SW refund/credits for tickets unused

[jgmklmhem]

I will repeat our situation for those who have no read my other thread.

Two of my DD's were diagnosed with strep on Firday and have been given antibiotics and are recovering well. My third DD (2mo) has been diagnosed with a viral chest infection. When it rains it pours. We are to leave for WDW on Saturday morning the 20th. We are meeting my parents and my sister and her BF down there. My parents have picked up the tab for the whole trip minus the airfare so if any of us can go we will. Assuming my youngest is not cleared to travel by her doctor (which is the only way she would travel) and the other two are fine, I will take my older two with me sadly leaving my wife and DD#3 behind (DW is breastfeeding so I cannot take over her duties). Right now the doctor has said DD#3 could be just fine in a few days and could go on as planned but I wanted to ask the following question.

We have currently purchased a seat for all 5 of us. IF my wife and DD#3 cannot use their seats due to not being medically clear to travel can we at worst get a credit for their tickets or at best get a refund? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[thunderbird1]

First, I'm so sorry for your baby's illness, and will keep my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for her.

We always fly SW and have had to cancel/change plans more than once. I think every ticket they sell qualifies for at least a credit. You'll have one year from the day the tickets were originally purchased to rebook another trip using those credits. It's very easy to cancel and use the credits towards a different flight. (Additionally, some tickets are fully refundable, namely full fare and senior fare, but you probably didn't buy those). Here is a link from a recent ticket we purchased, which should take you to SW's refund policy info:

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/refund_information.html

I don't know how long your trip is for, but another thing you might consider is having your DW and DD#3 join you sometime during the trip. Even if she isn't quite better by Saturday, she might be by Monday or Tuesday. You could just cancel their existing tickets, and rebook for a few days later. Of course, this is dependent on seat availability and current prices of tickets. If the flights are full, or the price has tripled over what you originally paid, it may not be possible, or worth it. Good luck!

 

[stitchlovestink]

I'm sorry to hear of your dilemma.
I don't know what SW's policy is, but my friend was in a similar situation. She was unable to fly just a few days before their trip. I forget exact problem (something w/ the ear). Her ENT would not allow her to fly due to a HUGE chance that her eardrum would rupture. She called AirTran and told them what was going on and they gave her a credit towards future flights. I still thought that was generous b/c their cheap tickets are supposed to be non-refundable. She offered documentation from the DR via fax, but they told her that was not necessary. Actually, the AT rep she talked to said "No one w/ 2 kids cancels a WDW trip that close to leaving without having a really good reason."
Anyway, GOOD LUCK, I really hope everyone gets better quickly and you can all go on your trip.

 

[boomhauer]

Actually, Southwest is GREAT for situations like this. You actually don't even have to cancel your reservations. You will be able to sue the credit anytime within a year.

In fact, when I go in May, I'm not 100% sure which day I'll be coming home, so I buy 2 tickets and whichever one I don't use, I'll use for my trip in December.

Southwest flights are RARELY completely packed, and since seating is first come first serve, there really is no harm doing this.

 

[dcfromva]

We have currently purchased a seat for all 5 of us. IF my wife and DD#3 cannot use their seats due to not being medically clear to travel can we at worst get a credit for their tickets or at best get a refund? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

jgmklmhem,
You could ask if they would refund the full ticket price. Even if they can't give you a refund, SWA has a very generous policy in utilizing the credit. If you made the reservation for all 5 of you on the same the confirmation number, call SWA's 1-800 number and ask them to split off your DW/DD's ticket into another reservation. Then you can cancel their tickets. If you purchased non-refundable tickets, you have 1 year from the date of purchase to use the credit (if you call SW, they will also extend this by year, but there are a few more limitations on the use of the credit for the second year). Even if it was a non-refundable ticket, typically you can get a little bit of credit refunded to your CC (it is the portion of the ticket that is the airport security fee).

Good luck--I hope the baby is feeling better soon.
-DC