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

[focusondisney]

If you think your new flight arrangements are bad, someone was booked to fly BUF-PHL and had his flight changed to BUF-MCO-PHL (a ten hour trip, with a 5 hour layover at MCO).

That’s just insane. People who want a nonstop from Buffalo to Orlando are getting their flights cancelled.

We’ve been flying to Orlando fo over 30 years. I’ve never seen anything like this SW mess. Not even after 9/11 or the bad economic times in 2007-2009.

 

[bsmcneil]

Upgraded Boarding

This makes sense (especially if since I have the reimbursed Upgraded Boardings). Unfortunately, that didn't come up. Thanks for giving your input and helping set me straight - I definitely feel more prepared for any future trips (the kids are ALREADY dying to go back and we just got back Feb 6!).

 

[disneylover81]

I purchased my tickets and EBCI for my April trip on the flight release date. Last night my nonstop flight got canceled and I was put on a different flight with a plane change, so I changed it this morning to a new nonstop flight that was available. I’m wondering about my EBCI … since SWA is the one that canceled my original flight and forced me to change it, do I keep my place in line from when I first bought it or does it start over from when they released this new flight in the order of people purchasing or changing to it ?

 

[Gitelfor]

I purchased my tickets and EBCI for my April trip on the flight release date. Last night my nonstop flight got canceled and I was put on a different flight with a plane change, so I changed it this morning to a new nonstop flight that was available. I’m wondering about my EBCI … since SWA is the one that canceled my original flight and forced me to change it, do I keep my place in line from when I first bought it or does it start over from when they released this new flight in the order of people purchasing or changing to it ?

The good news is if you used the “Change” link, you keep EBCI. The bad news is you go to the back of the line, as it counts the date of change as your purchase date.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

(the kids are ALREADY dying to go back and we just got back Feb 6!).

That's really good to hear

 

[disneylover81]

The good news is if you used the “Change” link, you keep EBCI. The bad news is you go to the back of the line, as it counts the date of change as your purchase date.

That’s what I was afraid of. It seems to me, since they changed my flight and not me, it shouldn’t change my position, but it is what it is I guess. Hopefully we don’t get pushed too far back in line.

 

[rangerxenos]

If you're traveling in early May, check your flight prices, they may have gone down this morning.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Ugh. We are doing a Las Vegas/Zion/Bryce trip over April vacation. Booked our flight home on release date for May 1. Booked a 9 am departure from Vegas, into Boston by 7 pm so we can work the next day.

Last night it got changed to 5 am departure from Vegas, into Boston before 7 pm. Ugh no. Actually found a better (sort of) much cheaper flight into Manchester. Canceled the changed flight, remembering as I canceled that I had paid for EBCI. Booked the new flight that leaves Vegas at 630 am (ugh but better than 5 am, and into Manchester around 6 pm, business select to accommodate for my error, and still ended up with 20,000 points credited back. Thankfully the EBCI was covered with my cc benefit so at least I just lost that and not the actual cash.

I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.

 

[Leigh L]

Ugh. We are doing a Las Vegas/Zion/Bryce trip over April vacation. Booked our flight home on release date for May 1. Booked a 9 am departure from Vegas, into Boston by 7 pm so we can work the next day.

Last night it got changed to 5 am departure from Vegas, into Boston before 7 pm. Ugh no. Actually found a better (sort of) much cheaper flight into Manchester. Canceled the changed flight, remembering as I canceled that I had paid for EBCI. Booked the new flight that leaves Vegas at 630 am (ugh but better than 5 am, and into Manchester around 6 pm, business select to accommodate for my error, and still ended up with 20,000 points credited back. Thankfully the EBCI was covered with my cc benefit so at least I just lost that and not the actual cash.

I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.

I'm so sorry to read so many of you are having flights canceled right now

Thanks for sharing your JB experience - I was wondering about them - they were pretty iffy in 2020-21 from my home airport (DC) but seem to have brought back flights since I last checked (they would originally list several options and then pare down to one 4 pm flight to MCO). I'm pondering a quick early April trip and since time will be limited, was looking for options that might be more stable. JetBlue is one of my current choices that is surprisingly reasonably priced for that week.

DH still has SW credits from 2020 that expire in Sept 2022...it's funny, at the time that seemed sooooo far away. It's coming up quick.

 

[EACarlson]

Well spoke too soon literally 5 mins ago got an e-mail our May 4th flight down to Orlando was 5:20am and is now 5:10am. Original arrival 9am, new arrival 8:55am. It's not updated on the account though.

I forget does the change flight option to get points back (because the flight is now cheaper) keep the EBCI on there?

