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

[scottmel]

Does anyone happen to know if there are any discount codes floating around for Southwest? I see the "promo code" field on their website but haven't had any luck finding anything online??

once in a blue moon there might be like a 20 off round trip etc. I have one for 25 off round trip but trip must be taken by end of June. Got it in mail afte rI booked my trip and had better rate any way.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Don't worry about the over sold issue. If they are over sold they will make an announcement and ask for volunteers. They won't boot you off the plane. If they don't get enough volunteers they usually will increase the amount of money they are offering to volunteers. I love volunteering to give up my seat!!! Just did it in Feb and walked away with $452!!! More money to fly for the next trip to WDW. If there is a weather related issue it will affect all of the airlines flying that route. That is just something we can not control. They are a good airline to fly. We were weather delayed last May in Nashville and they kept us informed, brought out snacks and drinks to everyone in the gate area.

Hello Southwest People,

I am new to Southwest airlines and I am trying to figure out how it all works. I've signed up for rapid rewards and I have a million questions. I looked back through the thread to about Dec of last year and I did not see any info that would help me figure out how SW works. I figured I would post my questions here and hope that those of you with SW experience might be able to bestow their wisdom on me.

My first question concerns the "wanna get away fares". I am deathly afraid to book Southwest because they have the reputation of over selling the seats available on the plane. If we did go with SW we would probably choose it for the Wanna get away fares (WGA). I can't think of anything worse than trying to get to WDW and SW saying you can't get on the flight you booked and maybe not tomorrow either because we oversold/there is a weather problem, etc, etc... I'm thinking this is a lot more likely to happen if you have a WGA fare... Is that correct? How do they determine who gets booted off of the plane/ told not to board?

I think I will stop there and ask my next questions in separate posts so as not to overwhelm the gurus. Like I said I'm a SW newby and I have a million questions!

Thank you so very much for your time in assisting me with learning about SWA.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Hello Southwest People,

I am new to Southwest airlines and I am trying to figure out how it all works. I've signed up for rapid rewards and I have a million questions. I looked back through the thread to about Dec of last year and I did not see any info that would help me figure out how SW works. I figured I would post my questions here and hope that those of you with SW experience might be able to bestow their wisdom on me.

My first question concerns the "wanna get away fares". I am deathly afraid to book Southwest because they have the reputation of over selling the seats available on the plane. If we did go with SW we would probably choose it for the Wanna get away fares (WGA). I can't think of anything worse than trying to get to WDW and SW saying you can't get on the flight you booked and maybe not tomorrow either because we oversold/there is a weather problem, etc, etc... I'm thinking this is a lot more likely to happen if you have a WGA fare... Is that correct? How do they determine who gets booted off of the plane/ told not to board?

I think I will stop there and ask my next questions in separate posts so as not to overwhelm the gurus. Like I said I'm a SW newby and I have a million questions!

Thank you so very much for your time in assisting me with learning about SWA.

I fly SW every time I fly. We are a family of 5 and we always do the Wanna Get Away fares. We've never had any issues getting booted off a plane and I have never witnessed it happen to anyone else either. We are always able to get on as we planned, get decent boarding passes by checking in 24 hours ahead and always get seats all together.

Only time we were not able to board a flight that was booked was when Chicago closed their airport in Jan. 2011 due to a blizzard across the midwest. We were in Orlando and the day before our flight SW texted us with the information that the flight had been canceled. They gave instructions on how to go to their website to rebook with no fees. Process was simple and easy and nothing like spending our 2 snow days in sunny FL!

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Just saw that for 100 Coke Reward points you can get $20 off on Southwest.

Overbooking occurs on all airlines. An airline will first ask for volunteers. In the unlikely event the airline does not get enough volunteers they will deny seating based upon check in time. The price you pay for your ticket does not come into play.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Don't worry about the over sold issue. If they are over sold they will make an announcement and ask for volunteers. They won't boot you off the plane. If they don't get enough volunteers they usually will increase the amount of money they are offering to volunteers. I love volunteering to give up my seat!!! Just did it in Feb and walked away with $452!!! More money to fly for the next trip to WDW. If there is a weather related issue it will affect all of the airlines flying that route. That is just something we can not control. They are a good airline to fly. We were weather delayed last May in Nashville and they kept us informed, brought out snacks and drinks to everyone in the gate area.

Thanks for making me feel better. Understanding how that works with SW will take a load off of my mind.

I fly SW every time I fly. We are a family of 5 and we always do the Wanna Get Away fares. We've never had any issues getting booted off a plane and I have never witnessed it happen to anyone else either. We are always able to get on as we planned, get decent boarding passes by checking in 24 hours ahead and always get seats all together.

Only time we were not able to board a flight that was booked was when Chicago closed their airport in Jan. 2011 due to a blizzard across the midwest. We were in Orlando and the day before our flight SW texted us with the information that the flight had been canceled. They gave instructions on how to go to their website to rebook with no fees. Process was simple and easy and nothing like spending our 2 snow days in sunny FL!

