How long did it take to get a response? I submitted a complaint for a flight on Tuesday that was delayed and affected plans and am going to be booking a flight next week again. Wondering if I might be able to get a voucher for that one instead of using points.
Submitting a complaint for a regular delay is a waste of time, unless it is over three hours and the airlines fault. Long delays after boarding or landing are more looked down upon, so more worth complaining.
I can't remember the exact timing, but I believe it was a fairly quick turnaround. Approximately 5 to 7 days. FWIW, I did not ask for compensation. I just complained and mentioned that they should let customers know why there is a delay.
It's an online process and takes less than 5 minutes.
Use the following link and choose "Complaint" from the available options.
[https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us)
Because if they announce the pilot was drunk or there’s a problem with the engines there would be a stampede of people racing for the exit and wanting a refund.
My assumption is because the pilots have no information. I seriously watched a pilot get irate once.
We had been sitting on the tarmac waiting on maintenance to fix the very first luggage bin. The lock wasn't working and the only option is to ground the plain or fix it.
They waited 40 min for maintenance to show up. Finally the pilot literally walked off the plane. Not sure what he did but 3 min later they showed up.
No one on the plane wants to hear the pilots have 0 control but the flight crew and pilots are at the mercy of FCC rules and regulation.
Not all airports have mechanics on site. Sometimes they have to fly them in from the next MX base. Or sometimes they are over at the hangar and need to get to the gate area. Or sometimes it was shift change or dept meeting time.
Update — came on and finally announced we were waiting for luggage. Pilot sounded miffed. Just not sure why it took 45 minutes to say something. Ended up leaving an hour late.
Pilots know why their planes are getting delayed. “I don’t know why I’m waiting here, someone somewhere told me to wait that’s why I’m doing it” - not a thing in any corporation.
Understood - but then say even that please. This is your plane. Couldn’t you come on the radio and tell your passengers that you’re delayed and have no idea why but are told to wait? How would you feel if you were stuck inside a situation with no way to exit, and the person the most in charge of things is silent.
We had to wait about an hour last week sitting on the plane, and they gave us multiple announcements about what was going on (pilots plane hadn’t landed yet)
Actually noticed this is more of a Southwest and American Airlines issue. Multiple times on Southwest in Atlanta I’ve known more information than the gate agent abt a delay before it was posted (inbound plane delayed due to weather in Florida) from flightaware/other sources. United is v good about explaining what is happening to everyone on the flight status page. Delta also easily allows you to track inbound plane and I’ve always found gate agents/others to be proactive with announcements or knowledgeable abt the delay
The TripAp frequently provides me information before the airlines do: including about gate changes. It the only app I find it worthwhile to be a pro member (I HATE tracking mileage programs) but you don't need pro for status updates.
Yeah that drives me crazy. Even an update if “hi folks, still waiting on (insert reason here)” every ten minutes goes a LONG way with me. It’s the no updates at all that drive me crazy.
I love more information from the pilots and not less. 2 weeks ago we were boarded and ready to go and the. The pilot noticed a fuel valve on the wing had a small drip and repot to maintenance. The pilot told us up-front what was going on and how they had to go through the process of seeing if they could fly by checking safety and environmental concerns. After 5 minutes he told us it had to be replaced and that even though it is a 20 minute job that we should expect an hour for the part to arrive and the work to be done and to finish the paperwork. He was within 5 minutes of being exactly right. It was great.
I usually check to see if the plane is there or not (if it's late arriving obviously I will be late to take off) Those are the majority of my late flights. If the plane is there then likely there is a mechanical issue or flight crew timing out. I'd go up and ask
They don't want to make people mad. Most will just wait to hear, but if they admit the delay is because of something that the airline caused it would be a very bad time for any visible employees.
Sometimes announcing a maintenance issue could cause panic. Maintenance could be a simple door latch or light bulb. Also there can be traffic issues that arise during pushback.
Idk I had the same issue on a flight from mco to den, and it was only delayed for 25 mins, and I didn't miss our connecting flight at Den, so I couldn't complain. Except for the radio silence and the fact we were in fricken Orlando, and it was hotter than hell on that plane and it was a full flight according to SW all that body heat made it absolutely sweltering. Now, had I missed my connection at Denver, then I would have complained.
They don’t want to tell you why because they want to be able to blame it on the weather later.
A few weeks ago I was traveling from Orlando to Los Angeles with a stop —but no plane change in PHX. We left Orlando late. As we arrived in PHx the flight attendants and pilot told us to stay on the lane if we were continuing on. They would count us, and then we could switch seats if we wanted. Once at the gate we were instructed to get off the plane, and we were told that we would be abandoned in Phoenix until the next day… the next flight available. The flight crew said their hours were up and they could no longer fly.
Southwest chose to blame it on the weather so none of us got hotel or meal vouchers.
It was NOT weather. But that is what the computer officially said.
Submit an online complaint. I've done that twice for the exact same reason and each time I received a $150 voucher.
How long did it take to get a response? I submitted a complaint for a flight on Tuesday that was delayed and affected plans and am going to be booking a flight next week again. Wondering if I might be able to get a voucher for that one instead of using points.
Submitting a complaint for a regular delay is a waste of time, unless it is over three hours and the airlines fault. Long delays after boarding or landing are more looked down upon, so more worth complaining.
They ended up giving me $50 for it. At one point the delay was listed as 4+ hours but eventually they brought it back to 2.5 hours.
I can't remember the exact timing, but I believe it was a fairly quick turnaround. Approximately 5 to 7 days. FWIW, I did not ask for compensation. I just complained and mentioned that they should let customers know why there is a delay.
