decibel08

hello - i haven't flown southwest in probably a decade but recently bought a ticket to fly with a friend to a wedding. turns out she wasn't supposed to bring a +1 and now i'm trying to figure out what to do with this ticket.

i read the SW wiki in the sticky and it seemed to indicate under section 5 that funds i would get by cancelling the ticket should be transferable to someone else. that is ideal for me since i don't plan on flying SW if i can stick with my legacy where i have status.

but i called SW the other day (before reading the sticky) and they told me no, it will have to be my name on the future ticket when the funds get reused. i seem to read the same language in the confirmation email i got when purchasing the ticket.

do i have to do the workaround of waiting a year for it to expire in order to offload this ticket value to someone else (-50$) ?

thanks

ftnoob

A policy change that was supposed to go into effect on 28-Jan-2011 would have eliminated transferability of funds. That change has been delayed due to "reprioritizing" of "Technology needs." Furthermore, "no date has been set for implementation" (of the changed policy). So if you don't dawdle you can get the funds into someone else's name by just using the funds to book a ticket for that person, just as we have done for many years under the long-standing policy.

lougord99

Just to further clarify ftnoob's response. The ticket you purchase for someone else does not need to be a real trip. Just purchase the trip in their name and then immediately cancel it. Now those funds are in that person's name for the next year.

HtomSirveaux

Year from the date the money was first spent on the original ticket, that is.

jrpaguia

How about going on the trip anyway? Skip the ceremony but crash the party?

decibel08

ooh ok, good to know. i'll do it pronto

i thought about that, but it ain't that kind of wedding apparently... i'll try to stay on everyone's good side instead

trooper

That's good of you given the circumstances IMO!..

I mean.. what sort of wedding invite is NOT.. "+1"??

decibel08

you folks were right - worked like a charm. thanks! thought i was out of luck but i knew i had to check FT before throwing in the towel.

decibel08

i've been involved in a fair amount of confusion on that topic lately. first, i didn't realize i was *supposed* to bring someone to a certain wedding, and now my friend doesn't realize she isn't allowed to bring me to this one. i've also been preemptively told by another friend getting married soon that i'm not allowed to bring anyone who isn't a pre-existing significant other. sheesh.

toomanybooks

This is why etiquette developed over the centuries. Making up all your own rules for social situations is a tricky business.