When we fly, we are clock watching, early check in people too. My husband would get to the airport 4 hours early if I let him. Since we don't fly much, is the 24 hour check in based on exactly what time your flight leaves or does it start at 12:01 am on the day of your flight?

Just saw that for 100 Coke Reward points you can get $20 off on Southwest.

Overbooking occurs on all airlines. An airline will first ask for volunteers. In the unlikely event the airline does not get enough volunteers they will deny seating based upon check in time. The price you pay for your ticket does not come into play.

That is really reassuring to hear. The last time we flew to Disney our flight on a different airline was cancelled and the next one wasn't for another 8 hours.

Thank you for all of your answers. They have really helped to make me feel better about flying on, what for our family, is a new airline.

My next question is when will December 2012 SW flights will be released?

AND Is it better to buy when the schedule first comes out?

I've signed up for all the stuff on the SW web site and I also subscribed to Airfare watch dog. We would much rather have our flying plans firmed up than dither around waiting for prices to fall to their absolute lowest point. That's why I think the Wanna Get Away fares might be the way to go for us. I'm just trying to figure out what the "catch" was surrounding those low prices. I'm wondering if the WGA fares are how SW keeps it's planes full.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Thanks for making me feel better. Understanding how that works with SW will take a load off of my mind.



When we fly, we are clock watching, early check in people too. My husband would get to the airport 4 hours early if I let him. Since we don't fly much, is the 24 hour check in based on exactly what time your flight leaves or does it start at 12:01 am on the day of your flight?



That is really reassuring to hear. The last time we flew to Disney our flight on a different airline was cancelled and the next one wasn't for another 8 hours.

Thank you for all of your answers. They have really helped to make me feel better about flying on, what for our family, is a new airline.

My next question is when will December 2012 SW flights will be released?

AND Is it better to buy when the schedule first comes out?

I've signed up for all the stuff on the SW web site and I also subscribed to Airfare watch dog. We would much rather have our flying plans firmed up than dither around waiting for prices to fall to their absolute lowest point. That's why I think the Wanna Get Away fares might be the way to go for us. I'm just trying to figure out what the "catch" was surrounding those low prices. I'm wondering if the WGA fares are how SW keeps it's planes full.

Thanks again for all the help!

You want to check in exactly (to the minute) 24 hours before your flight time. Don't click the button before the exact time because it will give you an error message. I always have the window open with the confirmation number and name inputted and have made sure to click next to each name and then when the clock rolls to that 24 hour minute I hit submit. This will give you your boarding pass numbers which is the order that you get to board the plane. A's are best, B's okay, C's not so great. There are 60 slots in each section.

 

[Ninja Mom]

You want to check in exactly (to the minute) 24 hours before your flight time. Don't click the button before the exact time because it will give you an error message. I always have the window open with the confirmation number and name inputted and have made sure to click next to each name and then when the clock rolls to that 24 hour minute I hit submit. This will give you your boarding pass numbers which is the order that you get to board the plane. A's are best, B's okay, C's not so great. There are 60 slots in each section.

Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?

I've only used the resort baggage service once with SW and they didn't check me in, my DH at home did. They did print my boarding passes out for me though. I wouldn't rely on them at all even if they are open during that time.

I always check myself in at home for the beginning of my trip but while in FL I always do the Early Bird Check-in since I don't know where I'll be at the 24 hour mark and I don't want to have to worry about it. My time is worth the cost for the flight home IMO.

 

[Ninja Mom]

I've only used the resort baggage service once with SW and they didn't check me in, my DH at home did. They did print my boarding passes out for me though. I wouldn't rely on them at all even if they are open during that time.

I always check myself in at home for the beginning of my trip but while in FL I always do the Early Bird Check-in since I don't know where I'll be at the 24 hour mark and I don't want to have to worry about it. My time is worth the cost for the flight home IMO.

Could you tell me what Early Bird check in is for Southwest? Thanks again for all the help. I can't tell you how much you are helping me. These are the kind of questions that I tried to look up online but it's almost as if you just need to ask some one who has done it before.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Could you tell me what Early Bird check in is for Southwest? Thanks again for all the help. I can't tell you how much you are helping me. These are the kind of questions that I tried to look up online but it's almost as if you just need to ask some one who has done it before.

Happy to help! EBCI from the SW site:
http://www.southwest.com/flight/ear...=yes&disc=&ss=0&cid=&companyName=&memberName=

Basically you pay $10 per ticket and SW will check you in at the 36 hour mark instead of you doing it at the 24 hour mark. You don't have to worry about where you are etc. and they do it sooner so you get a better boarding #. You will find that more people will pay for this for the return flight home out of MCO so if you wait to check in yourself at 24 hours you will probably have a higher # than you did for the flight down.

