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Questions tagged [southwest-airlines]

Questions about Southwest Airlines (IATA code WN), the largest low-cost carrier based in the United States, and its largest domestic carrier.

Southwest Airlines is a low-cost carrier based in , , and a major US airline.

Southwest exclusively flies Boeing 737 jets, mostly on medium- and short-haul point-to-point routes. It has expanded from its humble origins as an intra-Texas carrier to become, by various measures, the largest domestic carrier in the US, the largest low-cost carrier in the world, the largest US airline by market value. In 2010 it acquired low-cost carrier AirTran Airways, which ceased operating at the end of 2014.

  • Hub airports: none, but with major operations at Thurgood Marshall Baltimore–Washington International Airport (), Chicago Midway International Airport (), Dallas Love Field (), Denver International Airport (), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (), Houston Hobby Airport (), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (), Los Angeles International Airport (), Nashville International Airport (), Oakland International Airport (), Orlando International Airport (), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport () among others.
  • Airline alliance: none
  • Loyalty program: Rapid Rewards
  • Lounge/club: none
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How does the Southwest Airlines boarding process work?

I'm flying this week on Southwest Airlines for the first time. I paid for "Early Bird" automatic checkin and the FAQ mentions something about "A" boarding passes. I have no idea what that means, and I know that Southwest doesn't have assigned…
Nicole
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Gate pass at Atlanta Hartsfield

I am expecting a 21-yr old exchange student from Brazil at the Atlanta airport. She's flying domestic on Southwest from New York, where she's being put on the plane by the exchange program after a week of orientation. She has very little English…
Scott
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Southwest Airlines - Extend Layover?

I'm looking to book a flight from SLC (Salt Lake City) to SAN (San Diego), and the lowest rates I can find are on Southwest airlines. This is convenient, because Southwest seems to have a major hub in Phoenix - I happen to have a good friend in…
Helpful
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Changing seats on Southwest during a layover with no plane change

During a Southwest layover where there is no plane change, I believe you're able to change seats after all the deplaning of all the people that are not continuing on to the second destination. (Please correct me if I'm mistaken.) My question is:…
nukeguy
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Would a domestic airline send a delayed luggage abroad?

I will be flying tomorrow with Southwest, and the day after back to Europe with a different airline. I am wondering whether Southwest, should my checked-in luggage be delayed (because of them), would send this luggage to Europe? I know from…
WoJ
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Southwest Early Bird Checkin

How does the Early Bird Check In work with Southwest Airlines? From what I understand, with Southwest in general you need to be at your computer 24 hours before boarding to check in, refreshing the page fervently so that you don't get a horrible…
Matthew Moisen
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Budget Longhaul Flights with Stopover

It is often said that many of the barriers to low-cost airlines doing longhaul journeys arise because of reasons pertaining to having to acquire aircraft (and crew) that can fly directly. Also, ‘Third Country Trading Barriers’ are mentioned, but I…
Pat-S
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Same-day standby with checked baggage

I'm thinking about using same-day standby for an upcoming flight on Southwest Airlines. I would like to check a bag and am wondering how the timing works. Southwest has a general rule that the earliest you can check a bag is four hours before…
Nate Eldredge
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Can I find Southwest flights on sites like Skyscanner?

Historically, Southwest Airlines' flights would never show up on aggregate flight search engines like Skyscanner, Hipmunk, Expedia, etc. So when flying from city A to city B within the US, my process has always been: Search on Skyscanner, Momondo,…
Roddy of the Frozen Peas
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How to check if Southwest Airlines flight is actually canceled?

In the last few days, Southwest Airlines has cancelled ~60% of its flights. I received a text message from 64553 saying my flight had been cancelled; however, when I checked the Southwest website, it says nothing about the cancellation, showing my…
Kofthefens
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Is eating permitted on Southwest Airlines today?

What is the current policy concerning eating on domestic (US) flights on Southwest Airlines? (Obviously, one cannot wear a mask continually while eating.) Thank you.
Yehuda_NYC
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TSA PreCheck does not always show on my boarding passes

I have TSA PreCheck but it doesn't always print out on my Southwest boarding pass. This happens almost half the time. Is there anything I can do?
John Howell
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Does in-flight TV suck up all the bandwidth on Southwest Airlines wifi?

I'm typing this on a Southwest plane where my email is loading at a snail's pace, but the guy across the aisle from me is happily watching a golf tournament in real time video on his iPad. Not that it would do anything to help, but is his TV taking…
Justin Grant
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Do I need to leave extra time at LGA due to Covid?

I will be flying Southwest out of LaGuardia airport on a weekday morning. I have not flown since the pandemic hit. Do I need to plan to have more time at LGA than in pre-covid times? Thanks.
Yehuda_NYC
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Returning plane ticket if delayed in the USA

I bought a plane ticket on Southwest airlines. In case that it's delayed (for whatever reason), do I have the right to forfeit my ticket and get the fare refunded? Southwest's contract of carriage says this: Delays or Involuntary Cancellations. If…
koala6881
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