This weekSouthwest Airlines continues to be slow, cancels next flight great crisis during Christmas and into the New Year.
TPG asked readers whose flights were “cancelled or significantly delayed” between December 24, 2022 and January 2, 2023, to let us know the refund claim process for the picture. What is the initial payment method for unused tickets? If you want to share your story with TPG, please do so this.
These comments stem from a request for information in TPG . newsletter. Since satisfied customers are less likely to respond, responses are more likely to be negative. However, TPG thinks it’s important to share some of its readers’ frustrations. We have reached out to Southwest for comment, but have not heard back at press time.
Amid the chaos, Southwest vowed to honor the reasonable requests for meals, hotel stays and alternative transportation of affected passengers.
If you haven’t applied for a refund, read ours step by step instructions to request a refund.
Of the more than 125 people who responded to TPG at the time of publication, almost all had submitted refund requests, but less than a quarter received them. Overall, almost all of the readers we heard from were still short of luggage.
Refund received
About a quarter of people have received full refunds for their affected flights. Many of them said the initial claim process did not provide specific information about what was required to be submitted beyond filling out an application form. online form.
“Our flight was canceled and we decided to drive instead of waiting four days for our next flight,” said customer Larry Box, who was supposed to be flying from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to the Airport Tampa International (TPA) on December 26. , 2022, said. “We asked for a refund of our travel expenses — car, hotel, meals, gas, parking, extra pet care, etc.”
Even so, Box said he’s only been approved for a partial refund (which he hasn’t yet received) but is not eligible for a full refund as an itemized receipt is required for refund consideration. . However, this requirement is not clear in the instructions from Southwest.
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“There was no information on what to offer. The only instructions I received was to email through their website,” he said. “I forgot to get my receipts for my meals and gas (we rented a car and drove home for 18 hours). I have provided a screenshot of the credit card charges. through Capital One, but they were rejected because they weren’t itemized.”
While Box appreciated the airline’s consideration of his request, he criticized the airline’s “archaic system” for making him feel like he was “communicating with someone from 20 years ago”.
Ironically, it was part of Southwest’s outdated crew planning system that got the airline into this mess in the first place; the system was unable to handle the volume of re-adjustment requests from pilots and flight attendants, leading to hours of waiting for new assignments and further bogging the carrier, TPG reported last month.
“When Southwest responded to emails sent, all responses came from an email address that did not respond,” Box said. “To check the status of anything or ask another question, you must send another email to generate a new case number.”
The fact that the airline required itemized receipts instead of sending screenshots of credit card statements annoyed Box and others. They believe this tactic simply slows down the overall process.
“The refund site has a poor user experience,” said Frederick Barber of Dallas. You enter your reservation number and name and hit submit, then nothing happens. “Reset form, but no confirmation page, no profile number, no automated email, nothing.”
Since publication, many claims have yet to be fulfilled and a significant number of residents are still waiting to be reimbursed for their incidental expenses (such as meals, hotels, gas, parking, etc.). vehicle, toiletries and clothing).
Some received nothing.
“No response yet. Initial claim filed on Dec. 28 with two follow-ups,” said Peter McDermott.
“Submitted a refund for a canceled flight on December 27, 2022 and requested a refund for a rebooked flight on a Delta flight to Orlando International Airport (MCO) as Southwest did not have any flights are available in as little as five days and I can’t wait that long nor risk any further delays,” said Matthew Smidowicz. “No contact since Jan. 4. I understand that Southwest customer service representatives must be overwhelmed; however, I also have limited time during the work week and cannot be temporarily suspended. keep it for a long time.”
Many people are still searching for luggage
Some of the people we surveyed were still missing their luggage.
“My baggage is still either stuck at Baltimore/Washington’s Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) or en route to the destination airport – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW),” Tony Reyes said. “I currently don’t have the exact location of my luggage.”
Southwest not only canceled many of Stephanie Coleman’s flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), she also had to buy two more flights from another airline to bring her family home after Christmas.
“Ultimately, we bought flights to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and then drove for three hours to Washington, DC. We had a five-day delay than we had planned, so this also worked. adding to the cost of our pet care and our airport garage, not to mention the lost income from not being able to get home to work,” she explains. “Also, they lost their luggage. Our luggage — all five bags. We are on day 11 and have not received any news. We have NOT received any communication from Southwest.”
Other passengers, including Kathy Elliott and Michael Baughman, were in a similar condition.
“We only received one out of four pieces of luggage,” Elliott told me. Baughman is still waiting for his luggage.
“A week later, I’m still waiting for my luggage to show up,” he said. “They kept telling me it was located at Denver International Airport (DEN) and was going to be delivered to my final destination.”
As people waited for their lost luggage, the passengers expressed frustration with the conversation. James Lee, a tourist, said he asked agents to deliver the bags to his daughter’s house because no one would be at his house.
“While waiting for our flight at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Southwest called us to let us know that our luggage was in Cleveland. We told Southwest baggage handlers that We won’t be in Cleveland until February and they should take our luggage to my daughter’s house because no one is at our house,” Lee said. “We gave my daughter’s address three times in conversation. Yesterday, we received a call from a neighbor who had seen our bags on the porch.”
Some were able to locate their luggage thanks to AirTagsbut cannot access them until Southwest notifies them.
Other factors at play: Credit card protection
While virtually no one we spoke to relies on credit card protections that provide travel insurance to cover affected flights, keep in mind that these protections can very important in situations like these.
As a friendly reminder, travel insurance can save you a lot of money if something goes wrong during your trip. Some of our favorite travel rewards cards are Chase Sapphire Priority Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Platinum Card® from American Expressand they offer travel insurance when you pay for the trip with your card.
These credit cards offer travel insurance that protects against trip delays, baggage delays, trip cancellations, and trip interruptions.
For more information on credit cards with this benefit, read:
bottom line
Of the 130 (and counting) passengers we spoke to about Southwest issues, most filed complaints. Some claim actual refunds while others ask for flight vouchers or Quick bonus pointsairline miles version.
As previously reported by TPG, Southwest is also sending out 25,000 Rapid Rewards points to affected travelers. You will receive points in an apologetic email with the subject line “Message from Southwest CEO Bob Jordan.”
While the airline continues to work through this mess, we will continue to cover it.
For our latest Southwest coverage, see:
