No-show 100% penalty starts September 13, 2013 for travel booked starting May 10
Apr 25, 2013, 10:50 am
#1
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No-show 100% penalty starts September 13, 2013 for travel booked starting May 10
In the LA times article there was a reference to a new policy regarding no-shows. Is the policy of being able to rebook without penatly being changed? Or is this just a rumor? Anyone from Southwest on here able to confirm?
And what exactly does this entail? Does this mean the end of the flat tire rule? I hope not.
And what exactly does this entail? Does this mean the end of the flat tire rule? I hope not.
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2...xt-month.html/
Apr 25, 2013, 11:18 am
#2
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Southwest Airlines today announced a new “No Show” policy designed to help it better predict future seat inventory and reduce the number of empty seats on flights.
The policy will apply to nonrefundable fares that are not canceled or changed by a customer before a flight’s scheduled departure. The Dallas-based airline said if such a fare or a portion of it is not used, changed or canceled before departure, the unused funds on the full fare will be forfeited and the remaining reservation will be canceled.
The new policy will take effect on travel reservations, including Wanna Get Away and Ding fares, made on or after May 10 for travel on or after Sept. 13. It does not apply to military fares, senior fares or travel during certain irregular operations such as severe weather conditions.
Customers who cancel a Wanna Get Away or Ding fare before departure can reuse their funds toward future Southwest travel without a change fee as in the past. Customers with other fully refundable fares either either request a refund or hold funds for future travel.
The policy will apply to nonrefundable fares that are not canceled or changed by a customer before a flight’s scheduled departure. The Dallas-based airline said if such a fare or a portion of it is not used, changed or canceled before departure, the unused funds on the full fare will be forfeited and the remaining reservation will be canceled.
The new policy will take effect on travel reservations, including Wanna Get Away and Ding fares, made on or after May 10 for travel on or after Sept. 13. It does not apply to military fares, senior fares or travel during certain irregular operations such as severe weather conditions.
Customers who cancel a Wanna Get Away or Ding fare before departure can reuse their funds toward future Southwest travel without a change fee as in the past. Customers with other fully refundable fares either either request a refund or hold funds for future travel.
I'm glad to hear it is an actual No-Show (i.e., scheduled departure time) policy and only WGA fares. But, this may have unintended consequences in MX/WX situations. Also, it remains unclear how points bookings will be affected - hopefully, points won't be confiscated if one no-shows!
Apr 25, 2013, 11:20 am
#3
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mke9499, I took the liberty of moving your valuable post to a new thread to highlight it for people who skim the forum topics.
The article is silent on points bookings. My guess is that the treatment will be analogous: points will NOT be redeposited if you no-show your points reservation when its original points cost was based on a WGA or Ding fare. Although I would not be surprised if Southwest "needs some extra time to board" that aspect of the change.
We are fortunate that this change does not require cancellation hours before scheduled departure. The only effect on my travel will be more careful use of the flat-tire rule. Until now I had until about 1 hour AFTER scheduled departure to decide whether or not I was going to use my ticket. Now I have to decide by the scheduled departure. That's quite fair.
Although we FT'ers like to whine, I don't see anything here about which we can justifiably complain.
The article is silent on points bookings. My guess is that the treatment will be analogous: points will NOT be redeposited if you no-show your points reservation when its original points cost was based on a WGA or Ding fare. Although I would not be surprised if Southwest "needs some extra time to board" that aspect of the change.
We are fortunate that this change does not require cancellation hours before scheduled departure. The only effect on my travel will be more careful use of the flat-tire rule. Until now I had until about 1 hour AFTER scheduled departure to decide whether or not I was going to use my ticket. Now I have to decide by the scheduled departure. That's quite fair.
Although we FT'ers like to whine, I don't see anything here about which we can justifiably complain.
Apr 25, 2013, 11:23 am
#5
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Also, here's the press release link - the No Show policy is mentioned in the 1st quarter results press release: http://www.swamedia.com/releases/sou...uarter-results
Gary Kelly's remarks:
Press Release Language:
Gary Kelly's remarks:
"We are enthused about planned initiatives for the remainder of the year. Today, we are announcing details of a new No Show policy that will apply to Southwest reservations that include Wanna Get Away® or DING!® fares and are made on or after May 10, 2013, for travel on or after September 13, 2013. The policy is intended to alter behavior, encouraging Customers to cancel unused nonrefundable fares prior to a flight's departure, allowing us to better predict future inventory and reduce the number of empty seats on aircraft."
