"Your reservation is confirmed" = we dropped your original flight
Mar 29, 2019, 8:04 am
#1
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
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Posts: 21,624
"Your reservation is confirmed" = we dropped your original flight
The MAX8 grounding reduced Southwest;s fleet by 5%, forcing cancellation of flights. Southwest is now pruning the near-term flight schedule, I just received a "Your reservation is confirmed" email for a trip 12 days from now. The confirmation is not what I originally booked, an important fact omitted from the email. I checked my original booking and that flight no longer exists.
This is amateurish. Southwest can surely afford an hour of someone's time to write a new email template for flights dropped from the schedule.
In this case I will need to call and move the trip. I presume that a move within the 14-day window will be free.
This is amateurish. Southwest can surely afford an hour of someone's time to write a new email template for flights dropped from the schedule.
In this case I will need to call and move the trip. I presume that a move within the 14-day window will be free.
Mar 29, 2019, 8:53 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Southwest A-List; Alaska MVPG; Hilton Diamond; Avis PreferredPlus; Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
Posts: 919
Thanks for this. I sometimes disregard those emails if the subject line doesn’t somehow distinguish it from the marketing emails (book your car/hotel/adventure now).
Guess I’d better pay closer attention.
Guess I’d better pay closer attention.
Mar 29, 2019, 8:56 am
#3
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This is scary. If someone gets the "you're confirmed" subject in an email, there's a tendency not to look further and to assume that everything is OK as scheduled on the original flight. If would be very easy to show up at the airport as originally planned and then face a big mess with the trip.
Mar 29, 2019, 9:00 am
#4
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 96
That’s no good. I had one change but the subject on the email was “Changes to your upcoming Southwest trip”.
The nonstop flight from LAS to DAL was cancelled and they moved my husband 2 hours earlier with a plane change in ABQ. It doubled the travel time. I called and they moved him to the later nonstop without an issue. It took the lady a few minutes because she said she had to override the fare.
But I ended up cancelling his trip and moving it to August. The later flight just gets in too late and he would need to be in a class at 8am after not making it to the hotel until at least midnight (if everything goes right and no delays).
The nonstop flight from LAS to DAL was cancelled and they moved my husband 2 hours earlier with a plane change in ABQ. It doubled the travel time. I called and they moved him to the later nonstop without an issue. It took the lady a few minutes because she said she had to override the fare.
But I ended up cancelling his trip and moving it to August. The later flight just gets in too late and he would need to be in a class at 8am after not making it to the hotel until at least midnight (if everything goes right and no delays).
Mar 29, 2019, 9:28 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: Southwest Companion Pass
Posts: 790
Yeah I received that "your reservation is confirmed" also. This was after I agreed to change flights. I just received a call from Southwest yesterday telling me about a sell-out situation. They wanted to know if I wanted to change flights. The new flight is a nonstop flight whereas the old flight had a connection. They actually offered me a $200 LUV voucher. I told them that I had a companion on this flight also and they said they'd be eligible for it also.
All-in-all not a bad deal. We got $400 in vouchers for an upgraded flight, that we didn't even pay for since it was all points.
All-in-all not a bad deal. We got $400 in vouchers for an upgraded flight, that we didn't even pay for since it was all points.
Mar 29, 2019, 10:03 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: MCI
Programs: CBP Global Entry, WN A-List Preferred, WN Companion Pass
Posts: 2,007
The MAX8 grounding reduced Southwest;s fleet by 5%, forcing cancellation of flights. Southwest is now pruning the near-term flight schedule, I just received a "Your reservation is confirmed" email for a trip 12 days from now. The confirmation is not what I originally booked, an important fact omitted from the email. I checked my original booking and that flight no longer exists.
This is amateurish. Southwest can surely afford an hour of someone's time to write a new email template for flights dropped from the schedule.
In this case I will need to call and move the trip. I presume that a move within the 14-day window will be free.
This is amateurish. Southwest can surely afford an hour of someone's time to write a new email template for flights dropped from the schedule.
In this case I will need to call and move the trip. I presume that a move within the 14-day window will be free.
Thanks much for this info!
