SWA SOOO buch better than Song when flights go down...

[magsmom]

Here is my situation:

I currently have 3 1-way flights that were booked on Song back in April.

My October 17 return flight on Song has just gone down from $79 to $49. Great, I think, I will get a $90 credit (3 people) to use towards future flights. I call and I find out that I will be charged a $25 change fee per ticket, so my $90 now is $15.

I have never, ever had this happen on Southwest. I have changed flights and have gotten refunds on my credit card when flights have gone down.

I am so disappointed as I have heard good things about Song. I guess I am so used to be able to change my flights without a fee that I am spoiled.

I am probably not going to fly song again because of this. SWA just has a better policy on refunds.

Thoughts?

 

[Steve Hurley]

It isn't hard to figure out why Delta/Song is headed to bankruptcy is it???

I always wonder when the so called "big" airlines are going to catch on to the SWA secret - great customer service, on time departures and arrivals and unbelievable prices year round.

Until they do I will keep flying SWA on my vacations.

 

[CarolA]

Actually I am amazed that SW keeps giving the credits. They are really one of the only airlines to do this. (Does Jet Blue?) I think that it's a risk you take when you buy non-refundable.

We want to get the better fare, but we wouldn't want to be charged more if the price goes up!

 

[Lewisc]

Unlike most airlines SW gives us a full credit BUT unlike most airlines SW won't let us standby for a different flight without paying the full fare difference to a fully refundable ticket.

It's really up to the customer to know the rules before we book. I'd never assume I could make any changes or get any fare reductions to a non-refundable ticket without checking the rules before I bought my ticket.

Song gives you an assigned seat and TV. SW let's you change your flights, and allow you to get credits for fare reductions without any change fees. You have to decide what's important.

I wouldn't even check the current fares if I booked an airline that wasn't going to adjust my fare. No reason to torture myself.

 

[magsmom]

To clarify:
I was unaware that a fare reduction is classified as change in a ticket. So, that is my fault, I admit it. Caveat Emptor.

I was not checking fares, I got a e-mail announcing cheap fares from BDL to ORL in the time that I am flying with this carrier. As I said before, I am so used to having no fee if I were to change flights, or fares with SWA - I am spoiled.

Steve, I agree with you. I look at air fares as a commodity. It's hard for me to swallow that an assigned seat and TV for 2 hours is worth $75 if something were to happen with my plans. Thanks, but I would rather have an airline credit if my flight goes down and I infromed the airline. Don't you think I would be using that carrier again with a credit of that amount? Don't you think people would be on these boards talking about the great customer service of that carrier?

 

[Lewisc]

Steve, I agree with you. I look at air fares as a commodity. It's hard for me to swallow that an assigned seat and TV for 2 hours is worth $75 if something were to happen with my plans. Thanks, but I would rather have an airline credit if my flight goes down and I infromed the airline. Don't you think I would be using that carrier again with a credit of that amount? Don't you think people would be on these boards talking about the great customer service of that carrier?

I fly SW so I'm not really arguing with you but great customer service doesn't equate with having the lowest price or the best change policy.

Show up to the airport early and most airlines will let you standby for an earlier flight. Usually for free, some airlines will actually let you call and for a small fee reserve the earlier, or even a later, flight. SW makes you pay the fare difference between what you paid and what a fully refundable ticket costs. Could be hundreds of dollars. Other customers would say that's horrible customer service. One lady on airline said as much.

Some customers like the assigned seats and TV. They don't book until they get a price that's reasonable and don't change their plans. They think that's good customer service.

Your complaint is really with yourself for not knowing Song's polices before you booked. Some of their policies are more customer friendly than SW and some aren't.

 

[goofy4tink]

Having not flown SW yet, I'll withhold judgement. But, I try to fly Song since we have had nothing but good experiences with them. Sure, sometimes I pay a bit more for my fare with Song. But...I don't have to be awake at midnight to grab the fare I want at the time I need!!! And when traveling with an 11 y/o, those TVs are invaluable. Yes, we have traveled without them, and she is a terrific traveler. But, it sure it nice to have something to amuse yourself with for those 3 hrs. And I like being able to buy Song's food if I want.
But again...my choice. I am flying SW in two days. Dh flew them a month ago and is curious to see how I like them, since I am such a loyal, diehard Song fan. I just got lucky in grabbing $135 r/t, non-stop fares this time, so grabbed them for a last minute bonus trip to WDW.

I'll let you know how it all works out next week.

 

[KristinU]

...
Some customers like the assigned seats and TV. They don't book until they get a price that's reasonable and don't change their plans. They think that's good customer service.
...

We have flown both SWA and Song and I agree that it all comes down to preferences and choices - to me, traveling with a toddler for whom I have purchased a seat it *is* worth $75 to me for assigned seats and a TV screen...and on Song the discounted youth fare is a true discount on the current adult fare and not a discount on the full adult fare - so to me that is customer service (and usually a savings over SWA).

We fly out of BDL as well, so of course after the ad in Sunday's paper for $49 fares I checked to see what I could do (for Sept we booked Song at $68)...our flights are actually not the ones discounted to $49, but had they been I would be wishing for no change fees too, but I also know that a $25 change fee is low compared to the other "big guys". NWA charged me $100 the last time I had to make a change! (that was in March so I don't know what their current change fee is...and I had to change due to a stupid mistake on my part with dates...I'm still kicking myself over that $100 that went out the window!)