Missed Southwest Flight...

[jesters]

Can anyone tell me what would happen if we missed our flight at MCO returning home? We have an 11:30am flight out of MCO after a cruise, and I think we will make it, as long as their are no disembarkation or travel problems.

Anyway, what would happen if we missed the flight?

 

[bavaria]

I believe that SW does not have reciprocal arrangement with other airlines (watch an episode of Airline! and see how passengers react when they are told that all SW flights are full till next Tuesday, and no other airline will honour the ticket )

I've never flown SW, but I have flown many other carriers. If a connection is missed etc they will try and protect you on the next flight; if the next flight is full they will book you on the next available flight and you are welcome to fly standby.

Other carriers with agreements will also try and get to your destination via another carrier, if they have no viable option on their own flights.

You may also want to check SW's website - on most mainline carriers if you miss the first leg of the flight and don't call BEFORE the flight departs to advise them, you lose the value of the ticket.

 

[tracys2cents]

You may have to purchase a ticket on the next available flight. They will credit your original ticket but , of course, the new last-minute fare will probably be quite a bit higher.

 

[Lewisc]

SW isn't like other airlines. Even if you just don't show up you'll get a credit equal to the full value of your ticket. You'll have one year from the date of your reservation to fly.

SW observes the "flat tire" rule. Get to the airport less than 2 hours after your flight and you'll be accomodated on a stand by basis. If you're more than 2 hours late the GA might work with you. I wouldn't count on it if you booked an impossible flight, something like 8:30a, in order to grab a low fare. You booked an 11:30 flight, you should be able to get to MCO by 1:30p. JUST REMEMBER STANDBY probably means you'll board after the Cs and your family probably won't get to sit together.

 

[bavaria]

SW observes the "flat tire" rule. Get to the airport less than 2 hours after your flight and you'll be accomodated on a stand by basis. If you're more than 2 hours late the GA might work with you. I wouldn't count on it if you booked an impossible flight, something like 8:30a, in order to grab a low fare. You booked an 11:30 flight, you should be able to get to MCO by 1:30p. JUST REMEMBER STANDBY probably means you'll board after the Cs and your family probably won't get to sit together.

And if the other flights are full, you may not all get onto that flight ie 5 in the family but 3 seats. You may want to check the availability and frequency of SW flights from MCO that day a few days before your cruise so that you will have some idea of additional flights. (Loads may change significantly though while you are on the cruise)

Also they may get you home, but via connecting flights instead of non-stop.

 

[Monagles]

You will be off the ship asap. If you are not a US citizen, then you must clear customs at 0600 at the Walt Disney Theater.

1. leave stateroom, bring carryon to breakfast
2. go to assigned restaurant, eat breakfast
3. disembark
4. get luggage at assigned area in lower terminal (you'll have left it outside your stateroom the previous evening)
5. suggest tipping baggage handler to assist you with luggage
6. clear customs
7. go to bus going to SW airlines
8. get dropped off at MCO

I think we were at the airport by 1015, and we sat around waiting for our flight.

 

[bavaria]

You will be off the ship asap. If you are not a US citizen, then you must clear customs at 0600 at the Walt Disney Theater.

1. leave stateroom, bring carryon to breakfast
2. go to assigned restaurant, eat breakfast
3. disembark
4. get luggage at assigned area in lower terminal (you'll have left it outside your stateroom the previous evening)
5. suggest tipping baggage handler to assist you with luggage
6. clear customs
7. go to bus going to SW airlines
8. get dropped off at MCO

I think we were at the airport by 1015, and we sat around waiting for our flight.

 

[Lewisc]

And if the other flights are full, you may not all get onto that flight ie 5 in the family but 3 seats. You may want to check the availability and frequency of SW flights from MCO that day a few days before your cruise so that you will have some idea of additional flights. (Loads may change significantly though while you are on the cruise)

Also they may get you home, but via connecting flights instead of non-stop.

and if they're late due to traffic, weather or security delays at MCO other passengers will also miss the flight. Some of those passengers will be full fare, flying on RR tickets or be willing to pay the fare difference in order to confirm a seat and will be ahead of you.

I wouldn't even think of renting a car. Either use a bus or a towncar.

 

[CarolA]

As Lewis points out they will work with you, but your big risk is that you won't either all get on the same plane and/or you won't get to sit together. (And yes, it would be a little rude to board late due to this and then ask the FAs to make people move for you)

 

[riu girl]

Since it looks like the OPs ? has been answered, instead of starting a new thread I hope I can ask this question here:

What if by chance you happen to be hours early for a SWA flight?

Is it possible to take an earlier flight and not have to pay any extra $.

Thank you

 

[Monagles]

We tried to get the earlier flight as well, but for 5 of us it was going to be an extra $50 a person. You will most likely have a fare increase. It depends on how much your tickets were to start.

 

[tmt martins]

Since it looks like the OPs ? has been answered, instead of starting a new thread I hope I can ask this question here:

What if by chance you happen to be hours early for a SWA flight?

