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

[Neener16]

Grrrr…SW just changed my perfect, non-stop flight BDL-MCO on 9/30 @ 7:05am-9:55am, and put me on a flight that now has TWO stops and into Orlando at 2pm! I'm so annoyed.

There are no non-stop flights from BDL this day so now I have to decide if I should go a day early (adding hotel cost) or switch to Jet Blue and shell out $300.

The same thing happened to me for a trip we are on now. Even flew out of Bradley. We flew in the night before and stayed at the Hyatt inside the airport. I just checked room costs for the day before and they are very reasonable. I know it’s not ideal, but it worked out for us, plus we got an early start on our Disney trip.

 

[Disneytam]

I have 2 trips to Disney planned, one in December and one at the end of September. On Monday I started to get the dreaded emails and as of this morning all 4 of our flights have been changed. @ of them are just slight changes but the two flights in September are upsetting as both the non stop flights have been changed to layover stops, one ay BWI the other in Chicago. I'm from the northeast and layover stops in the winter make me very nervous as I have no interest in getting stuck in an airport for a night. A little disgusted with Southwest right now. Our last trip with them had us sitting in the airport with 2 toddlers for three hours as they kept pushing the flight back over and over and then offering to fly us to BWI with no guarantee that the connecting flight to MCO would actually make it out. We did finally make it to MCO, but very late at night and weather had nothing to do with it.

 

[maxiesmom]

Southwest has changed our return from Orlando. Was a 7 pm flight, is now just after 3 pm. The worst part is instead of non-stop we now have a 4 hour layover. We can change flights, but we will lose that whole last day in the parks. Not to mention, who wants to spend 4 hours in the airport? Pretty peeved.

 

[buzzrelly]

we eventually had to fly out a day earlier than expected, at which point they changed it again.

The same thing happened to me for a trip we are on now. Even flew out of Bradley. We flew in the night before and stayed at the Hyatt inside the airport. I just checked room costs for the day before and they are very reasonable. I know it’s not ideal, but it worked out for us, plus we got an early start on our Disney trip.

I'm likely going to do the same, but since BDL is only offering 1 non-stop flight per day, I think I'm going to fly in the morning of 9/29 and spend an extra day in WDW. I already made a park reservation…I just need to figure out where to stay that night! Choices are pretty limited!

I do love the Hyatt option when I arrive in the evening though and actually, I have the Hyatt booked for our last night because I didn't like the flight choices home either. Let's see if that one changes!

 

[Tink3815]

Just spoke with a Southwest Rep on the Rapid Rewards customer Service line. She confirmed that buying points counts as a purchase and you do not need to receive the email. 3500 points are 105.00, but you will receive 5250 points for the purchase plus 3500 you bought.. Must be to done before midnight. The bonus points will take 6 to 8 weeks to post.

Just an update, I received my additional points on the statement dated 7/24 for this promotion

 

[archdandy]

Patiently waiting for Southwest to open the next round of dates. They said September 16. Looking at all these stories is making me re-think southwest.

 

[Boopuff]

just curious, out of MCO have they ever cancelled family boarding due to the large amounts of families in the line? And how strict are they with the one adult per child thing?

 

[EACarlson]

just curious, out of MCO have they ever cancelled family boarding due to the large amounts of families in the line? And how strict are they with the one adult per child thing?

Yes they have, I have not heard about it recently but it wouldn't surprise me. How strict they are about one adult depends entirely on who is working the gate that flight. I wouldn't count on either of those things being available to or from MCO. Get early bird or check in as close to T-24 as you can.

 

[crazymomof4]

So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION: If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting. What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)

For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME. If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?

 

[EACarlson]

So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION: If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting. What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)

For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME. If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?

SW is generally very accommodating when it comes to making changes. Usually you can do pretty much whatever you want as long as you're still going to and from the same cities, within 30 days even. Changing to the night before shouldn't pose any problems. The biggest thing is know what it is you want before you call. Have flight numbers and times ready.
I would recommend looking at the Hyatt at MCO. Then you can get up the next morning and go right down to DME.

 

[crazymomof4]

SW is generally very accommodating when it comes to making changes. Usually you can do pretty much whatever you want as long as you're still going to and from the same cities, within 30 days even. Changing to the night before shouldn't pose any problems. The biggest thing is know what it is you want before you call. Have flight numbers and times ready.
I would recommend looking at the Hyatt at MCO. Then you can get up the next morning and go right down to DME.

