Southwest auto cancelled my reservation 2 weeks out?
Sep 4, 2018, 11:37 am
#31
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
... I can choose a BS fare with the ability to cancel AT ANYTIME for a full refund, but it's likely a much higher fare for this privilege. Should I choose a lower Wanna-Get-Away fare and cancel, I forfeit the ability to get my money back and instead accept it as a 1 year Southwest credit.
I mostly fly Southwest because I value this flexibility as you pointed out. If such flexibility weren't available, I'd probably start flying other airlines where I can often get a first class ticket for the same price as a BS fare...
I mostly fly Southwest because I value this flexibility as you pointed out. If such flexibility weren't available, I'd probably start flying other airlines where I can often get a first class ticket for the same price as a BS fare...
Sep 4, 2018, 11:46 am
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
That's only true if you fly on routes with capacity. On business-heavy high-volume routes, there often simply isn't availability. Because WN made the poor decision to stop overbooking, no availability means no availability.
WN now does what other carriers do. It forces you either to plan ahead or run the risk that what you want won't be available. Except that the legacies will sell you a ticket at full F/Y and overbook by one more and run the risk of an oversell.
WN now does what other carriers do. It forces you either to plan ahead or run the risk that what you want won't be available. Except that the legacies will sell you a ticket at full F/Y and overbook by one more and run the risk of an oversell.
Sep 4, 2018, 1:36 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,764
Comparing it to BJ "cheating" is a bad example. The better comparison is a stock option, where I pay a fee for the option to do something later. I can choose a BS fare with the ability to cancel AT ANYTIME for a full refund, but it's likely a much higher fare for this privilege. Should I choose a lower Wanna-Get-Away fare and cancel, I forfeit the ability to get my money back and instead accept it as a 1 year Southwest credit.
Your example of a stock option doesn't make any sense. You're not paying the fee for the option to do something later. You are buying the lowest fare instead of paying for the flexibility. A better example is buying or selling stock based on yesterday's closing price instead of the current price. Do you know of any brokerage firms that will let you do that?
I mostly fly Southwest because I value this flexibility as you pointed out. If such flexibility weren't available, I'd probably start flying other airlines where I can often get a first class ticket for the same price as a BS fare. Since I don't fly the others regularly, I can't comment on if this is a common practice due to change fees or other restrictions. I do however know of several people/companies like myself who use similar tactics and are very loyal to Southwest, not out of any "scheming", simply because their schedule demands the optionality. It's a competitive advantage that wins over certain customers. Since this is the *first time* I've had a reservation auto-cancelled in 10 years of flying Southwest, it looks like they don't have a problem with it except for extreme cases (overlapping flight in my case). Last year, I even had a phone agent schedule multiple flights from different airports while driving out of Florida prior to a hurricane in case I couldn't make it to the first one due to the heavy traffic, they were unbelievably helpful.
Sep 4, 2018, 1:39 pm
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,764
It also makes no sense. Even presuming that this is an easy task and an easy lawsuit and that OP's bank account is sitting there ripe for execution, why on earth should WN go through all of this when it can get to the same place and deter the conduct on the spot by auto-cancel.
Don't forget that there is always the risk that WN cancels the ticket you really need and that by the time you cancel the one you don't need and rebook the new ticket, it's either more expensive or worse yet, not available. This does not have to happen too many times before the bad behavior stops.
Don't forget that there is always the risk that WN cancels the ticket you really need and that by the time you cancel the one you don't need and rebook the new ticket, it's either more expensive or worse yet, not available. This does not have to happen too many times before the bad behavior stops.
How about this... go through last year's reservations and identify people like the OP. Then ban them for a year. After the year is up, should they engage in fraudulent ticketing again, ban them for life.
Sep 4, 2018, 5:47 pm
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 53
Kevin did you fail law school AND economics? When cancelling a WGA fare you forfeit the ability to do anything with the refund other than spend it at Southwest and even then risk losing it forever. Removing the option to spend the refund anywhere and locking it into Southwest for a year is the "fee". If you want to avoid this "fee", you can spend more on a refundable fare. Economic incentives abound!
