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

[Gitelfor]

Hello! I ended up booking our last night at MCO, otherwise we would have been coming home at 9:45am on our last day.

So now we have a 6:40 am flight home. If we’re staying at The Hyatt, what time would you suggest we head down to check in for our flight?

If you need to check bags at Southwest, I would allow a minimum of two hours, unless you have A-List status or have a Business Select ticket. MCO during the first week or two of October is bound to be busier than normal, due to large WDW traffic for the 50th.

If you won’t be checking bags, I would allow
about 1.25 hours, even with TSA Pre.

You can check on average TSA times a few days in advance of your departure date at sites like MiFlight or MyTSA.

 

[MarBee]

Before I actually go through with this, I just wanted to make sure I had the scenario correct in my head. I am cancelling flights for my family of 4 that I purchased with 4 separate gift cards. Each flight was $99 and the gift cards were $100 each.

1) Is there anyway to get the gift cards refunded rather than a travel credit issued?


2) My kids do not have Rapid Rewards accounts. How will the travel credits go back to their name/retrieved later?

3) If I rebook with those funds, can I purchase a $79 flight and add on EBCI all with those funds?

I have only ever booked using points, so I appreciate any help!

 

[LadybugsMum]

I’d call and get them RR accounts to add to the reservation so you can keep track of the refunds. But the refunds will always be attached the confirmation number; so make sure you keep that somewhere.

 

[Gitelfor]

Before I actually go through with this, I just wanted to make sure I had the scenario correct in my head. I am cancelling flights for my family of 4 that I purchased with 4 separate gift cards. Each flight was $99 and the gift cards were $100 each.

1) Is there anyway to get the gift cards refunded rather than a travel credit issued?


2) My kids do not have Rapid Rewards accounts. How will the travel credits go back to their name/retrieved later?

3) If I rebook with those funds, can I purchase a $79 flight and add on EBCI all with those funds?

I have only ever booked using points, so I appreciate any help!

Per Southwest:

A Southwest gift card redeemed for travel is not refundable. If travel is not taken, the funds will be held funds with an expiration date. If applied with any other accepted form(s) of payment, the earliest expiration date of all forms of payment applies.

You need to open RR accounts for each ticketed person, and then attach that member number to their reservations.

To add your Rapid Rewards number to your reservation on Southwest.com click on Flight/Hotel/Car at the top of the screen. Under Flight select Manage Reservations. From here look up your flight using one of the two options available and click on Add Rapid Rewards number next to your name.

Refunds can’t be made to gift cards, but If Southwest cancels or significantly changes your flight, you can contact them to request LUV Vouchers, in lieu of travel funds. LUV Vouchers can be used to book travel for anyone, but only for the flight cost and not taxes/fees.

 

[elle101me]

Has anyone used the baggage self-tag recently? If so was there a huge line? We’ve been using RAC for years so I haven’t had to bring a suitcase to the airport.

 

[starry_solo]

So, my flights to MCO got changed. One disappeared completely so the only option I was given (online) to change was from the layover to MCO. I called, waited 20 minutes, and got it fixed (picked out the flights that worked for us which departs at the same time as the original one but has a layover in a different city).

 

[MarBee]

I’d call and get them RR accounts to add to the reservation so you can keep track of the refunds. But the refunds will always be attached the confirmation number; so make sure you keep that somewhere.

Per Southwest:



You need to open RR accounts for each ticketed person, and then attach that member number to their reservations.



Refunds can’t be made to gift cards, but If Southwest cancels or significantly changes your flight, you can contact them to request LUV Vouchers, in lieu of travel funds. LUV Vouchers can be used to book travel for anyone, but only for the flight cost and not taxes/fees.

Thank you! Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?

 

[Esmerelda]

So, my flights to MCO got changed. One disappeared completely so the only option I was given (online) to change was from the layover to MCO. I called, waited 20 minutes, and got it fixed (picked out the flights that worked for us which departs at the same time as the original one but has a layover in a different city).

Ours for early November we’re changed on the outbound. We had a non stop, now we get to stop in Chicago. We land within an hour of original time but just hate that we lost the non stop part. Oh well, just so SW gets my butt to Disney, I’m happy!

 

[LadybugsMum]

Thank you! Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?

You can definitely use them for flights but I don’t know about EBCI.

 

[starry_solo]

Ours for early November we’re changed on the outbound. We had a non stop, now we get to stop in Chicago. We land within an hour of original time but just hate that we lost the non stop part. Oh well, just so SW gets my butt to Disney, I’m happy!

I wish we had non stops from CA but not even in LAX!

 

[Gitelfor]

Will I be able to use the travel credits to buy tickets and EBCI?

No, just for the flight.

 

[elgerber]

And they just changed my dh and ds flights to Phoenix on 11/4. They moved the only non stop of the day (that they were on) up by 35 minutes. And instead of leaving them on that flight they put them on a connecting flight doubling their travel time.

 

[Gitelfor]

Well, they are at it again. They changed an itinerary with a final destination of MCO, via a connection in ATL, to a nonstop ATL-MCO, with no flight to ATL. Checking the updated schedule, there is no flight available to make the connection in ATL. The online change functionality only works to rebook ATL-MCO, and not for the original itinerary.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I can’t believe this but I’m checking my flights 2x daily first thing in morning and again in evening!

 

[starry_solo]

Well, they are at it again. They changed an itinerary with a final destination of MCO, via a connection in ATL, to a nonstop ATL-MCO, with no flight to ATL. Checking the updated schedule, there is no flight available to make the connection in ATL. The online change functionality only works to rebook ATL-MCO, and not for the original itinerary.

That's what mine did so I had to call. It was ONT to MCO, with a layover in DEN. DEN flight was switched. ONT flight was just gone completely. They had an earlier flight to DEN but the flight number was changed...

 

[Gitelfor]

That's what mine did so I had to call. It was ONT to MCO, with a layover in DEN. DEN flight was switched. ONT flight was just gone completely. They had an earlier flight to DEN but the flight number was changed...

I will wait a day to see if it gets corrected. This happened a few months back, and it got fixed thru a Twitter DM. I don’t understand why the same problem keeps happening for months, without a fix.

ETA. Now, there is no banner on the flight and no link to change at no change in fare - flight info is still wrong. This is so bad, Southwest!

 

[bookgirl2632]

I can’t believe this but I’m checking my flights 2x daily first thing in morning and again in evening!

Same. They changed my departure flight from MCO to BWI in October two days ago. They only moved it up by 20 minutes, but now I’m paranoid. I keep checking several times a day now.

 

[Erica Ladd]

How long do I have to cancel one of 2 flights before they cancel for me? FWIW they are 12 hours apart with same strip city but different departure cities (family was gonna travel together but now some might meet us there instead)

 

[samandryanmom]

Our October flights from New Orleans were changed...both arriving and departing...I was able to go online and move them to different flights (they moved us from non stop to a one stop flight) back to non stop flights just at slightly different times. Has anyone had their changed flight changed again? Should I be checking multiple times?

 

[Neener16]

Has anyone used the baggage self-tag recently? If so was there a huge line? We’ve been using RAC for years so I haven’t had to bring a suitcase to the airport.

Flying home from MCO, there was a gigantic Southwest line. There was a lot of confusion as to where the line began. There was 1 person with a sign and another walking around staring at the line, but not actually doing anything . It actually went quickly. When you get up to the marked off lines with the kiosks we stayed to the left and got our tags etc. For some reason no one was going to the left. Got through quickly.