# Southwest Airlines



## JanB (Apr 29, 2012)

I've been waiting for years hoping SWA would fly to Hawaii at some time.  About 3 weeks ago I received this email from SWA - "We recently celebrated the arrival of our very first Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which will join our fleet this month. The plane was named Warrior One in salute of Southwest Employees' Warrior Spirit, and will allow for the addition of overwater routes and more capacity in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted airports."  Ooooo - shoud I get excited??  With airfare up to $700-800 rt from SMF, we need the compitition.


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 29, 2012)

My rumor mill has SWA flying that plane to Europe from PHL vs Hawaii. All those islands in Hawaii for just one plane?  Europe has a great train system and Europeans love to come and shop in USA.

PS And Europe is cheaper to visit than Hawaii. More repeat business.


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## DaveNV (Apr 29, 2012)

It sounds promising, but I wouldn't start packing just yet. But it'd be great to have another option.  

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/08/southwest-airlines-will-be-rea.html

http://blogs.hawaiinewsnow.com/howa...uzz-about-southwest-airlines-flying-here.html

http://beatofhawaii.com/alaska-allegiant-and-southwest-race-to-hawaii/

Dave


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## JanB (Apr 29, 2012)

That's true, but one plane is a start!


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## Flyguy1950 (Apr 29, 2012)

While I was wishing the same for Hawaii, I think they are taking over the routes from Air Tran?


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## Passepartout (Apr 29, 2012)

Far more likely for them to be easing into the Caribbean routes from AirTran than Hawaii. 

Jim


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 30, 2012)

Jim, I truly agree - I was just stirring the thread about Europe as a destination for SWA.


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## Sweet Pikake (Apr 30, 2012)

JanB said:


> I've been waiting for years hoping SWA would fly to Hawaii at some time.  About 3 weeks ago I received this email from SWA - "We recently celebrated the arrival of our very first Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which will join our fleet this month. The plane was named Warrior One in salute of Southwest Employees' Warrior Spirit, and will allow for the addition of overwater routes and more capacity in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted airports."  Ooooo - shoud I get excited??  With airfare up to $700-800 rt from SMF, we need the compitition.



Would be very convenient to fly into Love Field from Honolulu, Warrior is also the name of University of Hawaii football team, which June Jones of SMU brought to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.


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## daventrina (Apr 30, 2012)

Sweet Pikake said:


> Would be very convenient to fly into Love Field from Honolulu,


Don't think that it has the range for that...


JanB said:


> With airfare up to $700-800 rt from SMF, we need the compitition.


 OAK/SJC was about half that....


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## lucywatkins (Aug 10, 2012)

*Flights from Sacramento to Oahu*

We're looking for affordable rates direct to Oahu from Sacramento.  Alaska has us going to Seattle to Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines is very expensive.  Any suggestion?


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## daventrina (Aug 10, 2012)

lucywatkins said:


> We're looking for affordable rates direct to Oahu from Sacramento.  Alaska has us going to Seattle to Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines is very expensive.  Any suggestion?


Leave from OAK or SJC. Other than Allegiant from Stockton, not a lot of other options. I guess that the folks that leave from SMF really want to leave from there and don't mind paying nearly double.

Not sure why the cost I so much higher from SMF. Maybe the plane is half full and they want to cover the cost of operation. I would expect that the cost of ground operations might be less, but maybe not. It wouldn't surprise me if they put the screws to airlines operating out of SMF. It wasn't always that way. We flowen Hawaiian from SMF in the past and if the cost wasn't less, it wasn't much more. 

Were mostly in the middle so it doesn't make a huge difference which way we drive. If you live in Sacramento... a flight to SEA may be better than driving to the Bay Area. Driving vs. plane change ... we'd probably go with the plane change. 

Another option would be a hop from SMF to SFO/SJC/OAK (United may book that flight as a connection, Hawaiian maybe not), but you would still have a plane change it it would probably be more than Alaska.


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## california-bighorn (Aug 10, 2012)

*Oakland*



lucywatkins said:


> We're looking for affordable rates direct to Oahu from Sacramento.  Alaska has us going to Seattle to Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines is very expensive.  Any suggestion?



