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

[Gitelfor]

Yes. Unfortunately that works both ways I had paid extra and changed my flight then several hours later I got the email from SWA changing my flight back to the flight I had to begin with!

I don’t know if you contacted Southwest at the time, but I always think it’s worth a try to see if they can assist - especially with them making a change. I contact them as soon as I see an issue; it seems the longer one waits, the less likely they will (or can) do anything. One of the great benefits of booking Southwest is being able to check for fare reductions and get points returned or credit issued on a nonrefundable ticket.

All of the schedule revisions is yet another strange side effect of the pandemic, with Southwest not being alone in often making changes.

Sorry for the poor timing and unexpected change.

 

[Gitelfor]

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ETA - Account access is again available.

 

[Princess Steph]

To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am. Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and baggage was held up. There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early. This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation. Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35. I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full. He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early. But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35? He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane. I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself! Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00? otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it. I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without. My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.

 

[Gitelfor]

To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am. Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and baggage was held up. There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early. This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation. Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35. I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full. He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early. But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35? He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane. I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself! Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00? otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it. I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without. My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.

Southwest's website says that the PVD counter opens 90 minutes before the first flight of the day.

Providence, RI - PVD Airport Details
Ticket Counter Hours:
Monday-Sunday
Opens 90 minutes before first departing flight

When in doubt, I rely on @SouthwestAir on Twitter for accurate info and assistance. When I had a question about an airport, they actually contacted that station to confirm the information.

Do you have TSA PreCheck? That would get you through Security much faster, both at PVD and MCO. If you don't have it, the cost for five years of PreCheck is a total of $85 for all five years, which breaks down to $17 per year.

TSA PreCheck info and links

 

[aokeefe]

To any PVD experts.... SW changed our flight to 6:05 am. Last time we had a flight this early, they had to hold the plane from taking off because people were late trying to check bags and baggage was held up. There was a long line at the SW counter to get boarding pass and check baggage very early. This year our flight is Saturday of April vacation. Baggage counter opens at 5:00 and flight starts boarding at 5:35. I called SW and customer service confirmed the flight is full. He also said we should get at the airport 1-1.5 hours early. But then I said SW counter doesn't open until 5:00, so why tell me to get there at 4:35? He was just reassuring that my baggage would make it on the plane. I'm not worried about my bag, I'm worried about myself! Can anyone confirm that baggage will open earlier than 5:00? otherwise, I'm going to just carry my bag on the plane even though I'd rather check it. I want to take full size sunblock, other liquids and my magic bullet (which has been a TSA security red flag in the past) but will just manage without. My only solution is to take a carry-on, I guess.

We had a 6 am flight PVD-MCO last February- we got to the airport around 4:45 and the counter was open. I recommend the kiosk to use to print boarding pass (or use phone) and get luggage tickets- then you just bring them to the counter, show and your license and head to TSA. Honestly we fly TF Green all the time and have never had a wait at the counter or at security (we have pre-check too and sometimes there is more people in the pre-check than regular line... and by more people I mean 2!)

 

[Princess Steph]

Southwest's website says that the PVD counter opens 90 minutes before the first flight of the day.


When in doubt, I rely on @SouthwestAir on Twitter for accurate info and assistance. When I had a question about an airport, they actually contacted that station to confirm the information.

Do you have TSA PreCheck? That would get you through Security much faster, both at PVD and MCO. If you don't have it, the cost for five years of PreCheck is a total of $85 for all five years, which breaks down to $17 per year.

TSA PreCheck info and links

Yes, I have pre-check. Thank you for that info.

 

[Princess Steph]

We had a 6 am flight PVD-MCO last February- we got to the airport around 4:45 and the counter was open. I recommend the kiosk to use to print boarding pass (or use phone) and get luggage tickets- then you just bring them to the counter, show and your license and head to TSA. Honestly we fly TF Green all the time and have never had a wait at the counter or at security (we have pre-check too and sometimes there is more people in the pre-check than regular line... and by more people I mean 2!)

That’s very reassuring. T F Green website says terminal open 24 hours a day, airline counters open at 5:00 am. But maybe they open earlier if needed. Thank you

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Okay it's been a looooonnnggg time since I've been on this thread but we finally are back in it with a flight. Tomorrow morning we have a flight to Vegas (a rescheduled trip from last April).

I know middle seat guarantee is gone right?

We have A33 and A34. That's with my husband's A-list, paid with points and no EBCI.

Has anyone had any luck using expired drink coupons? We have a ton that expired in 2020 (may, june and december) that we never got to really use. It's not a big deal just wondered.

What's people's flight experience been like if you've flown very recently? Has anyone done the double masks or found that not to be as common?

We know masks are required basically from when we pull our car into The Parking Spot in our home airport until we get into our rental car when we get to Vegas so we're prepared for that.

