Southwest Nightmare

[emmababy]

So, we leave a week from today. I go on my computer yesterday to print out everyones confirmation numbers. We have 5 different ones coming down but just 1 coming back home. We are leaving from Dayton but I noticed they have my 4 year old son leaving from Louisville Ky....

I start freaking out. A little backstory- we live in Cinti area and were originally going from Louisville. But once we could use our SW points for Airtran flights, we switched to Dayton. I refunded all flights and rebooked new ones. Somehow my son got rebooked to louisville.

I called SW Rapid rewards. Our flight was sold out! Now I really freak out. She said it was all my fault. I said how can a 4 year old get booked without an accompanying confirmation number of an adult, she said that my conf number was on it. But, I am flying out of Dayton not LOUISVILLE! Why would I cancel one flight to rebook it and be charged $2000 more points lady!

She said she would overbook the flight but charge me the difference. I was aggravated by that but I had no choice. After 40 minutes, she said she changed her mind and decided not to help us. At this point I just want to cry!

This is like Home Alone Gone Bad!!!!

So, I call Customer relations and explain all over again. This woman was very understanding. Booked us and actually refunded us the difference in points based on that days points.

Thank the Lord!! If we had waited to that morning or the 24 hours before when I went to check in, we would have been screwed!!

 

[macraven]

what a nightmare you have gone through!!

good to hear you have it all taken care of.

 

[emmababy]

Now I am freaked out after reading another thread about Airtran customers getting preassigned seats and that our seats may be scattered all over. We have 5 different confirmation numbers and the flight is sold out...Aahhhh!

 

[hsmamato2]

wow....it sounds like you mistakenly booked the wrong flight. I've done that before...and it's scary. I'm glad it worked out for you- and the title here should be "southwest fixed my horrible mistake" IMHO just be happy that you will all be on the same plane together....I've had those moments before and it is stressful....

 

[DebbieB]

So, we leave a week from today. I go on my computer yesterday to print out everyones confirmation numbers. We have 5 different ones coming down but just 1 coming back home. We are leaving from Dayton but I noticed they have my 4 year old son leaving from Louisville Ky....

I start freaking out. A little backstory- we live in Cinti area and were originally going from Louisville. But once we could use our SW points for Airtran flights, we switched to Dayton. I refunded all flights and rebooked new ones. Somehow my son got rebooked to louisville.

I called SW Rapid rewards. Our flight was sold out! Now I really freak out. She said it was all my fault. I said how can a 4 year old get booked without an accompanying confirmation number of an adult, she said that my conf number was on it. But, I am flying out of Dayton not LOUISVILLE! Why would I cancel one flight to rebook it and be charged $2000 more points lady!

She said she would overbook the flight but charge me the difference. I was aggravated by that but I had no choice. After 40 minutes, she said she changed her mind and decided not to help us. At this point I just want to cry!

This is like Home Alone Gone Bad!!!!

So, I call Customer relations and explain all over again. This woman was very understanding. Booked us and actually refunded us the difference in points based on that days points.

Thank the Lord!! If we had waited to that morning or the 24 hours before when I went to check in, we would have been screwed!!

Did you print confirmations when you changed your flights?

 

[emmababy]

I did not rebook back through Louisville. Something glitched in their system. Even if I did put in the wrong airport it would/should have stopped when I booked my 4 year old and my confirmation number was not the sane flight or even same airport.

 

[hsmamato2]

oh I understand, glitch somewhere, for the future, I don't think their system would catch a mistake like that, and I know what it's like canceling/rebooking a bunch of conf. #'s..... I have done this same thing before,so glad it worked out for you! ( I remember one time I booked some of my fam. to go to one part of the country,and my youngest child to another that gave me a bit of a heart attack till I got it straightened out.....)

 

[hsmamato2]

And I made a similar mistake just last week,but from another company... This is when I learned the important lesson of ALWAYS without fail,print out my current plans,conf. #'s etc. I need that info in black and white in front of me,and I have to double check everything.

 

[JessM]

This also happened to me on delta one time. They rebooked our entire family because they oversold the flight and my dad had booked with rewards. They never told us and when we gotta the airport they informed us that I had missed m flight (I got booked separate from my parents) and I had a really long layover in Detroit, they were flying through Atlanta. It worked out but we got to DW so much later than we were supposed to... Glad it worked out for you!

 

[antree]

So, we leave a week from today. I go on my computer yesterday to print out everyones confirmation numbers. We have 5 different ones coming down but just 1 coming back home. We are leaving from Dayton but I noticed they have my 4 year old son leaving from Louisville Ky....

I start freaking out. A little backstory- we live in Cinti area and were originally going from Louisville. But once we could use our SW points for Airtran flights, we switched to Dayton. I refunded all flights and rebooked new ones. Somehow my son got rebooked to louisville.

I called SW Rapid rewards. Our flight was sold out! Now I really freak out. She said it was all my fault. I said how can a 4 year old get booked without an accompanying confirmation number of an adult, she said that my conf number was on it. But, I am flying out of Dayton not LOUISVILLE! Why would I cancel one flight to rebook it and be charged $2000 more points lady!