We also live in the Sacramento area(Granite Bay) and due to the limited flights to Hawaii and Mexico we routinely drive to SFO or Oakland for flights.  We were booked for the SMF to Lihue flight for this Sept but it would have meant flying thru Sea-Tac and at least one overnight stay at Sea-Tac.  Alaska let us change to flying out of Oakland which is a direct flight to Lihue.  Alaska also has a direct flight from Oak to Hono.  We drive down the day/evening prior to our flight and stay at a Park and Fly hotel, do a little sight seeing in SF then don't have to worry about driving down the day of flight.


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## Eagle7304 (Aug 10, 2012)

lucywatkins said:


> We're looking for affordable rates direct to Oahu from Sacramento.  Alaska has us going to Seattle to Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines is very expensive.  Any suggestion?



We have the Alaskan Airline credit card which gives you a $110 companion ticket every year. I think the card costs you $75.00 a year. it is worth it to us to fly to Maui or Honolulu direct and not have to drive to San Francisco or Oakland


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## talkamotta (Aug 11, 2012)

Eagle7304 said:


> We have the Alaskan Airline credit card which gives you a $110 companion ticket every year. I think the card costs you $75.00 a year. it is worth it to us to fly to Maui or Honolulu direct and not have to drive to San Francisco or Oakland



What restrictions, cities will the companion ticket work for.  I live in Salt Lake but or the companion pass I would use one of my passes on SWA and fly to the west coast.  Thanks


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## Eagle7304 (Aug 11, 2012)

The only restriction on Alaska is that both passengers must be on the same flight. We use ours to go to Maui from Sacramento instead of flying Hawaiian. Alaska flies direct to Maui. Hawaiian Air from Sacramento takes you through Honolulu. Alaska saves several hours in arrival time


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 11, 2012)

If SWA flies to Hawaii, seems they'd need a bigger plane, and if they indeed fly there, they need to scrap the cattle car and allow assigned seating.

Marty


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## artringwald (Aug 11, 2012)

Eagle7304 said:


> The only restriction on Alaska is that both passengers must be on the same flight. We use ours to go to Maui from Sacramento instead of flying Hawaiian. Alaska flies direct to Maui. Hawaiian Air from Sacramento takes you through Honolulu. Alaska saves several hours in arrival time



Until this month, you could book 1st class on Alaska and use the companion coupon to buy another first class. Unfortunately, they aren't going to allow it for any new coupons issued.


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## PigsDad (Aug 11, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> If SWA flies to Hawaii, seems they'd need a bigger plane, and if they indeed fly there, *they need to scrap the cattle car and allow assigned seating*.


Why?  It seems to be working for them, so why change it?  Is there something so different about flying to Hawaii than anywhere else?

Kurt


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 11, 2012)

PigsDad said:


> Why?  It seems to be working for them, so why change it?  Is there something so different about flying to Hawaii than anywhere else?
> 
> Kurt



Just personal preference.  I'd rather know where I'll be sitting and not have to worry about checking in the second it ticks past the 24 hour check-in window, jockey for position and all that hassle.  

Marty


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## PigsDad (Aug 11, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> Just personal preference.  I'd rather know where I'll be sitting and not have to worry about checking in the second it ticks past the 24 hour check-in window, jockey for position and all that hassle.


Ok, _personal _preference. I certainly understand that, but many others would be glad to see SWA add routes to Hawaii (even with the existing seat selection procedure).  There will always be other airlines that people can fly, but they may need to vote with their pocketbook.

Kurt


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 11, 2012)

PigsDad said:


> Ok, _personal _preference. I certainly understand that, but many others would be glad to see SWA add routes to Hawaii (even with the existing seat selection procedure).  There will always be other airlines that people can fly, but they may need to vote with their pocketbook.
> 
> Kurt



Agreed.  Lower fares would be great, and if it materialized, certainly would be  considered. 
Years ago, ATA was SWA's codeshare partner, and they had the SWA type fares to Hawaii, then sadly went belly-up.  