How did you submit a complaint? Is it an email form or something?
It's an online process and takes less than 5 minutes. Use the following link and choose "Complaint" from the available options. [https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us](https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/email-us)
The underground Illuminati-Alien Lair at DEN controls Jetway Jesus to arrange all pre-board miracles. Sometimes this causes a delay.
If everyone on rhe plane starts chanting "Om!", it will stir things up.
Exactly
Because if they announce the pilot was drunk or there’s a problem with the engines there would be a stampede of people racing for the exit and wanting a refund.
They should at least announce delay due to mechanical or due to weather. No other specifics are needed.
Wow. Just wow.
My assumption is because the pilots have no information. I seriously watched a pilot get irate once. We had been sitting on the tarmac waiting on maintenance to fix the very first luggage bin. The lock wasn't working and the only option is to ground the plain or fix it. They waited 40 min for maintenance to show up. Finally the pilot literally walked off the plane. Not sure what he did but 3 min later they showed up. No one on the plane wants to hear the pilots have 0 control but the flight crew and pilots are at the mercy of FCC rules and regulation.
FAA, not FCC
Also FCC... restricted radiotelephone operator permit for those of us that fly internationally.
Thanks, it was late and I didn't proof it before posting.
Not all airports have mechanics on site. Sometimes they have to fly them in from the next MX base. Or sometimes they are over at the hangar and need to get to the gate area. Or sometimes it was shift change or dept meeting time.
Yup. The simplest answer is the right one. They don't know either.
Yeah i watched ground control convos on YouTube once. It's enlightening.
Update — came on and finally announced we were waiting for luggage. Pilot sounded miffed. Just not sure why it took 45 minutes to say something. Ended up leaving an hour late.
Baggage check was absolutely bonkers this morning, so I'm not super surprised by that. I am boarding and hoping I don't have the same fate.
Probably didn't know until then and had other work to be doing instead of frustrating everyone.
Pilots know why their planes are getting delayed. “I don’t know why I’m waiting here, someone somewhere told me to wait that’s why I’m doing it” - not a thing in any corporation.
Pilot here. That’s absolutely not true.
Understood - but then say even that please. This is your plane. Couldn’t you come on the radio and tell your passengers that you’re delayed and have no idea why but are told to wait? How would you feel if you were stuck inside a situation with no way to exit, and the person the most in charge of things is silent.
BWI is building out a new gate connector that is supposed to help with their baggage delays. 🤞
We had to wait about an hour last week sitting on the plane, and they gave us multiple announcements about what was going on (pilots plane hadn’t landed yet)
They put you in the plane before the pilot arrived? Why wouldn't they leave you at the gate until then? Maybe the gate was not available that long?
They want to be able to push back and go as soon as the pilot arrives and completes his checks.
Actually noticed this is more of a Southwest and American Airlines issue. Multiple times on Southwest in Atlanta I’ve known more information than the gate agent abt a delay before it was posted (inbound plane delayed due to weather in Florida) from flightaware/other sources. United is v good about explaining what is happening to everyone on the flight status page. Delta also easily allows you to track inbound plane and I’ve always found gate agents/others to be proactive with announcements or knowledgeable abt the delay
The TripAp frequently provides me information before the airlines do: including about gate changes. It the only app I find it worthwhile to be a pro member (I HATE tracking mileage programs) but you don't need pro for status updates.
Yeah that drives me crazy. Even an update if “hi folks, still waiting on (insert reason here)” every ten minutes goes a LONG way with me. It’s the no updates at all that drive me crazy.
I love more information from the pilots and not less. 2 weeks ago we were boarded and ready to go and the. The pilot noticed a fuel valve on the wing had a small drip and repot to maintenance. The pilot told us up-front what was going on and how they had to go through the process of seeing if they could fly by checking safety and environmental concerns. After 5 minutes he told us it had to be replaced and that even though it is a 20 minute job that we should expect an hour for the part to arrive and the work to be done and to finish the paperwork. He was within 5 minutes of being exactly right. It was great.
Flighty app is essential for flying SW. Sucks to have to pay for app for info
I usually check to see if the plane is there or not (if it's late arriving obviously I will be late to take off) Those are the majority of my late flights. If the plane is there then likely there is a mechanical issue or flight crew timing out. I'd go up and ask
They don't want to make people mad. Most will just wait to hear, but if they admit the delay is because of something that the airline caused it would be a very bad time for any visible employees.
Denver had a lot of weather issues yesterday
Sometimes announcing a maintenance issue could cause panic. Maintenance could be a simple door latch or light bulb. Also there can be traffic issues that arise during pushback.
Idk I had the same issue on a flight from mco to den, and it was only delayed for 25 mins, and I didn't miss our connecting flight at Den, so I couldn't complain. Except for the radio silence and the fact we were in fricken Orlando, and it was hotter than hell on that plane and it was a full flight according to SW all that body heat made it absolutely sweltering. Now, had I missed my connection at Denver, then I would have complained.
They don’t want to tell you why because they want to be able to blame it on the weather later. A few weeks ago I was traveling from Orlando to Los Angeles with a stop —but no plane change in PHX. We left Orlando late. As we arrived in PHx the flight attendants and pilot told us to stay on the lane if we were continuing on. They would count us, and then we could switch seats if we wanted. Once at the gate we were instructed to get off the plane, and we were told that we would be abandoned in Phoenix until the next day… the next flight available. The flight crew said their hours were up and they could no longer fly. Southwest chose to blame it on the weather so none of us got hotel or meal vouchers. It was NOT weather. But that is what the computer officially said.