Any other random tidbits people have about flying recently during this pandemic is always welcomed!

 

[Gitelfor]

Okay it's been a looooonnnggg time since I've been on this thread but we finally are back in it with a flight. Tomorrow morning we have a flight to Vegas (a rescheduled trip from last April).

I know middle seat guarantee is gone right?

We have A33 and A34. That's with my husband's A-list, paid with points and no EBCI.

Has anyone had any luck using expired drink coupons? We have a ton that expired in 2020 (may, june and december) that we never got to really use. It's not a big deal just wondered.

What's people's flight experience been like if you've flown very recently? Has anyone done the double masks or found that not to be as common?

We know masks are required basically from when we pull our car into The Parking Spot in our home airport until we get into our rental car when we get to Vegas so we're prepared for that.

Any other random tidbits people have about flying recently during this pandemic is always welcomed!

With A33/34 you should be able to get a good choice of seats. Southwest stopped blocking middle seats after November, so full flights will have all seats occupied. You can call Southwest to get a general idea of how full your flight will be. If there are few or no BS customers on your flight, and nobody upgrades to BS at the airport, you can forget about 15 others boarding before you, not taking into account any preboarders.

Your 2020 drink coupons will be of no value on this trip, as the only beverage offered on your flight will be a cup of water. However, the coupons will remain valid thru 2021, so hold on to them.

Some people are double masking, using a disposable paper mask under a cloth mask, for better protection, especially on the flight, due to pax being allowed to unmask while actively eating or drinking. The FAs normally remind those not complying that they need to mask properly. Southwest advises those concerned about non-complying pax to let them know, but that can be a touchy situation when that non-complying pax sees/hears you report them, and that person is sitting next to or close to you. Most passengers seem to be masking up properly.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

With A33/34 you should be able to get a good choice of seats. Southwest stopped blocking middle seats after November, so full flights will have all seats occupied. You can call Southwest to get a general idea of how full your flight will be. If there are few or no BS customers on your flight, and nobody upgrades to BS at the airport, you can forget about 15 others boarding before you, not taking into account any preboarders.

Your 2020 drink coupons will be of no value on this trip, as the only beverage offered on your flight will be a cup of water. However, the coupons will remain valid thru 2021, so hold on to them.

Some people are double masking, using a disposable paper mask under a cloth mask, for better protection, especially on the flight, due to pax being allowed to unmask while actively eating or drinking. The FAs normally remind those not complying that they need to mask properly. Southwest advises those concerned about non-complying pax to let them know, but that can be a touchy situation when that non-complying pax sees/hears you report them, and that person is sitting next to or close to you. Most passengers seem to be masking up properly.

Hope you have a great trip!

Thank you so much! We're well used to flying SWA but we haven't flown since the pandemic started so didn't know how things had changed over time with number of people purchasing EBCI and whatnot as well as business travel (which I know for my husband's company has been severely curtailed). Guess we'll see tomorrow though!

I did not even think about double checking alcohol serving. I remember they had suspended it but I guess I just assumed they had already brought it back. That's my oops! So thanks for letting me know

Good information to know about what to do about any mask issues. Our metro where our airport is at still largely has mask mandates so hopefully that helps in compliance at least getting out to Vegas.

And thanks, we're excited even though we've been to Vegas multiple times already my husband can't stop looking at new stuff to do lol.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Have you visited the Neon Museum in the evening hours?
And while I’m at that end of town I usually visit the Peppermill Restaurant / Bar Open 24 Hours for FreshFruit Plate to share and-late night breakfast.

Have safe flight!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Have you visited the Neon Museum in the evening hours?
And while I’m at that end of town I usually visit the Peppermill Restaurant / Bar Open 24 Hours for FreshFruit Plate to share and-late night breakfast.

Have safe flight!

Thanks!

Yes we did the Neon Museum back in 2017 yes we did a night tour, it was soooo neat like really cool. I think we might do the Mob Museum which we missed in 2017 and in 2019 (the last time we went).

We have not heard of Peppermill but I'm not sure how we missed it. We looked it up online and it sounds like a neat place and now my husband wants to try it out lol so thank you for that suggestion. We'll be staying at The Wynn which is like right by there too.

 

[Gitelfor]

This is a great story about a special Southwest passenger.

Buzz’s special mission

 

[Avery&Todd]

Thank you so much! We're well used to flying SWA but we haven't flown since the pandemic started so didn't know how things had changed over time with number of people purchasing EBCI and whatnot as well as business travel (which I know for my husband's company has been severely curtailed). Guess we'll see tomorrow though!

I did not even think about double checking alcohol serving. I remember they had suspended it but I guess I just assumed they had already brought it back. That's my oops! So thanks for letting me know

Good information to know about what to do about any mask issues. Our metro where our airport is at still largely has mask mandates so hopefully that helps in compliance at least getting out to Vegas.