Marty


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## daventrina (Aug 12, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> If SWA flies to Hawaii, seems they'd need a bigger plane, and if they indeed fly there, they need to scrap the cattle car and allow assigned seating.
> 
> Marty



They'll fly ETOPS 737s (a special configuration for 2 engine overwater flight like Alaska toys and Aloha used to) . Rumor is that they already have them. Think that there was a news blurb a few weeks ago about their first ones maiden flight.


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## Ron98GT (Aug 12, 2012)

PigsDad said:


> Why?  It seems to be working for them, so why change it?  Is there something so different about flying to Hawaii than anywhere else?
> 
> Kurt



Duh: It's a longer flight  

Either way, I avoid cattle call (Southwest) like the plaque.  I want an assigned and I will pay the upgrade fee to get more leg room.


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## PigsDad (Aug 12, 2012)

Ron98GT said:


> Duh: It's a longer flight


Way to state the obvious, Ron.  

However, SWA doesn't offered upgraded seats, first class, etc.  That is their business model, and by all accounts, it is working quite well for them.  You probably aren't their target customer and will most likely never be.  So I go back to my original question:  why do people think that SWA needs to change their seat assignment model if they start flying to Hawaii?  If it ain't broke, don't fix it! (And if you don't like it, don't fly them.)

Kurt



> Either way, I avoid cattle call (Southwest) like the *plaque*.


I have no idea what avoiding Southwest has to do with clean teeth.  To each their own, I guess. :hysterical:


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## momeason (Aug 12, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> Just personal preference.  I'd rather know where I'll be sitting and not have to worry about checking in the second it ticks past the 24 hour check-in window, jockey for position and all that hassle.
> 
> Marty



You can pay $10 and get early check-in. I like the prices and the service is much better than US Air


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 12, 2012)

momeason said:


> You can pay $10 and get early check-in. I like the prices and the service is much better than US Air



And that's just another one of the irritations of the entire airline industry.  I realize $10 isn't much, but when you add all the extra fees airlines are sticking in here and there, it gets annoying.  

To add to the discussion, it wouldn't take anything for SWA to add seat assignment to their system, and would probably increase their market share by having more satisfied customers.  

Marty


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## Ron98GT (Aug 13, 2012)

PigsDad said:


> Way to state the obvious, Ron.
> 
> However, SWA doesn't offered upgraded seats, first class, etc.  That is their business model, and by all accounts, it is working quite well for them.  You probably aren't their target customer and will most likely never be.  So I go back to my original question:  why do people think that SWA needs to change their seat assignment model if they start flying to Hawaii?  If it ain't broke, don't fix it! (And if you don't like it, don't fly them.)
> 
> ...



Plaque, Plague, damn spell checkers   Speaking of plaque,   I have my teeth cleaned every 6 months (no stress), but I don't like cattle call (stress). I'd rather not begin my trip on a bad note: getting stressed out, fighting people for a seat, and worrying about my carry-on baggage. :annoyed: 

To each his own, I'm not trying to sway/convince you, or Southwest, of anything.      I don't like cattle call    and I want an assigned seat.  

Now, if Southwest would offer discounted flights to Cabo from Las Vegas (say $99 or less each way), I MIGHT consider them. :whoopie:   I can fly to Hawaii for less than it would cost me to fly to Cabo, so I don't go anymore.   At least it would be a short flight (if direct), but still cattle call (stress).


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## Luanne (Aug 13, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> To add to the discussion, it wouldn't take anything for SWA to add seat assignment to their system, and would probably increase their market share by having more satisfied customers.
> 
> Marty



That's not their business model.  I could be wrong, but I think they claim, or maybe it's just my experience, that their boarding process is faster.

Heck, I'll pay the $10 for early boarding since I can check through my luggage at no extra charge. :whoopie: 

I am a satisfied Southwest customer.


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## Passepartout (Aug 13, 2012)

For me, waiting for 'Zone 4-or 5' to board while people with multiple carry-ons and snot nosed kids stream onto the plane is far more stressful than calling - or checking in via smart phone a day ahead, then strolling onto the plane and plopping myself down in the first available seat(s). Assigned seats- preposterous. What if you don't like the look (or size) of the person assigned to sit beside you? On SW, just don't sit there. Bags go in the hold-where they belong- free, and we are on our way in 20 minutes or so. What's to prefer in a legacy carrier?

