Southwest Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Absolutely ridiculous customer service. Don’t fly Southwest Airlines. Remember, you get what you pay for. If there are any issues that would require customer service assistance from this airline your done for. The nightmare initially begun on the 17th of July when I was scheduled to depart from St. Louis to arrive in Norfolk, VA. Arrive at the Southwest ticketing counter to learn my flight had been cancelled due to weather. Once I learned this, I asked the ticketing agent isn’t it protocol for someone to call, text, or email me the customer, to make them aware of the flight changes. The reply I got was priceless. Basically, my question was ignored. So, now the ticketing agent begins to look in order to rebook my flight. Now, they book me a flight for the very next morning. However, this time I will have to fly from St Louis to Cleveland, OH, then to Chicago, Illinois and then onto a Norfolk. Of course, I accept the reservation thinking all has been resolved and there would be no more issues. So approximately hours later I arrive back in St. Louis airport. I board the first flight from St. Louis thinking I’m finally on my way to my destination and I would be good to go. The plane lands arriving in Cleveland with the pilot coming on the speaker stating, “there’s a weather delay and no one can get in or out of Chicago”! After sitting in Cleveland for almost four hours until finally being cleared for take off to continue the journey now to Chicago and then Norfolk. Finally, land in Chicago approximately three hours after my Southwest connection flight had already departed for Norfolk. I immediately go to Southwest customer service counter to explain what I just went through. First, I’m told all remaining flights are booked going to Norfolk. I’m also told that they can fly me to Baltimore, Maryland the next day, which would be the third day! And I’m also told when I get to Baltimore I would have to be on standby in order to try to get a flight to Norfolk. Now, my frustration is beginning to show. I ask if I would be provided a hotel here in Chicago and I was told no. So, I get no hotel, no later flight, and absolutely nothing at all in order to make up for this inconvenience. Not even a bag of peanuts or even a drink. I always knew this was a suspect airline. However, take it from me. Save your money and go United or Delta. If you don’t and something happens. In my case weather!!! Then, your just throwing your money away. I understand weather is not the airlines fault. However, it’s how the customer service takes care of their customers during that inconvenience is what is being measured. I’m a customer who definitely learns from their mistakes. In short, no one should have to experience this, especially in a strange unfamiliar city and then get told that the best they can do is have me sleep on the floor in the airport and then ride to another strange city to then be placed on standby for the final destination

Not Verified | I am very disappointed in Southwest’s customer service. I booked a flight back in March and just discovered 2 days before my flight that they completely changed my itinerary without notification. I originally selected a 1pm flight out of Atlanta because I live 2 hours away from any airport and they are the closest. So, instead of waking up at 8am and leaving by 9 to make it to the airport at 11am. I now have to wake up at 4am to battle rush hour traffic and get 3 small children through the airport. There is reason I needed that flight time. Any later flights and I am looking at getting at my destination around 10pm-11pm and then Driving another 1.5 hours to get to my destination. When I called to see what could be done the corporate office pretty much told me it wasn’t their problem and there was nothing they could do. I asked if they could get my family a hotel room the night before, after spending thousands on tickets to book a flight you think they could throw me bone, but they said they would not and that again this wasn’t their problem. WOW. I always enjoyed flying with Southwest Because I though they were caring, but apparently this is no longer the case. I guess you get what you pay for.

✅ Trip Verified | Indianapolis to Chicago-Midway. Worst customer service. Flight was delayed due to maintenance issues. We were later boarded with them telling us the issue was fixed. We sat on the plan, didn’t take off. The Captain came in trying to be funny asked a stupid question about how old we all were. Then said we weren’t going because of rain in Chicago. I texted my daughter who lives in Chicago and was told it was total sunshine there. Then the same captain came back 30 minutes later to tell us the real problem was the original problem not weather. During our more than an hour of sitting on the tarmac while the captain and maintenance crew were just trying to figure out why we couldn’t leave, we were offered nothing, no water, nothing! After another 30 minutes we were told the plane wouldn’t be going anywhere it was out of commission. This is almost 3 hours after we were supposed to leave. We were told to deplane and make other arrangements. I stood in a line of 6 people to get refund for an hour and a half. I was then told by extremely rude customer service people I’d have to call their customer relations department to get any compensation for sitting 5 hours in both the airport and on the plane. Horrible customer service! I called the customer relations number they gave me to find out they close at 4 pm EST and I’d have to call back tomorrow!! They could care less about helping people, just want your money. Southwest has gone down the tubes with regards to customer service.

