Originally Posted by
Often1
I suspect that the enforcement change is tied to business process issues because WN doesn't otherwise deal with name changes.
Once groups know that there is a drop dead deadline which will be enforced, people will adjust, or they will buy refundable tickets. But, overall, those are going to be few and far between.
I don't get the business process explanation, as groups can still make name changes prior to the 72 hour deadline. They clearly still have the capacity to make name changes.
I do agree that groups will adjust. In my case, because most changes are due to last minute illness (within the 72 hour period), I will not buy group tickets from Southwest because the risk is too great that we will be stuck with tickets that we cannot use. If I need the flexibility of group tickets, I will book elsewhere. If Southwest is the best option for us, I'll book regular tickets in increments of eight (the max allowed by Southwest). In that case, if we have to make changes, we will at least be able to use the credit from the unused tickets at a later date.