Jim


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## Luanne (Aug 13, 2012)

Passepartout said:


> For me, waiting for 'Zone 4-or 5' to board while people with multiple carry-ons and snot nosed kids stream onto the plane is far more stressful than calling - or checking in via smart phone a day ahead, then strolling onto the plane and plopping myself down in the first available seat(s). Assigned seats- preposterous. What if you don't like the look (or size) of the person assigned to sit beside you? On SW, just don't sit there. Bags go in the hold-where they belong- free, and we are on our way in 20 minutes or so. What's to prefer in a legacy carrier?
> 
> Jim



Yep.  

I won't say SW is perfect, no airline is, especially in today's environment.  But there are so many reasons I prefer SW to other carriers. Free baggage, ease of using their website, no fees to change tickets, on and on and on.  So, when I can fly them, I do.

My younger dd just returned from a trip to Vancouver.  Two hour flight on United from SFO to Vancouver.  On the flight up she was over an hour late.  The website kept saying it was due to the incoming flight, but the website also showed the incoming flight landing so there was no reason for the delay.  On her flight home the flight showed "on time" for quite awhile.  Out of curiousity I checked the incoming flights.  The first flight from Dulles to SFO was almost 3 hours late.  Then the flight from SFO to Vancouver (the turnaround for her flight) showed on time.  Sure, if they were able to deplane and then reboard in 20 minutes.  :hysterical:   I think that also gave them an 11 minute turnaround once the plane got to Vancouver.  Needless to say that didn't happen.


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## PigsDad (Aug 13, 2012)

Luanne said:


> I won't say SW is perfect, no airline is, especially in today's environment.  But there are so many reasons I prefer SW to other carriers. Free baggage, ease of using their website, no fees to change tickets, on and on and on.  So, when I can fly them, I do.


Same here.   I don't understand why some people feel "stressed" regarding their bording process -- seems pretty simple to me.  Much preferred over the other airlines, especially if you don't have "status" with them.  With everyone trying to take huge amounts of luggage in the cabin with them (to avoid baggage fees), if you don't board in the first couple of groups you can forget about even putting a coat in the overhead bin!  _*That's*_ what I call "stress"!

Kurt


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 13, 2012)

We really like Southwest, too.  Paying for pre-boarding is always an option, and it's one we should do more often, because I occasionally forget to log-in at 24 hours before the trip, and then we are in group C.  We are lucky to find two seats together in that group.


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## Luanne (Aug 13, 2012)

Honestly, SW's boarding process is better than it used to be.  Remember when all you had was the boarding group, A, B or C, no number?  Everyone would line up (or bunch up) way ahead of time to be among the first on.


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## Mary W (Aug 14, 2012)

*Southwest to Hawaii in 2013?*

Talked with an Hawaiian Airlines pilot last week who sounded pretty sure that Southwest would start flying to Hawaii next year.  He said Hawaiian will be flying to New Zealand in 2013 and was expanding international  service. He regularly flies to Korea and said that market was very strong for them.


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## whatsburning (Aug 14, 2012)

california-bighorn said:


> We also live in the Sacramento area(Granite Bay) and due to the limited flights to Hawaii and Mexico we routinely drive to SFO or Oakland for flights.  We were booked for the SMF to Lihue flight for this Sept but it would have meant flying thru Sea-Tac and at least one overnight stay at Sea-Tac.  Alaska let us change to flying out of Oakland which is a direct flight to Lihue.  Alaska also has a direct flight from Oak to Hono.  We drive down the day/evening prior to our flight and stay at a Park and Fly hotel, do a little sight seeing in SF then don't have to worry about driving down the day of flight.





