Southwest Airlines "No Show" Policy Southwest Airlines No Show Policy is a Ripoff Dallas, Texas

 Back in the old days business travellers especially used to make several reservations on an airline and then take the one most convenient. For example, if a person was at a conference and knew that the conference was ending "around 3", they would book a 4 PM, 5 PM, and 6 PM flight, taking the one they wanted and becoming "no shows" for the other two. This hurt other potential passengers who wanted to fly on the "booked" flight.

Southwest used to allow this long after other airlines didn't and because there was no change or cancellation fee on SWA passengers could take advantage of this. Finally Southwest changed its policy. Since most people have cell phones it is not a big deal to call Southwest and cancel. Losing the return flight if you are a no show for the first one has been policy with all airlines for years and years. Most airlines sell round trip tickets and you lose the entire ticket if you are a no show for the first leg. Southwest sells one ways so I can agree that it seems unfair to lose the one way back but both tickets are under the same confirmation number and I assume they are considered one "round trip" by Southwest.

NOTE: My most recent rebuttal has obviously been submitted under the wrong business, in error

I have also been ripped off by swengines. Just search for swengines to see my report. They sent me a bad motor (rod knock) and then refused to honor the 3yr warranty I purchased because I hadn't driven it 501 miles! You read that right. Dale Jones is a con-artist. I am currently pursuing a case with the Wisconsin DA's office. He already has several complaints. I strongly suggest you do the same to have a chance at recovering your money.

The last highly emotionally unstable rebuttal is a perfect example of my point. All emotion and no rationality. 

The OP has every right to complain about a policy change that has no rational basis. Just what scam is the customer trying to perpetrate by missing a flight they bought to instead fly it later? Please explain, in detail, the potential scam perpetrated here. This is not a rhetorical question, so please do answer. 

I think it's obvious to anyone reading these rebuttals that the last poster has some serious issues with customer service. Instead of responding directly to the points I made in my last post, he launched a highly emotional rant, addressing none of the points in any way whatsoever, but instead using my post as a launching board for his talking points. Sorry, but you're not fooling anyone. Try actually addressing the points in my last post in a logical manner. Maybe then you might stand a chance at convincing people. Oh, and PLEASE DISABLE YOUR CAPS LOCK. I ASSURE YOU THAT THIS RIGHT HERE IS LESS ANNOYING THAN YOUR POST. GOT IT? GOOD.

 You know I read these reports all the time and one thing that ALWAYS gets me is this...At what point is the American ADULT going to take responsibility for thier own actions and choices?? I read all three rebutalls and I find the last one to be the MOST insulting. First, because those SAME customers that they serve are the SAME customers who will do everything they can think of to scam and get thier own way, so policies had to be changed to PROTECT ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. What Moving2 suggests is that EVERY business should have policies that are "Customer friendly", while they suggest this they COMPLETLY IGNORE that its the very same customers THAT ARE THE SCAMMERS!! So while the "IDEA" of customer friendly policies is a nice pipe dream, REALITY is that if they DID have more customer friendly policies then they wouldnt BE in business due to ALL OF THE FRAUD!!!

I am so TIRED of "They used to do this" or "they used to do that". We live in a linear timeline, there will ALWAYS be a "used to". THATS one of the benefits of living in a universe that is structred around linear time. That ALSO means that THINGS CHANGE!!!!!! Everything from a person to a companies policies. Whining about what "used to be" only goes to show that person is STUCK in the past with thier mindset. You know much like the OLD person who remembers when gas "Used to cost a nickle". COnsumers who "live" in the past and compair everything in the PRESENT to the past really concerns me. It means people like that CANNOT GROW!!!!

Lastly, there was ONE sentence that the third poster put out that invalidates ALL of thier arguments...

Its buried in the fine print which no one reads anyways.........

So because a consumer doesnt wish to do a BASIC task such as reading its ALL the companies fault for the LACK OF EFFORT the customer REFUSES to make. How does that work?? THEY have presented the Terms and Conditions to the consumer, the SIZE of the print doesnt negate the FACT that the print involved imparts solid productive information to that customer. Such as consumer rights, how to get a refund, ect ect ect. So HOW EXACTLY is it ALWAYS the businesses fault when the consumer doesnt do a basic task such as reading?? Well it isnt. The OP of this report DID NOT READ!!!! THEY SCREWED THEMSELVES!!! Yet we still have people like this Moving2 who thinks that no matter what, the customer is ALWAYS right and should ALWAYS get thier way. Im betting this person either doesnt own thier own business or has EVER worked in a retail enviroment.If they had, then they would KNOW without a doubt that the CONSUMER is a lying scamming jacka** who will say or do anything to get thier way. They will LIE straight to your face telling you ANY number of SOB stories to get thier way, and when they DO NOT get thier way they throw a TANTRUM and do stupid acts like posting thier BS online. While I agree that EVERYONE has the right to complain, everyone doesnt have the right to LIE to make themselves look to be a better victim. When someone like the OP makes a post, they MINIMIZE thier part in the situation and MAXIMIZE the "villiany" that the entity/individual they are reporting has commited. With either outright lies and fabrication or EXTREME exageration, all the while attempting to act like some poor little waif who was victimized by the bad bad company. REALITY is that this person was TOLD about the information they are complaining about but instead of admitting that they were too busy to listen, they blame the company and its policies.

Personally Im glad the airlines are taking such a firm stand on thier policies. Consumers like the OP are sociopathic little twits. THEY think the rules of the world DO NOT apply to them, WHEN THEY DO!!! When reality intrudes on the dream world they exist in, they throw a tantrum and make up reports to punish the other individual/entity that has intruded. No amount of LOGIC or REASON will EVER get through to people like that. They are just not hardwired to BE responsible. Its much much easier to blame someone else then to admit that THEY screwed up.

And lets be honest, if this person was a no show for a flight, why would they expect that a OLD policy that USED to be in effect should be applied to them. SInce 9/11 airlines have gotten much much harsher in thier policies. Im betting that if YOUR industry flew a few planes into a few buildings that YOU would enact changes to protect yourself AND the public as well.

The 2 rebuttals to date (4/18/14) miss the big points here, which are:

1. Regardless of how their policies compare to other airlines, Southwest made a change to its policy that makes it LESS customer friendly than before, not MORE customer-friendly. This is bad.

2. This change was not done in a transparent way, but rather was hidden in fine print which everyone knows few people read. This is also bad.

3. A call was not required before, and now it is. The original poster's point, and one that one of the rebuttals even agrees with, is that Southwest isn't going to sell that seat in 10 minutes anyway. If that's the case, then why even implement the 10 minute call-in rule at all?

And the "If you don't like it, go somewhere else" argument is from a typical mouth-breather. I'm pretty sure the orginal poster knows what his options are; he is posting to complain about a policy change. 

Here's a great idea, If you don't agree with their policy(s) fly with another airline.  That wasn't too hard was it?

I think the policy of being able to call 11 minutes before departure time to cancel and get a credit for the ticket amount is quite generous.  You did not show up for a seat that flies empty, they of course could not sell it in 10 minutes so this is being quite generous to the coustomer.