Its great way to pay for bag fees when a fare drops.

I also always book each way seperatly. I find I get better rates and better options.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy Note using DISBoards

 

[mikeymouse1223]

I just found out that Jetblue does it too. I booked tickets, and literally next day they dropped. I called them, and they took care of the credit for me. There are four of us travelling, and they actually asked me if I just wanted the credit under only my name. I wouldn't have even thought of it, but put the whole credit in my name ($120 - it was $30 each). That way if I can be sure to use it!

 

[pigletto]

Have fun trying to use them too. I used a 260 dollar credit the other day to book one leg of my February trip. It was such a hassle. They only take so many payment types, and since each persons credit was from two separate price drops I had to book one ticket at a time. Can't add the EBC because that can only be paid with a credit card. Kept redirecting me because in order to use my sons credit, I had to book him separately like the rest of us and then it looked as though he was an unaccompanied minor
And then for the grand finale of frustration, I couldn't use the credit for the 5th person because even though she is a minor, and I booked and paid for her ticket, she isn't coming on the February trip (dd's friend), so I just take a loss on that one.
Wasn't the best experience I had trying to figure all that out. And calling got me nowhere.

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Have fun trying to use them too. I used a 260 dollar credit the other day to book one leg of my February trip. It was such a hassle. They only take so many payment types, and since each persons credit was from two separate price drops I had to book one ticket at a time. Can't add the EBC because that can only be paid with a credit card. Kept redirecting me because in order to use my sons credit, I had to book him separately like the rest of us and then it looked as though he was an unaccompanied minor
And then for the grand finale of frustration, I couldn't use the credit for the 5th person because even though she is a minor, and I booked and paid for her ticket, she isn't coming on the February trip (dd's friend), so I just take a loss on that one.
Wasn't the best experience I had trying to figure all that out. And calling got me nowhere.

If you do not like their credit policy why purchase tickets from them?

 

[pigletto]

If you do not like their credit policy why purchase tickets from them?

The credit policy had changed since the last time I used them, and I found the recent incident frustrating as I related. Not enough to never fly with them again. Not the end of the world. Just a frustrating enough experience that I felt I could share with others.
Rest assured if the negative experiences of using Southwest ever outweigh the positives, I am capable of deciding when I have had enough. At this time, that has not happened and I still find flying with Southwest to be an overall positive experience.

 

[richmo]

The splitting of your reservation/itinerary does have its advantages for applying fare reductions. However, keep in mind that when you check in, you'll have to do it multiple times, so you'll get different boarding positions. Chances are you'll still be able to sit together, but no guarantee.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I think you're misunderstanding what happened with your credit. You did not get the two credits split across 6 people. All 6 credits came in at $10 cheaper than what you paid. You exceeded the number of seats available at the lowest price point and were priced at the next price point for everybody which was $10 less than your original price. This is how it always worked. The only difference you're seeing now compared to the past is that the credits can no longer be used by anybody; they now have to each be used by the individuals whose names are on each ticket.

Even though there are now 4 seats at that lower fare, you still couldn't get the credit because there are 6 on your itinerary; there would have to be 6 fares at that lowest price in order to get any further credit beyond the price point at which you're now paying.

 

[hsmamato2]

what they said..... I recently rebooked for a lower fare (one ways only) and I did each one individually,I got 3 out of 4 before they ran out of the discount seats...I was happy to get anything back!
Say I pay 100 for a seat,and I do that for 4 people, then it drops to 90- I go back and rebook each one. If there are a set # of sale seats,like only 3 left at that price,then I only get 3 fare reduced. the other one is the same as before.

 

[trtl6941]

what they said..... I recently rebooked for a lower fare (one ways only) and I did each one individually,I got 3 out of 4 before they ran out of the discount seats...I was happy to get anything back!
Say I pay 100 for a seat,and I do that for 4 people, then it drops to 90- I go back and rebook each one. If there are a set # of sale seats,like only 3 left at that price,then I only get 3 fare reduced. the other one is the same as before.

That makes sense and just proves you don't have to book each ticket separate, right?

 

[MinnieGirl33]

This is why I make our reservations one by one or in pairs, and only one way at a time. I can capture the price drops much easier this way than if everyone is on one reservation.

Same here.