JanB said:


> I've been waiting for years hoping SWA would fly to Hawaii at some time.  About 3 weeks ago I received this email from SWA - "We recently celebrated the arrival of our very first Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which will join our fleet this month. The plane was named Warrior One in salute of Southwest Employees' Warrior Spirit, and will allow for the addition of overwater routes and more capacity in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted airports."  Ooooo - shoud I get excited??  With airfare up to $700-800 rt from SMF, we need the compitition.





lucywatkins said:


> We're looking for affordable rates direct to Oahu from Sacramento.  Alaska has us going to Seattle to Honolulu and Hawaiian Airlines is very expensive.  Any suggestion?



Folks, either you're not looking hard enough or have a mindset that Hawaiian is too expensive so you don't even bother to look.  For the past 2-3 months, Hawaiian Air has had airfare sales that beat all other carriers.  SAN is $360 r/t, SMF is around $430 r/t, LAX and SFO is $$380 r/t,  OAK is $360 r/t... these prices available until December!

In addition, Hawaiian has some nice new planes, still serve a comp meal, and has led all carriers for on-time departures for I don't know how many years running!  If those prices above are not affordable, maybe Hawaii's not the destination for you?


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## whatsburning (Aug 14, 2012)

Mary W said:


> Talked with an Hawaiian Airlines pilot last week who sounded pretty sure that Southwest would start flying to Hawaii next year.  He said Hawaiian will be flying to New Zealand in 2013 and was expanding international  service. He regularly flies to Korea and said that market was very strong for them.



That's an understatement... Hawaiian Air is booming right now.  Expanding like crazy.


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## daventrina (Aug 15, 2012)

whatsburning said:


> In addition, Hawaiian has some nice new planes,


Too bad they are Airbus:annoyed:


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## JeffW (Aug 15, 2012)

Any mention on what the gateway city would be?  I'd think LAX would be most likely.

Jeff


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## Dalownerx3 (Aug 19, 2012)

whatsburning said:


> Folks, either you're not looking hard enough or have a mindset that Hawaiian is too expensive so you don't even bother to look.  For the past 2-3 months, Hawaiian Air has had airfare sales that beat all other carriers.  SAN is $360 r/t, SMF is around $430 r/t, LAX and SFO is $$380 r/t,  OAK is $360 r/t... these prices available until December!
> 
> In addition, Hawaiian has some nice new planes, still serve a comp meal, and has led all carriers for on-time departures for I don't know how many years running!  If those prices above are not affordable, maybe Hawaii's not the destination for you?



I agree that Hawaiian is better than the other carriers - I especially like having Pog as option for beverage. 

While Hawaiian has sales, the summer fares jump up to $490 starting 6/6, when kids start getting out of school.  I miss the days of Suntours and the other chartered type airlines.


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## Luanne (Aug 19, 2012)

Dalownerx3 said:


> I agree that Hawaiian is better than the other carriers - I especially like having Pog as option for beverage.
> 
> While Hawaiian has sales, the summer fares jump up to $490 starting 6/6, when kids start getting out of school.  I miss the days of Suntours and the other chartered type airlines.



Ahh yes, Suntours.  The charter where we got stranded on Maui when our airline (not just our plane but the entire fleet) got grounded forever.  :annoyed:


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 19, 2012)

Luanne said:


> Ahh yes, Suntours.  The charter where we got stranded on Maui when our airline (not just our plane but the entire fleet) got grounded forever.  :annoyed:



So.....being stranded on Maui isn't all it's cracked up to be?


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## Luanne (Aug 19, 2012)

Kona Lovers said:


> So.....being stranded on Maui isn't all it's cracked up to be?



Not when the place Suntours has decided to put you up is a fleabag motel that as the cabdriver said, he wouldn't recommend to his worst enemy.  Not when you have no idea when you're going to get home.  Not when you're having to take additional, unplanned vacation time off.  On the other hand, our dds thought it was great.


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## Kona Lovers (Aug 19, 2012)

Luanne said:


> Not when the place Suntours has decided to put you up is a fleabag motel that as the cabdriver said, he wouldn't recommend to his worst enemy.  Not when you have no idea when you're going to get home.  Not when you're having to take additional, unplanned vacation time off.  On the other hand, our dds thought it was great.