Is it possible to take an earlier flight and not have to pay any extra $.

Thank you

That depends on the Agents if they look and your flight and the rest for the day are booked up they might put you on the earlier for the same price as it will give them some wiggle room on your orginal flight.

Other then that they want the money to switch the flights.

 

[CarolA]

That depends on the Agents if they look and your flight and the rest for the day are booked up they might put you on the earlier for the same price as it will give them some wiggle room on your orginal flight.

Other then that they want the money to switch the flights.

I have NEVER had them be willing to let me fly standby on an earlier flight for free EVEN when the earlier flight was EMPTY! I guess that MAYBE if the later flight was oversold they might do it, but I wouldn't plan on that.

SW's rule is that the only way to "standby" is to upgrade to a full fare ticket and then they will gurantee you a seat. They generally have signs explaining this in the gate area and they tend to really stick to it.

 

[maryisme]

I don't know what Southwest's procedure is if you miss the flight but I did want to tell you that we always catch an 11:30am flight after our cruise. We have cruised 5 times and have always made it in time - with time to spare.

We are usually off the ship and on our way by 8:30. We have always had a car service pick us up (Southern Elegance) but this time we are leaving our rental at the Port and driving directly to MCO.

However, as others have said, anything can happen at any time. Its a gamble, odds are you'll be fine. Good luck!

Mary

 

[momrek06]

You will be off the ship asap. If you are not a US citizen, then you must clear customs at 0600 at the Walt Disney Theater.

1. leave stateroom, bring carryon to breakfast
2. go to assigned restaurant, eat breakfast
3. disembark
4. get luggage at assigned area in lower terminal (you'll have left it outside your stateroom the previous evening)
5. suggest tipping baggage handler to assist you with luggage
6. clear customs
7. go to bus going to SW airlines
8. get dropped off at MCO

I think we were at the airport by 1015, and we sat around waiting for our flight.

We were too!!! No problem at all. We were actually renting a car from MCO and traveling South after our cruise. We were there very early. It is so do-able!!!!

 

[riu girl]

Thanks for the info.

 

[TDC Nala]

You would have to book a new flight. You will pay whatver the same day fare is.

If you did not board your scheduled flight, the cost of that flight becomes travel credit. You can use the travel credit toward booking your new flight and pay the difference.

I was in the Baltimore airport once with an hour to go and a gate agent came to me and asked if I wanted to take a flight that was boarding immediately. I had to trade my A pass for a C pass but they just switched me over to the departing flight. No idea why they did this.

 

[havencruiser]

Why would the OP expect to get a fare that's cheap for a time that's convenient? If you want to be sure you will get on a flight, then get on the one that's more comfortable timewise with getting off the ship and to MCO? It's not reasonable to book a cheap flight at a time that may very well not work logistically and then expect SW to put you on the next flight for the same price. It's very generous of SW to apply the cost of the first flight toward another flight. As for sitting together, I agree with a previous post that it would be unfair to as the FAs to ask anybody to move so that you can sit together. THese were people who planned their trips to allow themselves to get to the airport on time to be able to sit where they wanted to sit.

 

[Lewisc]

One poster was able to get to MCO early enough to catch the OPs flight on 5 different cruises and another poster was able to do.

The OP didn't pick an impossible flight in order to snag a good fare.

It's VERY REASONABLE to expect SW to honor their policy of accommodating passengers who are less than 2 hours late on a standby basis on the next flight.

SW charges if you want to standby for an earlier flight. I'd book the earlier flight, and take my chances with standby by if something extraordinary happens, rather than having sit around MCO for half a day.

I'll agree people in that position have no right to expect they'll even be accommodated on the same plane let alone be able to sit next to each other. Yes, that includes young children. YOU PROBABLY WON'T BE ALLOWED TO PRE-BOARD, if the flight is close to sold out boarding will begin before any standbys are cleared. Cutting it close isn't a good idea if you're traveling with kids who are too young to sit by themselves.

Why would the OP expect to get a fare that's cheap for a time that's convenient? If you want to be sure you will get on a flight, then get on the one that's more comfortable timewise with getting off the ship and to MCO? It's not reasonable to book a cheap flight at a time that may very well not work logistically and then expect SW to put you on the next flight for the same price. It's very generous of SW to apply the cost of the first flight toward another flight. As for sitting together, I agree with a previous post that it would be unfair to as the FAs to ask anybody to move so that you can sit together. THese were people who planned their trips to allow themselves to get to the airport on time to be able to sit where they wanted to sit.

 

[disneyldwjr]

Since it looks like the OPs ? has been answered, instead of starting a new thread I hope I can ask this question here:

What if by chance you happen to be hours early for a SWA flight?

Is it possible to take an earlier flight and not have to pay any extra $.

Thank you

Only if you have booked at the highest fare, otherwise you will pay the difference between your fare and the highest. SWA does this to stop people from booking a low, low fare on one flight and changing to a flight that they really wanted but was not available at the lower rate.