Changing the flight should keep the EBCI. Cancelling and rebooking will not. Depending on which switches were flipped in SW's IT, you may not be able to change flights and get points back since you may be in a free change period.

 

[ultimatefans]

At the moment, that would be a "name change" on the tickets, which is not allowed! There's absolutely no way our liability for our school would allow kids under 18 to fly or travel without a chaperone, and the parents will 100% freak out. We have a couple work-arounds, but literally involve us paying more money than our already expensive flights... and having essentially a shuttle bus running from MCO to our resort! With no DME, we have to pay for a charter bus to transport. Now instead of one, we need three, both days! They have made it completely clear that there's no availability for us and flights are subject to change. They offered to change the flights... but it's Spring Break/Easter, you're right, there's no actual flights. Plus, of course, we have a large block of rooms reserved at Disney - and a marching day that's set in stone by Disney. All of which were booked AFTER we secured our flights. Next they offered another airport... how we get to the nearest airport 3 hours away? Nope, no solution for that. Even Disney tries to keep groups/families together in hotels. SW doesn't even try to keep groups all booked together, through their GROUP service, on the same flights.

Was this booked with the group department? Unless something has changed recently, name changes are allowed on group flights until 3 business days before travel. It sounds like they didn't book it with a group contract but instead 3 separate regular reservations?? Leading a group of high school kids is enough stress on its own without this added mess. I wish you lots luck and that the right agent would be helping you as you sort it all out.

 

[dez1978]

How do you guys check your flights? Just go in and look up your reservations? I keep seeing posts where flights were changed and emails weren't sent and it's making me paranoid lol

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Changing the flight should keep the EBCI. Cancelling and rebooking will not. Depending on which switches were flipped in SW's IT, you may not be able to change flights and get points back since you may be in a free change period.

Yeah that's what we found out last night unfortunately. Change flight option didn't give the 5:10am flight option to choose from assumedly because of the one time change for no additional fare part. No biggie to us although it would have been nice to get a wee bit more back. Thanks for answering

 

[Gitelfor]

How do you guys check your flights? Just go in and look up your reservations? I keep seeing posts where flights were changed and emails weren't sent and it's making me paranoid lol

I check Southwest’s flight schedules to make sure my flight is still listed with no changes.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm really glad our flight to Vegas is with JetBlue. Their flight changes have been more like half an hour adjustments which I can deal with.

We're just now getting JetBlue, flights start next month. SWA dominates KCI (and has a lot of clout here, they were instrumental in pushing for the new terminal to be built with in the beginning being against it then saying they really wanted it and needed it) so it will be interesting if any of that adjusts with JetBlue.

 

[hsmamato2]

AM I wrong, or does a lot of this seem to be shakeups in the Northeast- Florida areas the most? I'm seeing a dramatic change in good schedules etc in my own personal view, but reading this thread has me wondering if their big plan is to eliminate all nonstops on these routes to route them thru BWI?

 

[mickey916]

AM I wrong, or does a lot of this seem to be shakeups in the Northeast- Florida areas the most? I'm seeing a dramatic change in good schedules etc in my own personal view, but reading this thread has me wondering if their big plan is to eliminate all nonstops on these routes to route them thru BWI?

sure seems that way....definitely has something to do with BWI for sure.

 

[mickey916]

I check Southwest’s flight schedules to make sure my flight is still listed with no changes.

That's what I do too. Before I received my email, I checked the flight schedule and saw that my flight was gone but for a little bit when I logged into "my flights" it was still showing me on a flight that no longer existed...so best thing to do is simply check the overall flight schedules (which I too have been obsessively doing now for my May trip).

 

[cmarsh31]

Was this booked with the group department? Unless something has changed recently, name changes are allowed on group flights until 3 business days before travel. It sounds like they didn't book it with a group contract but instead 3 separate regular reservations?? Leading a group of high school kids is enough stress on its own without this added mess. I wish you lots luck and that the right agent would be helping you as you sort it all out.

It's a group (I booked it with Groups...) but names had *just* been submitted hours before the change. However, we have now discovered that they CANCELED and rebooked us, with a different confirmation number at 1am! So they definitely screwed something up. We've got a semi-solution, but we're literally running a shuttle bus between MCO and our resort now, because we're split onto 3 different flights instead of 1.

 

[CarlyMur09]

Our May 6 flight changed too. PIT - MCO nonstop changed from 5:20 PM departure to 7:05 PM departure. Kind of works in our favor since some of us work and don’t get home til 3, so we can leave at 3:30 from home instead of right from work.