That's like when my late grandfather came to visit us, he was in his 90's, and his plane had to divert and refuel in a non-planned stop in Palm Springs.  My uncle, on the other end, was frantic about him being alone, as was my mother, but my grandfather, when it was all over, said it was a "hoot!"  lol


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## JanB (Aug 21, 2012)

*SWA to Hawaii*

So, rumor has it that SWA will use one (or more?) of their new planes to fly to Honolulu out of Oakland sometime in October.  You know how rumors go - we'll just have to wait and see.  I'm still hopeful.

As for Hawaiian out of SMF, not sure where those low fares came from.  My son and I have been watching for several months now for the week before Thanksgiving and again for fares in January.  Everything was $350 + each way!  Yes, fares from San Jose and Oakland were a lot less.  My son is paying for a family of 5.  So, a mixture of points by opening a Hawaiian Visa and cash finally got the desired tickets.  For my husband and I, we are driving to Oakland and doing a reverse park and fly leaving our car for the week then staying the night on our return since our flight doesn't get in til 11:30 pm.  The cost was $336 rt per person on Alaska Airlines and the money we saved by not going out of SMF more than pays for the hotel.

For our trip in January, we decided to use Hawaiian points one way and pay for one way, which is great that Hawaiin allows this.  When I checked the one-way fare to Kona from SMF, it was $489!  Even the rt fare was $439 each way for January.  Yet, out of Oakland or San Jose, the cost of a one way was $317 or less.  I think Sacramento wants to pay for the new airport by the end of the year  We're waiting to see if the fares will go down out of SMF since we'll be gone for 4 weeks and leaving our car that long incurrs more expenses.  If not, we'll use Plan B - Amtrak to Emeryville where our youngest son lives.  We'll spend the night with them then fly out of Oakland on Hawaiian for less than $300.  We each have $300 vouchers from Hawaiian because of a cancelled flight last year so we will have minimal costs even including Amtrak.


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## daventrina (Aug 22, 2012)

Luanne said:


> Ahh yes, Suntours.  The charter where we got stranded on Maui when our airline (not just our plane but the entire fleet) got grounded forever.  :annoyed:


So... Was that better or worse than being stuck here and having to buy last minute tickets on Hawaiian???
So much for our free Southwest tickets on Suntrips...


JanB said:


> So, rumor has it that SWA will use one (or more?) of  their new planes to fly to Honolulu out of Oakland sometime in October.   You know how rumors go - we'll just have to wait and see.  I'm still  hopeful.


I think I remember that rumor from last year


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## california-bighorn (Aug 23, 2012)

whatsburning said:


> Folks, either you're not looking hard enough or have a mindset that Hawaiian is too expensive so you don't even bother to look.  For the past 2-3 months, Hawaiian Air has had airfare sales that beat all other carriers.  SAN is $360 r/t, SMF is around $430 r/t, LAX and SFO is $$380 r/t,  OAK is $360 r/t... these prices available until December!
> 
> In addition, Hawaiian has some nice new planes, still serve a comp meal, and has led all carriers for on-time departures for I don't know how many years running!  If those prices above are not affordable, maybe Hawaii's not the destination for you?



Hawaiian did have a recent sale for flights out of Sacramento to Honolulu that if you booked right away you could book for around $400. Within a day, seats if the good fares were limited or non existent for many flights. I tried to book a flight and a co-worker tried to book a flight, but the days where the good fares were available didn't work for either of us due to existing timeshare reservations.  We travel to Hawaii twice a year so we are always checking our options. We have flown on Hawaiian for years and did fly on Hawaiian twice in the past 6 months and we do like the Airline. But, since we usually book way in advance, Alaska has usually worked better for us.  Next year we may take a chance and not book any Hawaii travel in advance and hope for the Fall Specials.

I'm back here an hour later.....  re checked prices, flight times, etc and re booked our May 2013 flight to Oahu.  Found Hawaiian was only $140 more from SMF than other airline out of OAK so it made sense to cancel previous reservation and book on Hawaiian and save two 2 hour drives.