And thanks, we're excited even though we've been to Vegas multiple times already my husband can't stop looking at new stuff to do lol.

We've been WDW 3 times since they reopened last July and it's been fabulous on SW!! In October, the flights were only 1/2 full - and middle seats were blocked, in December, they were almost full and for our February trip we received emails stating that our flight was full and spacing couldnt be guaranteed. We had a direct flight from home to MCO and it was almost a full flight - like only 2 seats open but it was fine - it's less than a 1.5 hr flight and we didnt eat or drink on the plane. On our return flight the plane was only half full!

We fly out to Vegas in late May and I'm wondering when they'll start mucking with the flight times/airports....they did that for all 3 of our MCO trips so I assume that Vegas will be no different!

That's a longer flight for us - 6 to 7.5 hrs, including a small layover/plane change and DH "requires" that we wear N95s so that's a long time to be "geared up" but if doing that small thing for him makes him more comfortable for us to fly and get me to Disney and Vegas, I'll do it!

On the flights, they do announce that there is NO alcohol served and you cannot consume any you've brought..it's a dry-flight!

and they also changed their announcement on our Feb. flights to include the clarification that in between sips/bites of snacks that you need to pull your mask back up and just bc you have snacks/drinks out, does not mean your mask can be down all the time....

Save me some winnings in Vegas!!

 

[mickeynut1]

We fly out to Vegas in late May and I'm wondering when they'll start mucking with the flight times/airports....they did that for all 3 of our MCO trips so I assume that Vegas will be no different!

I know things can change at any time, but my DH & I have been to Vegas twice recently (Sept & Dec) and we're getting ready to go again in a couple weeks and so far none of our flights have been changed/cancelled. I watch every day just to make sure, but so far so good. I've also taken 2 girls trips (Oct & Feb) and didn't have any changes with either of those flights. With that said, I have noticed a lot of changes/cancellations with flights to Orlando for some reason.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I know things can change at any time, but my DH & I have been to Vegas twice recently (Sept & Dec) and we're getting ready to go again in a couple weeks and so far none of our flights have been changed/cancelled. I watch every day just to make sure, but so far so good.

SWEET!!!

We're flying through 2 different airports for our layovers for Vegas and i was nervous/wondering about flight changes....

We come from RDU and usually have a layover in either ATL or TX (or we luck out with a nonstop on the way home but none for this trip) ....but this time on the way over we layover in Denver and I have NO idea the layout of that airport and then on the way home we fly thru Phoenix which is new to us too.

So we'll see!

 

[Erica Ladd]

SWEET!!!

We're flying through 2 different airports for our layovers for Vegas and i was nervous/wondering about flight changes....

We come from RDU and usually have a layover in either ATL or TX (or we luck out with a nonstop on the way home but none for this trip) ....but this time on the way over we layover in Denver and I have NO idea the layout of that airport and then on the way home we fly thru Phoenix which is new to us too.

So we'll see!

we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU! We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!

 

[Avery&Todd]

we have never been to Vegas and would also be flying out of RDU! We want to go but I’m waiting for restrictions to be lifted or lessened. What is Vegas like now? Mask mandates? I’m about to earn a companion pass and I’m looking for new destinations to try!!

We LOVE a good Vegas trip!! From what I understand, as we have NOT been for a year and half is that there IS a pretty strict mask mandate (right now) which means masks ARE required at the pool, if you're not in the water, so unlike Disney, you must wear a mask sitting in a lounge chair or if you're actively eating/drinking/smoking...

You keep a mask on at the table until your food/drinks are brought - like Disney - and dining reservations are a MUST in some locations as they're not taking walk-ups due to seating restrictions. Some restaurants are only open Th-Sunday since they're not up to full capacity of regular visitors.

and masks are required everywhere..

With that being said they have in place a "we're trying to re-open plan" which goes in phases Feb. 15, March 15 and May 1st which can be found here:

https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/News/Blog/Detail/corona-virus-update


We are heading there the end of May, so it could be a whole different town by the time we get there! DH and I will both be fully vaccinated so it makes us a little more comfortable and we do a lot of outdoor activities in Vegas, so we don't just sit inside and gamble all day, however, when I do I will bring my hand wipes!!

Vegas is a good time!!

 

[Erica Ladd]

Can someone explain A-list to me? Like what are the benefits and how do you earn it? I’m confused!

 

[Gitelfor]

Can someone explain A-list to me? Like what are the benefits and how do you earn it? I’m confused!

Southwest A-List

Major benefits are auto checkin for flights (36+ hours before departure), before EBCI customers, bonus points earnings, special checkin lane and phone number, etc.; your boarding position can be as low as A16 on a non-refundable ticket.

For those who had a Rapid Rewards frequent flyer account by the end of 2020, your account was given a boost toward earning A-List and A-List Preferred status for 2021-2022.