I always check myself in for the flight from Omaha to MCO as I can easily be at my computer with no issue. I don't want to waste my vacation time or have to pay for wifi (I haven't been to WDW since they are giving it for free) to check in for the flight home. We are a family of 5 so it is $50 but I haven't regretted it.

 

[cybrkitn]

Thank God the resorts now are offering free wifi so I can check in while at Disney for my flight back home. Am I correct when I think the resorts offer free check in for Southwest but if we have a flight outside of the time when the resorts airline check in desk is open we are on our own as far as checking in online?

So are we. Last time we were there we paid about $9 or $10 per night for WIFI.

Don't you need to print out your confirmation once you check in online for your return trip? It's been a while since I have done it and don't remember what we did.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Happy to help! EBCI from the SW site:
http://www.southwest.com/flight/ear...=yes&disc=&ss=0&cid=&companyName=&memberName=

Basically you pay $10 per ticket and SW will check you in at the 36 hour mark instead of you doing it at the 24 hour mark. You don't have to worry about where you are etc. and they do it sooner so you get a better boarding #. You will find that more people will pay for this for the return flight home out of MCO so if you wait to check in yourself at 24 hours you will probably have a higher # than you did for the flight down.

I always check myself in for the flight from Omaha to MCO as I can easily be at my computer with no issue. I don't want to waste my vacation time or have to pay for wifi (I haven't been to WDW since they are giving it for free) to check in for the flight home. We are a family of 5 so it is $50 but I haven't regretted it.

Wow! Even more convenient! SW is really starting to grow on me! Thanks for the help, it was golden!

So are we. Last time we were there we paid about $9 or $10 per night for WIFI.

Don't you need to print out your confirmation once you check in online for your return trip? It's been a while since I have done it and don't remember what we did.

Last trip to WDW I flew on an airline that wasn't on that Disney list (I forget what you call it). I had the same problem about the printing out thing but I asked about it at the hotel and the CM's said that the Concierge at the resort will print it out for you. I think you ask to do the whole check in thing with them so you have access to a printer, as opposed to doing it on your computer or smart phone and then trying to find a way to send it to the hotels printers. We stayed at All Stars so they do this at a Value as opposed to a deluxe. I had only thought Concierges were at the deluxe hotels.

Don't you just wish you could do the whole thing on your smart phone and be done with it. You just go up to the gate, whip out your phone, flash and then dash on to the airplane... no paper, no hassle! What are we going to see next on our phones, tiny printers!?

Also, I've been scouring the boards looking for info for our upcoming trip and I've read that the free WIFI in the hotels at Disney can be spotty, so let the 'buyer' beware on that one.

OK so I think I have this now. SW releases fares for that time period. I book a wanna get away fare and then be sure to check in right at the 24 hour mark for my flight to Orlando. For my flight home I have paid the extra $10 per ticket to do the 36 hour early bird check in. BUT I'll still need to go to Concierge and have them print out the boarding passes for the early bird check in... right?

Thanks everybody!

 

[cybrkitn]

Don't you just wish you could do the whole thing on your smart phone and be done with it. You just go up to the gate, whip out your phone, flash and then dash on to the airplane... no paper, no hassle! What are we going to see next on our phones, tiny printers!?

DH would love that. He's got the smart phone. My mom and I have a simple phone without all the bells and whistles.

Also, I've been scouring the boards looking for info for our upcoming trip and I've read that the free WIFI in the hotels at Disney can be spotty, so let the 'buyer' beware on that one.

DH has Hot Spot with his phone through Verizon Wireless so that we can get the internet. It really has come in handy when we are traveling and need access to our bank account or whatever it may be.

 

[jenseib]

Question about credit.... If you change your flight to a cheaper one, , I know you have to use the credit in a years time...is it a year from when you origionally book? when you make the change? or from the day of your flight?

 

[ajpa]

Does anyone have a SW code they can share? Please PM me.
Pretty please and thank you so much.



-aj

 

[birmantaz]

Anyone know what fare is a good deal from Boston to MCO in September? My brief online search leads me to SW from Providence as the best deal ($1118.xx for 4 RT). Should I book now, or wait a while? Thanks

 

[jenseib]

Anyone know what fare is a good deal from Boston to MCO in September? My brief online search leads me to SW from Providence as the best deal ($1118.xx for 4 RT). Should I book now, or wait a while? Thanks

That sounds good to me for 4

 

[ajpa]

I think it was on this thread that someone mentioned getting $20 coupon on Southwest round-trip tickets by using 100 coke rewards.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

I didn't have 100 points but it turns out if you sign someone up for SW Rapid Rewards via the coke rewards website, you get 60 coke reward points. I signed hubby up and that was enough to put my total at 100.

My 2 kids don't have RR memberships yet either so I'm going to try signing them up via coke rewards as well.

 

[jenseib]

Is it $20 off per person?

 

[ajpa]

Is it $20 off per person?

Yes! $10 off each way (must book round-trip)