Not Verified | Atlanta to Las Vegas. I would never fly with this airline ever. First the flight pattern was changed. Just as we were getting ready to board the took our plane and sent it to Ft Lauderdale. Then we had to wait for them to locate us a plane. Now I paid for a direct flight. We had to first go to St Louis at which point we were not to change planes. We were taxiing in to unload those not going on with us and we were told to change planes. Then we had to go to Austin prior to Vegas. Now they only offered us food in a snack pack of mini pretzels (child size snack pack). While waiting in Austin to board additional people. The staff were begging no one to open window shades as the A/C was not working properly. It was over booked and very hot. 8 hrs later we land in Las Vegas starving and tired and hot. This airline could careless about our first experience with them

❎ Not Verified | Great. All on time, highly recommend from Lubbock to Dallas. Nonstop, cheap efficient and great value for money. Open seating is not a problem, very comfortable seats and great customer service.

❎ Not Verified | Dallas to Philadelphia. Never use Southwest. It is terrible. We had our flight cancelled 2 times because of technicalities. Our flight was supposed to be on the 11th so we went and our flight got delayed. We stayed there the whole day, then our flight got cancelled. Then we came back the 12th, and we now got a connecting flight from Dallas to Houston to Philadelphia. The one from Houston to Philadelphia got delayed for "bad weather", but when we checked, the weather was perfect. Then they were like, sorry we don't know if it will be cancelled or not. So we got another flight and we argued with them this time and on the 13th we finally got a single flight to Philadelphia from Dallas. And we were late to a very important camp all because of Southwest.

✅ Trip Verified | Columbus to Las Vegas. I like their prices, but unfortunately, it was a very hectic and annoying flight both there and back. Arriving at the airport, we were told we would not be able to make our plane switch, due to the plane we were supposed to get on being delayed so much. So we had to re-schedule for the following morning and had to go clear back home and return to our flight in the morning. but we made it to Vegas. Then on the trip home, the flight was supposed to leave at 6:45 pm. We did not take off until almost 10 pm! We sat on the plane after boarding for over an hour. And then the flight was so bumpy and uncomfortable that I was in tears. It was just an all-around cruddy experience. Again, I love the prices that Southwest offers but for the experience we had, it should be even less. I just don’t think that I can ever fly Southwest again, unfortunately. They were apologetic about all of the delays, especially on the way back. But I still wonder how it could happen. It just seems unprofessional.

✅ Trip Verified | So dissatisfied with Southwest. My daughter was checked into her flight last night to fly out today. She received an alert that her flight was cancelled due to mechanical. No other options available no compensation provided. It was too late to cancel hotel and she ended up booking with Alaska and at such a late date, spent double what she will be refunded by Southwest. I will never again fly this airline.

✅ Trip Verified | Charleston to Cleveland via Baltimore. After hearing great things about Southwest Airlines I booked a trip with higher expectations. The cost was reasonable and the fact that you could take two bags was awesome! It was my 4 month olds first time flying and I thought because the reviews were grand we would be just fine on this flight even though there was a connecting flight and layover on both round trip flights. I was very disappointed when we deplaned and were informed that our next flight would be delayed due to the air conditioning on the aircraft going out. What started out as a 30 minute delay became a 3 hour delay with a switch of aircraft. What’s worse? The aircraft we were switched to turned out to be having maintenance issues also. They took an hour to figure that out... then when we were called to board, we were turned around again because the plane had “too much fuel”. What was supposed to be an hour and a half layover turned into 5 hours with a starving 4 month old. I had a rental reservation that had to be pushed back twice, I missed my 95 year old grandmothers birthday party, and I ended up having to rent a car instead of the mini suv that I reserved due to the fact that the could not hold the car for me. This was by far the most uncomfortable and frustrating experience and there were no apologies or attempts at consolation from any of the employees at the airport or on the air craft. So disappointed in Southwest. Don’t fly with an infant you never know with this airline I guess.

❎ Not Verified | Ft Lauderdale to Las Vegas. It was poor. We boarded the plane, they made us get off. They put us on another plane. Luggage on a different flight. Treated like cattle. The worst experience ever.