Ponyboy

Flew out of Philly today with a connecting flight in Phoenix. As we are just taking off, I get a text that says my connecting Phoenix flight is cancelled...also a link to find free alternative flights home. So I clicked the link, but frustratingly, the link only showed routes from Philly to home, not from my connecting flight (phx) to home. This was obviously not helpful, since we were already on the runway.

So next I look at options out of Phoenix, which appeared to be somewhat sparse. There was a 7:30 flight (2 hours later) showing Business Select availability, plus a 9:30 flight (4 hours later) with multiple options.

I selected the Business Select flight, operating under the assumption that ALL flights might be full by the time I hit the ground 4+ hours later...at least I was securing a way home and could sort it out in phx.

So when I land in Phoenix, I walk to the closest counter and tell the agent my situation. She looks me up on the computer and says I'm double-booked. "Why did you book another flight? We automatically re-booked you on the 9:30 flight." I responded, "I booked the 7:30 flight because I couldn't call to talk to somebody, and there was a 7:30 flight available. Why did SW put me on the 9:30 flight when a 7:30 flight was available?" She said they did so because the 9:30 flight was the only flight with WGA fares available, which was my original fare...and I could keep the earlier flight but would need to pay the full fare. This really bothered me..."You're telling me SW cancelled my flight and instead of putting me on the next flight with empty seats, they want me to wait around 2 more hours (6 total!) for a cheap-seat fare? BS! (and I don't mean BS in the SWA kinda way)."

I asked to visit with a supervisor, and the agent got snarky. "I'll call her over, but it's a waste of time...she won't do anything more for you!" OK, thanks.

I wait 15 minutes before the supervisor finally comes over. I was polite with her and explained my situation. She was reasonable and understanding, and with a bit of work on her part she put me on the 7:30 flight and refunded that fare. But as we wrapped up she said, "Just so you know, we can't normally do this, but because you are A-List+ I thought I would take care of you."


So that's a long story...but my questions:

1. In the event of a cancellation, shouldn't SWA automatically book passengers on the next available flight, regardless of fare? And when necessary, give preferncre based on status?

2. Since weather was sketchy and flights left and right were getting delayed/cancelled, what if I had told the agent to keep me on both flights and let the weather situation play out? "Go ahead and keep me on the flight you automatically re-booked me on, and I'll pay out of pocket for the BS flight." Then cancel the BS flight last-minute if needed.