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

[emsstacey]

My 4th swa flight was canceled at 1am this morning- so I booked allegiant and I am finally home!

 

[TLSnell1981]

My 4th swa flight was canceled at 1am this morning- so I booked allegiant and I am finally home!

Although… happy you are home!

 

[Disneytam]

This isn't a huge surprise to me with Southwest. We flew from Albany to MCO last month. A week before our flight our nonstop was cancelled and we were switched to a stop at BWI. Not a big deal but I have flown Southwest for years and never had an issue with them. Return flight was also supposed to be a non stop. It was also cancelled and we were put on a flight that stopped at BWI but no flight change. Again we could live with that though we had to leave earlier than we had planned. After boarding the plane we sat for a half an hour and then were told that the connecting flight to Buffalo was canceled and they were trying not to strand those passengers in BWI. We left an hour late departing and were told right before we landed at BWI that we would have to get off the plane because now we had to switch planes. What a mess! We finally got home a couple of hours later but I was really surprised by how it was all handled. I feel so bad for everyone that was effected this past weekend and I'm more than a bit worried about our flight in December.

 

[disneyfan150]

We have two one way flights scheduled. One is a United flight this Saturday to MCO and the other is a SW flight home on Tuesday. We booked SW with points. I am trying to decide if I should just cancel the SW flight and rebook on another airline.

 

[EACarlson]

We have two one way flights scheduled. One is a United flight this Saturday to MCO and the other is a SW flight home on Tuesday. We booked SW with points. I am trying to decide if I should just cancel the SW flight and rebook on another airline.

I would wait and see what it looks like the rest of the week before cancelling. No matter what the confluence of events that led to this weekend's mess, the odds that it happens again the following weekend are not that high. If it is a systemic problem we will see it in the next few days.

 

[Tink3815]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already.

On another forum an article was posted that the Southwest Pilots Union is taking Southwest to court to block the mandate. It hinted that cancellations may be a result of staff calling in.

Quoted from the article

“Other policies the union seeks to block include Southwest’s Covid quarantine rules for pilots and an infectious disease control policy that it says significantly altered work conditions, rules and rates of pay, until the two sides negotiate a resolution to alleged contract violations outlined in its original Aug. 30 lawsuit. The changes violate a “status quo” provision of the RLA by not maintaining terms of an existing contract during negotiations, the lawsuit claimed.

Pilots are at a unique risk because adverse reactions to a vaccine could affect their ability to pass periodic medical examinations required to maintain their license. The union wants to negotiate, among other things, how such instances would be covered by long-term disability policies. “

The case is Southwest Airlines Pilots Association v. Southwest Airlines Co., 3:21-cv-02065-M, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).

 

[moesy4]

My husband earned the companion pass with the help of bonus points on a new SW card. He doesn’t need to keep the card open when the points are earned does he?

 

[maybethisyear]

For those that purchased refundable tickets for future dates and/or were using points....check your flight dates!

One leg of my February flight went down by $85 for our family of three, overnight! This chaos is surely causing people to cancel with them or not book at all. I refunded that leg, and repurchased. I still trust Southwest over Spirit, and those are our two choices for direct flights. We have four 4 non-park days to our trip as cushion due to last time one of us getting sick and missing park days because of it.

 

[disneyfan150]

I would wait and see what it looks like the rest of the week before cancelling. No matter what the confluence of events that led to this weekend's mess, the odds that it happens again the following weekend are not that high. If it is a systemic problem we will see it in the next few days.

Thank you for the advice. I think I will wait until Wednesday and make a decision. Ticket prices seem to be holding at the moment.

 

[Bigmace]

What a mess. Heading to Disneyland Wednesday morning and had a Southwest flight early Wednesday morning. Just canceled it and booked a flight on Delta for tomorrow night. We will gamble on the way home Saturday but don’t want to miss out on our trip.

 

[happ]

My husband earned the companion pass with the help of bonus points on a new SW card. He doesn’t need to keep the card open when the points are earned does he?

It is recommended to keep cards open for at least the first full year so you are not seen as a gamer. Besides, there are benefits to keeping it open like offers and spending incentives. He can close it at the one year mark when the anniversary points post to avoid paying an annual fee.

 

[Avery&Todd]

UGH - the debacle that was this past weekend has me really nervous for our flights next month!

We're flying out on Nov. 10th, the day before a "holiday" and I almost pulled the trigger on $1,100 flights on Delta several times!!

It still may happen...

 

[Bigmace]

UGH - the debacle that was this past weekend has me really nervous for our flights next month!

We're flying out on Nov. 10th, the day before a "holiday" and I almost pulled the trigger on $1,100 flights on Delta several times!!

It still may happen...

Delta hasn't had any major issues recently. It appears to be isolated to Southwest right now and then Spirit about a month ago.

 

[RookieLady]

This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was. Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet. So, query whether the governor's order makes any difference for the crew calling out in the next little bit.

I fly out of RDU Sunday am on one of the flights that Southwest cancelled last Sunday. If they cancel, I wish they would tell me the day before, so I can get in the car and drive. It's a 10 hour drive, but I would leave the day early to shave some hours off to save park time. I really don't want to because given the price of my tickets, it was cheaper to fly than pay the gas and parking fees, given our length of stay. However, I have priced other airlines, and it is cheaper to drive versus buying a replacement for the tickets I have.

 

[bookgirl2632]

Our flight left with a slight delay from BWI this morning. I did not see very many cancellations on the boards.

 

[FCDub]

Things should be closer to normal this week

 

[focusondisney]

Got an offer from AMEX overnight for a Delta SkyMiles Gold with 70,000 miles LOL! Someone is on the ball...told DH we may need to consider as Delta flies both MHT and BOS to MCO. I'm waiting to see what the JetBlue offer (wait - it's coming) will be... We've been SWA for over 20 years but this might be a break up!

I checked the Jetblue website a few days ago, their CC offer was at 70K points also, up from 40K the last time I checked. I know last year it got up to 100K in December I think. Not sure if I should bite at 70, lol. Those 30K points are a RT flight!

I’m like 11000 points away from earning another SW CP for next year. I just don’t know if I should keep trying or not. I’m not buying all this is a result of a pilot job action. I think SW has been running so close to capacity & cut so many flights, they just have no room for recovery. There’s just no breathing room in their scheduling. Anything at all is throwing them into chaos. I don’t think their management team is up to the challenge.

 

[VickiVM]

This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was. Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet. So, query whether the governor's order makes any difference for the crew calling out in the next little bit.

Bingo! This is my understanding from someone I know who is a SW pilot.

 

[Chernabob]

Not sure if the truth about the weekend will ever come to light, but this piece from earlier today suggests that things are closer to normal in terms of cancellations today/Tuesday at 2%:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/12/sou...ass-cancellations-from-staffing-shortage.html

 

[EACarlson]

This is not a political statement, just an FYI. I read that Gov Abbott issued an executive order than bans vaccine mandates for Texas based companies, which I thought Southwest was. Technically, the president said he was going to issue an order about companies employing over 100 people, but he actually hasn't issued the order yet.

That's not quite right, President Biden announced September 9 that he was instructing the Department of Labor to instruct OSHA to promulgate an Emergency Temporary Standard that all employers with over 100 Full Time Equivalent employees require vaccination or weekly testing. To date OSHA has not published that ETS in the federal register, theoretically it goes into effect immediately upon publication. The ETS would last for six months unless OSHA promulgates a rule in the meantime using their standard practice.