No Show Policy
Southwest is implementing a No Show policy that applies to nonrefundable fares that are not canceled or changed by a Customer prior to a flight's scheduled departure. If a Customer has booked a nonrefundable fare anywhere in his/her itinerary and that portion of the flight is not used and not canceled or changed by the Customer prior to scheduled departure, all unused funds on the full itinerary will be lost, and the remaining reservation will be canceled. The policy applies to reservations made or changed on or after Friday, May 10, 2013, for travel on or after Friday, September 13, 2013. This policy does not apply to military fares, senior fares, or travel during certain irregular operations, including severe weather conditions.
The No Show policy will not impact Customers who simply cancel a Wanna Get Away or DING! fare prior to scheduled departure; in this case, Customers may reuse their funds toward future travel on Southwest, without a change fee, as they have always done. Customers who are traveling on a fully refundable itinerary that does not contain a Wanna Get Away or DING! fare will continue to have the option of either requesting a refund or holding funds for future travel.
Southwest is implementing a No Show policy that applies to nonrefundable fares that are not canceled or changed by a Customer prior to a flight's scheduled departure. If a Customer has booked a nonrefundable fare anywhere in his/her itinerary and that portion of the flight is not used and not canceled or changed by the Customer prior to scheduled departure, all unused funds on the full itinerary will be lost, and the remaining reservation will be canceled. The policy applies to reservations made or changed on or after Friday, May 10, 2013, for travel on or after Friday, September 13, 2013. This policy does not apply to military fares, senior fares, or travel during certain irregular operations, including severe weather conditions.
The No Show policy will not impact Customers who simply cancel a Wanna Get Away or DING! fare prior to scheduled departure; in this case, Customers may reuse their funds toward future travel on Southwest, without a change fee, as they have always done. Customers who are traveling on a fully refundable itinerary that does not contain a Wanna Get Away or DING! fare will continue to have the option of either requesting a refund or holding funds for future travel.
Apr 25, 2013, 11:29 am
#6
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What I will whine about, however, is that this is just another move in a long line of changes that makes WN look more and more like the legacy carriers. I understand that the airline biz today is far different than the 70s and 80s when Herb's airline was an upstart. What made Southwest "Southwest" was they didn't play by the rules, they were different from the major carriers of the day and that differentiation made them unique. I will, indeed, whine about their having lost that uniqueness.
Apr 25, 2013, 11:49 am
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Apr 25, 2013, 11:51 am
#9
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The other carriers are trying their best to stay ahead in the race to the bottom. UA and US just increased their change fee to $200 domestic, $300 international. Soon it will be as absurd as a 99-year prison sentence.
Apr 25, 2013, 12:25 pm
#10
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The fare forfeiture for no-show is a "don't care" for me.....assuming I remember to hit the cancel button the required number of times on the web site! As all good businesses do, WN will continue to tweak business model to optimize sales and profitability. All I ask is that their integrity, attitude and communication stay intact. Many business flyers have moved to WN, myself included, because they were exhausted by the lying and bad attitude of the competition.
Apr 25, 2013, 1:04 pm
#12
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Until now I had until about 1 hour AFTER scheduled departure to decide whether or not I was going to use my ticket. Now I have to decide by the scheduled departure. That's quite fair.
Although we FT'ers like to whine, I don't see anything here about which we can justifiably complain.
Although we FT'ers like to whine, I don't see anything here about which we can justifiably complain.
Apr 25, 2013, 1:16 pm
#13
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Apr 25, 2013, 1:17 pm
#14
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Can you please address if the "flat tire rule" will still be policy following the implementation of the penalty?
[EDIT]
Thanks, that's good to know.
Apr 25, 2013, 1:22 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 86
This likely means that no change fees are going to be around for awhile. If you look at the US Airways and United Boards I see more and more people talking about switching over to Southwest because of change fees.
I also credit Southwest for at least announcing this change publicly. When UA increased the change fee to $200 they didn't announce it at all, they just slipped it into the fare rules.
I also credit Southwest for at least announcing this change publicly. When UA increased the change fee to $200 they didn't announce it at all, they just slipped it into the fare rules.