Sep 4, 2018, 6:11 pm
#36
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,458
Kevin did you fail law school AND economics? When cancelling a WGA fare you forfeit the ability to do anything with the refund other than spend it at Southwest and even then risk losing it forever. Removing the option to spend the refund anywhere and locking it into Southwest for a year is the "fee". If you want to avoid this "fee", you can spend more on a refundable fare. Economic incentives abound!
I hugely value the ability to change or cancel at no charge and I am always afraid that people like you will ruin it for the rest of us and WN will no longer allow free changes.
Sep 4, 2018, 7:21 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Gold, WN A+ & CP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Platinum, National Executive Elite
Posts: 3,240
For crying out loud, this is an internet bulletin board, not a law school paper!
How about this... go through last year's reservations and identify people like the OP. Then ban them for a year. After the year is up, should they engage in fraudulent ticketing again, ban them for life.
How about this... go through last year's reservations and identify people like the OP. Then ban them for a year. After the year is up, should they engage in fraudulent ticketing again, ban them for life.
Sep 4, 2018, 9:02 pm
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,764
Kevin did you fail law school AND economics? When cancelling a WGA fare you forfeit the ability to do anything with the refund other than spend it at Southwest and even then risk losing it forever. Removing the option to spend the refund anywhere and locking it into Southwest for a year is the "fee". If you want to avoid this "fee", you can spend more on a refundable fare. Economic incentives abound!
You change tickets at no charge. That is a fact. You can continue to rationalize your selfish behavior all you want, but it does not change the fact that you are defrauding Southwest when you do this. Keep it up, and Southwest will institute a change fee, and that screws over all of us.
Sep 4, 2018, 9:58 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 53
You do realize this is a message board for an airline rewards program? It's the definition of "I spend a lot of money so I should get special treatment." Almost every person posting here gets special treatment and then comes here to figure out how to get even more!
Sep 4, 2018, 10:15 pm
#41
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,865
You have a grand total of 7 posts at this point. You’re hardly in a position to lecture other longtime participants on the purpose of this forum.
Sep 4, 2018, 10:25 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 53
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You change tickets at no charge. That is a fact. You can continue to rationalize your selfish behavior all you want, but it does not change the fact that you are defrauding Southwest when you do this. Keep it up, and Southwest will institute a change fee, and that screws over all of us.
You change tickets at no charge. That is a fact. You can continue to rationalize your selfish behavior all you want, but it does not change the fact that you are defrauding Southwest when you do this. Keep it up, and Southwest will institute a change fee, and that screws over all of us.
Sep 4, 2018, 10:26 pm
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 53
Sep 4, 2018, 10:31 pm
#44
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,963
Sep 5, 2018, 7:46 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
I suspect this won't change your mind, but consider a frequent scenario: I buy a one way ticket for a Wednesday flight 2 weeks ahead of time at WGA fare of $250. The Monday before my flight my schedule changes and I can't leave until Thursday or Friday. It's now going to cost $575 (BS fare on a frequent route). That's a $300+ change fee whether you want to call it one or not. Southwest eliminates most WGA fares 7 days out even on non-full flights, hitting frequent travelers in the pocket. Do they have an obligation to honor my lower fare? Of course not, they exist to make the most money possible. I'm OK with that, but in turn I'm going to try to save as much money as possible. If I foresee a couple of scheduling scenarios, I'll book a couple of flights. If they had a problem with such purchases, they'd cancel them. That it's happened 1 time should prove it's not an issue for them.
Also, Southwest doesn't specifically hit frequent travelers in the pocket at all. They hit travelers who make their flight decisions at the last minute in the pocket; regardless if you fly once or every day. I can fly every day if I want, but if I'm booking my tickets 3 weeks out, I'm still getting lower fares compared to those that book last minute (generally speaking, of course. Cheap fares can be had on the day of travel on occasion!).