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## AwayWeGo (Aug 30, 2012)

*Southwest Ticket Vouchers.*

In years past, we flew on Southwest Airlines using vouchers we bought from 3rd parties via Craig's List, etc. -- not agents or brokers, but just regular walking-around people. 

Currently nothing like that is advertised on Craig's List -- not that we can find, anyway.  

Ditto eBay. 

I'm assuming Southwest has changed how it handles flight vouchers -- or am I just not looking in the right places ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## jlr10 (Aug 30, 2012)

Dalownerx3 said:


> I agree that Hawaiian is better than the other carriers - I especially like having Pog as option for beverage.



Nice, but I prefer the Alaskan Airline Mai Tai


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## Denise L (Aug 31, 2012)

AwayWeGo said:


> In years past, we flew on Southwest Airlines using vouchers we bought from 3rd parties via Craig's List, etc. -- not agents or brokers, but just regular walking-around people.
> 
> Currently nothing like that is advertised on Craig's List -- not that we can find, anyway.
> 
> ...



Southwest vouchers (from canceled flights or lower fare adjustments) can only be used by the name on the tickets now.  It used to be that they could be used by anyone.  I think we have over $300 in vouchers divided among four of us that are useless to us so bye bye to the money, I guess  .  I don't like the one year from booking expiration date, either  .  Sometimes, by the time we get a price adjustment, we aren't going to fly again before that time is up.  For example, I booked in early November for June and had numerous price adjustment credits.  But the credits expire in early November, so we probably can't use them.

If you are talking about other vouchers, like free flight vouchers, I think those can be booked in anyone's name.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Aug 31, 2012)

Yeah, I paid for a flight for my son for Christmas back in October of 2011, and he ended up driving down with his girlfriend, hasn't been able to use it and I will just lose the money. It worked better for me when it could be used by someone else (mostly by me). That change makes it not as good a program.
Liz


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## PigsDad (Aug 31, 2012)

Denise L said:


> I think we have over $300 in vouchers divided among four of us that are useless to us so bye bye to the money, I guess  .  I don't like the one year from booking expiration date, either  .  Sometimes, by the time we get a price adjustment, we aren't going to fly again before that time is up.  For example, I booked in early November for June and had numerous price adjustment credits.  But the credits expire in early November, so we probably can't use them.


On the other hand, if you were flying with any other airline, you would never have gotten your $300 in price adjustment vouchers in the first place, because other airlines' change fees eat up the value of any price drops.  

So in the end, you really didn't lose anything.

Kurt


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## sfwilshire (Sep 3, 2012)

I am new to Southwest. We booked flights in March, then rebooked them at a lower price in June. Will the vouchers we received when the price dropped expire in March or June? 

Thanks,

Sheila


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## Denise L (Sep 3, 2012)

sfwilshire said:


> I am new to Southwest. We booked flights in March, then rebooked them at a lower price in June. Will the vouchers we received when the price dropped expire in March or June?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Sheila



They are good for travel through the original purchase date, so that would be March.


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## Tamaradarann (Sep 4, 2012)

*SWA out of Long Island*



PigsDad said:


> Ok, _personal _preference. I certainly understand that, but many others would be glad to see SWA add routes to Hawaii (even with the existing seat selection procedure).  There will always be other airlines that people can fly, but they may need to vote with their pocketbook.
> 
> Kurt



The reason i would be so interested in SWA flying to Hawaii would not be the lower fares, it would be that they would fly out of Islip Airport on Long Island and I wouldn't need to spend the time and the over $100 cab ride each way to NYC or Newark.  Also the free change of reservations and baggage are other advantages to SWA since we fly heavy (2 checked bags each since we stay for 3 months) and sometimes want to change our reservations.  Each of these items are hundreds of dollars each for the round trip and they do add up to quite alot of money without the fare consideration.


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## Eagle7304 (Sep 24, 2012)

We flew on the new 737-800 from Chicago to Sacramento last week. Nice plane. More leg room and more overhead luggage compartments. We talked to a person at the ticket counter in Pittsburg about where the new planes would go. Her speculation and the rumor was Europe....so it looks like Hawaii might not be the new destination


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