She said she would overbook the flight but charge me the difference. I was aggravated by that but I had no choice. After 40 minutes, she said she changed her mind and decided not to help us. At this point I just want to cry!

This is like Home Alone Gone Bad!!!!

So, I call Customer relations and explain all over again. This woman was very understanding. Booked us and actually refunded us the difference in points based on that days points.

Thank the Lord!! If we had waited to that morning or the 24 hours before when I went to check in, we would have been screwed!!

I am so glad they fixed it for you, but isn't the flight still over booked now?
If everyone shows up for the flight who isn't getting on?
Don't want to scare you, but I would have to think about this.
Is the flight over booked?

 

[DebbieB]

I am so glad they fixed it for you, but isn't the flight still over booked now?
If everyone shows up for the flight who isn't getting on?
Don't want to scare you, but I would have to think about this.
Is the flight over booked?

They will ask for volunteers first, typically there are volunteers. If none or not enough, typically those without seat assignments are bumped first, in order of when they checked in.

 

[ibob52]

Delete
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[bumbershoot]

And I made a similar mistake just last week,but from another company... This is when I learned the important lesson of ALWAYS without fail,print out my current plans,conf. #'s etc. I need that info in black and white in front of me,and I have to double check everything.

As I'm making ANY reservation online, I talk to myself. Talk it all through and sometimes take notes on exactly what I'm seeing (not just what I think I'm seeing) as I go through the process.


I had a friend who booked her and husband exactly the opposite of how she should have booked. Noticed days before. The airline was NOT so kind as to fix her mistake. She got to pay big bucks to switch things around.


Do the first email confirmations show KY or Dayton for your son?

 

[JimboCh]

They will ask for volunteers first, typically there are volunteers. If none or not enough, typically those without seat assignments are bumped first, in order of when they checked in.

It's true someone will get a free flight out of this mistake.

 

[dudspizza]

I really like how hsmamato2 worded their responses.

Ultimately, this didn't turn out to be a Southwest Nightmare...... it sounds like a SW angel for working with OP to make it right......

I am another one of those that reads every page numerous times before clicking continue..... I always want to make sure I am not making a mistake like wrong dates, wrong names, or even wrong airport.

Duds

 

[maxiesmom]

Now I am freaked out after reading another thread about Airtran customers getting preassigned seats and that our seats may be scattered all over. We have 5 different confirmation numbers and the flight is sold out...Aahhhh!

You will need to call at 24 hours out to get seat assignments. If they are unable to put you all together at that point, don't panic. Show up extra early for your flight and talk to the gate agents. They may be able to work something out for you. If not you will have to throw yourself on the mercy of your fellow flyers. But know that you may not all be sitting together. You may be 2 and 3, or 2 and 2 and 1. But the important thing is to get your 4 year old with you. Ideally everyone can sit all together, but that may not happen.


Btw, AirTran customers don't get preassigned seats. They get the option of paying for seat assignments if they choose to.

 

[dudspizza]

You will need to call at 24 hours out to get seat assignments. If they are unable to put you all together at that point, don't panic. Show up extra early for your flight and talk to the gate agents. They may be able to work something out for you. If not you will have to throw yourself on the mercy of your fellow flyers. But know that you may not all be sitting together. You may be 2 and 3, or 2 and 2 and 1. But the important thing is to get your 4 year old with you. Ideally everyone can sit all together, but that may not happen.


Btw, AirTran customers don't get preassigned seats. They get the option of paying for seat assignments if they choose to.

It is amazing the number of people I have seen here on the DIS that get all worked up saying they didn't know that they couldn't get their assigned seats until check in or whatever.... (this isn't pointed at OP, just a general observation).

I am looking at SW flights now and this is what I see if I attempt to book an Airtran flight on SW site.

 

[emmababy]

I really like how hsmamato2 worded their responses.

Ultimately, this didn't turn out to be a Southwest Nightmare...... it sounds like a SW angel for working with OP to make it right......

I am another one of those that reads every page numerous times before clicking continue..... I always want to make sure I am not making a mistake like wrong dates, wrong names, or even wrong airport.

Duds

Yes I am very appreciative of the second lady I spoke too. Yes I double checked. And yes it's a major glitch to allow you to book a 4 year old by himself.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yes I am very appreciative of the second lady I spoke too. Yes I double checked. And yes it's a major glitch to allow you to book a 4 year old by himself.

It's very unlikely the booking error was the airline's fault; you must have made a mistake when changing the tickets. You're lucky you weren't flying on an airline which charges change fees.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes I am very appreciative of the second lady I spoke too. Yes I double checked. And yes it's a major glitch to allow you to book a 4 year old by himself.

But doesn't each confirmation number represent an individual reservation? So doesn't that indicate that originally the four year old has his own, separate reservation? Is it at all possible, with five separate reservations and five separate confirmation numbers and either five windows open or five consecutive transactions that you either missed this one or changed it to the wrong departing airport?