Change (that isn't so good)

[KCFlyer]

Just booked a flight to Denver for next month. I noticed a message that now, if the nonrefundable ticket is not used, travel credit is applied for the named passenger only. That's one of the things that set WN apart from others - the credit could be used by anyone else you wanted to use them for. It was a great policy for businesses...case in point, I was scheduled for a trip to a conference SAN last May. There was a death in the family and I could not go. While there was an additional cost, and no change fees (yet?) - they canceled my flight, and booked a coworker to go in my place, using the funds from my ticket towards her flight.

Sure...some folks might not notice the change, but it was one BIG thing that set Southwest apart.

 

[gizmo_sc]

Southwest has always had FULL Y FARE TICKETS and NON REFUNDABLE advance purchase tickets. If you purchase a FULL FARE you can do about anything with it. If you purchase any NON REFUNDABLE TICKET your are subject to restrictions. Just SW does not charge change fees, where as Legacy carriers charge up to $175.00. So that may have been the case with the ticket you have.

You might want to check the CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE at the following link:

http://www.swabiz.com/

 

[does this plane go to paris]

gizmo,

I don't think that KC's beef is with the Refundable vs Non-Refundable, the point was that WN changed the rules.

KC, I'm only guessing on this, but there has to be some sort of financial security issue behind the decision. The flexability of WN's fares have always been a big plus, as in the example you provided. Again, only guessing, but I would be curious to know how many reservations might have been changed due to fraud or other reasons. I've witnessed several dicey incidents where children of divorced parents use WN, and other ailrines, to send their kids back and forth for holidays and summer, etc. If the former spouse is mad at the other one, someone could easily call WN, change the reservation or use the funds. I honestly believe that WN would only make such a big change unless they have lost money and or been put in too many uncomfortable spots. That's my initial thought. Write into Customer Relations, I bet they'll explain better than I did.

 

[SharoninSAT]

KC,
We are not making a change to our fare rules. This has been our official written policy with regards to unused travel funds. Our Contract of Carriage states "Tickets are Nontransferable. Tickets, and any travel credit issued for unused Tickets, are nontransferable unless specified explicitly on the Ticket".
However, it became common practice to make exceptions as gestures of goodwill for our Customers.
Even with this decision to adhere to our Contract of Carriage, our ticketing and fare rules remain among the most Customer-Friendly in the industry--including no change fees.
We are giving Customers ample notice (6 mos) of our intentions to enforce a policy for which we have previously made exceptions.

I hope this helps you to understand.

 

[SKY HIGH]

Although many travelers haven’t realized it, Southwest tickets have indeed been transferable. If someone purchased a ticket, and could not use it, they have been able give the credit to someone else. This has meant families and corporations alike aren’t stuck with tickets they can’t use. if someone has planned to visit a friend and can’t travel, they have been able to cancel their ticket and have the fare applied to their Southwest credit. They could then give the credit to the friend to come visit them instead or for any other flight.

Of course, this hasn’t meant that the transferee can use the same original fare, the credit has to be applied to a new ticket. But it’s still been a generous and useful policy.

Starting with tickets purchased January 27, 2011, however, tickets must be reused by the original traveler.

 

[Veritas]

I got the following message when I changed my college student's travel date coming home for the winter break:

Effective January 28, 2011, unused travel funds may only be applied toward the purchase of future travel for the individual named on the ticket.

 

[SharoninSAT]

.
So...if you have any unused ticketless travel funds that you want
to use for someone other than the individual named on the
ticket you must make the reservation and apply those funds
toward the purhase no later than the 27th of January 2011.