Thanks for the info. I will def be prepared IF I ever have to call to make a change (hopefully NOT)
I NEVER thought of staying at MCO if I have to switch to a night before flight. That is a terrific tip! Thanks so much for posting!!!

 

[focusondisney]

So far SW has not made any *major* changes to our flights in Oct but>>> QUESTION: If say they change our flight from our early morning non-stop departure from PHL to MCO to a LATE day flight with a layover.... This would be upsetting. What are our options for changing? (I've never had to do this)

For example, I'm not averse to leaving the night before what was to be our early morning take-off and booking one night in Pop or All-Stars so we can use DME. If I could change to a night-before-flight, will SW change us without an upcharge if that flight is more than the points I used for our original early morning flight?

We just had out Sept flights changed for both directions. The email SW sent said if those changes aren’t acceptable, we could change to a flight that was within 14 days of the original flight with no penalty or increased cost. But we could only change 1 time. So moving to a
Flight the night before is fine.

 

[crazymomof4]

We just had out Sept flights changed for both directions. The email SW sent said if those changes aren’t acceptable, we could change to a flight that was within 14 days of the original flight with no penalty or increased cost. But we could only change 1 time. So moving to a
Flight the night before is fine.

Thank you! I feel much less nervous about drastic flight changes now!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure. So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel. Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt. Hopefully 3rd times the charm. This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.

 

[mickeynut1]

I NEVER thought of staying at MCO if I have to switch to a night before flight. That is a terrific tip! Thanks so much for posting!!!

Definitely give the Hyatt some thought if you change your flight to the night before. We had a late arrival in May (scheduled to land 11:25pm) so I booked the Hyatt for that night (first time staying there). Our departure was delayed about 30 mins, so we didn't land at MCO until almost midnight. It was a short trip so we only had carry ons, so no going to baggage claim. I am one who likes to get to my resort and settle in no matter how late it is, but our resort wasn't available for that night, which is why I booked the Hyatt....and I'm so glad I did! It was great being in our room within 15 mins of landing/getting off the plane!

Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure. So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel. Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt. Hopefully 3rd times the charm. This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.

How frustrating!! I hope things open up soon and your Jan trip goes as planned.

 

[crazymomof4]

Definitely give the Hyatt some thought if you change your flight to the night before. It was great being in our room within 15 mins of landing/getting off the plane!

That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca! So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!! Thanks so much!

 

[Avery&Todd]

That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca! So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!! Thanks so much!

I have decided that if SW takes away my morning, non-stop flight to MCO that we'll cancel with them completely as I found a $99/flight on Delta the night before, that arrives at like 9:40pm and we'll just stay the night at the Hyatt too -and then catch our car service in the morning!

I mean, we can arrive, get a drink in the bar and tuck in for the night and start fresh in the morning at Disney!

 

[Gitelfor]

This is one sure way to get the attention of pax.

Southwest Airlines F/A’s unique safety announcement

 

[mickeynut1]

That sounds like a delightful experience with a late night arrival.
Also, leaving later in the evening would allow DH to work that full day (as we have scheduled) and not feel too rushed to get home and get to the airport. All around less stress, which is how you want to start off a vaca! So glad I have this "Plan B" lined up in case SW makes undesirable change(s) to our outbound flight!! Thanks so much!

It worked out great as we were exhausted and it was so nice to be just steps away from our room after landing. I totally agree....less stress makes for a better start to your vacay . I hope SW doesn't change your flight, but it's always good to have a back up plan just in case, especially in these unpredictable times with so many changes. Hope you have a great trip .

 

[jkelly86]

Cancelled our Aug flights today due to continued border closure. So thankful I purchased with points as it was just a click of the mouse to cancel. Now waiting for the next flight release in Sep to try and book Jan flights for our next Disney attempt. Hopefully 3rd times the charm. This trip was booked in 2019 and it's currently scheduled for Jan 2022.

I am so sorry this keeps happening to you! Fingers crossed the borders can open and stay open in August.

For anyone receiving flight change notifications in October, make sure you check the new prices ASAP and do not just click the link to make changes. We received very good pricing for both legs of our holiday weekend trip (less than half of our previous 50% off fares) but needed to cancel and rebook each ticket. HTH someone!

Also, question regarding the companion pass and new boarding position procedures: will the companion pass effect the A-list member's boarding position?