Mar 29, 2019, 2:22 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 48
We had a flight inexplicably changed - from a nonstop from Houston to Las Vegas, to one with a layover. When I looked at the website, the original flight was still there, and I could switch back it by paying an extra $93! There was a later nonstop for only $4 more, and for us the time was better, so I just switched to that one.
Mar 29, 2019, 2:43 pm
#8
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
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Location: California
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Posts: 21,624
Mar 29, 2019, 8:22 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
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Yeah I received that "your reservation is confirmed" also. This was after I agreed to change flights. I just received a call from Southwest yesterday telling me about a sell-out situation. They wanted to know if I wanted to change flights. The new flight is a nonstop flight whereas the old flight had a connection. They actually offered me a $200 LUV voucher. I told them that I had a companion on this flight also and they said they'd be eligible for it also.
All-in-all not a bad deal. We got $400 in vouchers for an upgraded flight, that we didn't even pay for since it was all points.
All-in-all not a bad deal. We got $400 in vouchers for an upgraded flight, that we didn't even pay for since it was all points.
This is concept many relatives do not understand when you do not just book "free" flights for them.
Mar 30, 2019, 6:56 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: Southwest Companion Pass
Posts: 790
Paying with dollars or points is still paying. Using points may not be cash out of pocket today... but sometime in the future you will be out of points and have to pay cash.
This is concept many relatives do not understand when you do not just book "free" flights for them.
This is concept many relatives do not understand when you do not just book "free" flights for them.
Mar 30, 2019, 7:57 pm
#12
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,949
Unfortunately, this seems pretty standard in the travel industry(at least you received an email). My recent DL and AA flights are about 50-50 as to me getting an email for schedule changes. Hilton just sent me an email telling me to check in for a hotel reservation that I had cancelled a few days earlier. And then there is Marriott...
Mar 30, 2019, 9:24 pm
#13
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My cancellation for April 16 (SFO to LAX) was handled well. (Booked in late Feb.) Three days ago, Southwest sent me an email headed "Changes to your upcoming Southwest trip".
Its text was simple but clear:
"We want to make you aware of a change we’ve made to your upcoming trip. This was done proactively due to a Southwest flight schedule change on your day of travel.
Please review your new itinerary below, and reach out to a Southwest Representative at the dedicated phone number 888-xxx-xxxx should you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you onboard soon."
The text which followed gave me my original flight info and the new one which it had protected me on, so I could compare quickly.
I was concerned that the new flight was about two hours later than my original one. I checked that there was a more convenient n/s OAK->LAX, which would likely be more reliable than a midday SFO departure.
Called the toll-free number, got through on two rings, and the agent gave me my OAK choice without hesitation.
Hope this approach becomes standard for all "proactive" cancellations.
Its text was simple but clear:
"We want to make you aware of a change we’ve made to your upcoming trip. This was done proactively due to a Southwest flight schedule change on your day of travel.
Please review your new itinerary below, and reach out to a Southwest Representative at the dedicated phone number 888-xxx-xxxx should you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you onboard soon."
The text which followed gave me my original flight info and the new one which it had protected me on, so I could compare quickly.
I was concerned that the new flight was about two hours later than my original one. I checked that there was a more convenient n/s OAK->LAX, which would likely be more reliable than a midday SFO departure.
Called the toll-free number, got through on two rings, and the agent gave me my OAK choice without hesitation.
Hope this approach becomes standard for all "proactive" cancellations.
Apr 1, 2019, 11:19 am
#15
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,192
I advise everyone to recheck everything.
Had three points reservation for wife. Son later got CP, so I called to assign her as his C and switch them all at once to CP.
First two went through, third did not survive. This was a couple weeks ago. I am sure all three CP-tickets were originally generated.
Luckily I caught it in time to rereserve via CP before sellout. If it was duped I am out $5.60 I guess.
Had three points reservation for wife. Son later got CP, so I called to assign her as his C and switch them all at once to CP.
First two went through, third did not survive. This was a couple weeks ago. I am sure all three CP-tickets were originally generated.
Luckily I caught it in time to rereserve via CP before sellout. If it was duped I am out $5.60 I guess.
