Southwest Airlines Reviews 802

A last minute [4 hours before flight departure] change in reservation screwed up everything; would arrive AFTER connecting flight left and thus miss scheduled dinner. This is the 3rd time in a few months this type of mix-up has happened; along with price increases, baggage and seat fees these changes now make SWA a 3rd tier airline. Bad!

How did Southwest go from one of the best to one of the worst?

I booked seats on flight WN3973 on March 25, 2026. I booked an aisle for me and a window for my son in row 15 now that we can book seats.

On the day of the flight, I found that Southwest reassigned us to row 30 - the last row of the plane—-and put me in a MIDDLE seat!

Worst airline I’ve flown recently!

Do not use this airline if you can avoid it. I had three flights with them, and they managed to delay all of them. It’s a huge lack of respect for the customer.

Terrible service against @niki_nik20 on tiktok

Paid to leave 2 days earlier than originally planned. But when I got to the airport I was told that my original flight was delayed prior to boarding my flight 4 hours later. So it turns around that my flight was rebooked until the next morning. I feel as though me and my auntie should have been compensated with a hotel, refund or food voucher. But nothing but sit in this freezing cold airport in these uncomfortable chairs. I’m very dissatisfied this is so not acceptable and to have to miss work.

I have been flying on SouthWest for 15 years and this is currently the WORST experience that I have ever had.

It starts with the booking application which is a complete trainwreck and went downhill from there

I could not book a multi city train I had to book multiple one way trips.

Every single trip has a minimum of one stop, even for simple trips like Burbank CA to Seattle WA.

The seating app is Horrible. You are now charged for your seat of every leg that you want to book. Simply stated, the prices are now ridiculously expensive

On top of this, the booking application is so bad that you have to enter your seating choice multiple times to try and get it to work properly

The CEO should be fired immediately he is overseeing a complete SH*TSHOW!!!

A worst and Racist airline. No respect for passangers.

Southwest did not announce our flight though they did announce other flights. I and my daughter were seated just across the terminal from our gate and missed our flight by a couple of minutes . 🫩 They oddly already had us rebooked for a flight two hours later. I heard MANY other passengers being paged, flights being announced, etc. The Southwest staff…RUDE AF. Will check every other airline first when booking from now on.

I have been a A- list member for the last five years. I’ve always been satisfied with Southwest. I fly at least 20 trips a year along with booking my Hotels through them. This year 2026 has been nothing but frustration. The change in boarding process does not benefit A-list members anymore. I have to call everytime after a hotel reservation to have them post my reward points. To top that I always have to wait 30 minutes for a call back. I will be changing my airline preferences to another airline.

The flight was very nice, as usual. The planes were clean, the flight attendants kind and attentive and always friendly, as usual.
However, on a flight from BWI to GSP I forgot my pocketbook under the seat! Yup! Well, thank goodness for Trinae and Tee! They went above and beyond to get my bag back to me the next day so my trip wouldn’t be ruined and I could still go on my cruise! I only dealt with those two wonderful people, no machines, no voicemails. Just this wonderful dynamic duo who saved the day for me!
I would give Ten stars if I could! Thank you thank you thank you!

Since Southwest changed its policies in an effort to be “like other airlines,” the experience has gone downhill fast. It feels like they’ve swung from one extreme to the other—once known for some of the best customer service in the industry, now delivering one of the most frustrating.

What’s most disappointing is how disconnected they seem from the customers who helped build their reputation. You can’t simply adopt the policies of other airlines and expect to compete on the same level—especially if you lose what made you stand out in the first place. Instead, it now feels like you’re getting a lower-tier experience without the lower-tier prices, and the customer service no longer makes up the difference.

I used to fly Southwest exclusively. These days, I’ve moved on—and I don’t regret it.

The flight out of Albany NY was exceptional and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The first flight had a lot of turbulence and a rough landing. The second flight was delayed 1 hour 6 minutes out of BNA. So my car rental was canceled. For my return trip I was told our carry on luggage, we wanted to check , would be 70. When questioned the agent said well put them in the size thingy. My son's luggage was larger than mine so if his fit , and it did, mine fit. They insisted I put it in anyway. So I did. I had to shove it down and struggle to get it out ( it is a bit heavy ) and I am 4'11 and skinny not strong at all. Some other agent said to the manager I was
" aggressive " and wanted to kick me off the plane. I was gonna find another flight no big problem than my son was all apologetic and told the manager our situation ( we had a death in the family ) and Jose let me back on the plane. The agent that said I was " aggressive" kept staring me down and pointing from 5 place over. She looked mad I got to take the flight. They need to hire better staff for sure. This will be my LAST EVER flight with Southwest and I used to go to bat for them against all my friends. I now have to eat crow and tell them they were right.

I have been a loyal SW customer for 30 years. The new policy of seat assignments charged for bags most in the industry and lack of customer service tops it off. You pay a high price for a seat and only get a bag of pistachios There is no room for your bag since all the preboarders ( another issue) come in first and the flight attendants have them put there bags in the first open bin. You get to your seat no bag room and FA says puts it farther back. Try to get off airplane and have to wait to get a bag. Ridiculous. They have become the new frontier airline.

The new section 8 of the sky 🌌 😂. I can honestly say I’m glad to see you fall after trying to change things up. Canceled the SW cards and went with United which is a major upgrade. You will never get your customers you have you priority back. Get your sht together

southwest changed too much for the worst. i used to fly Southwest because I appreciated their straightforward policies and friendly vibe, but now I’m extremely frustrated. They’ve changed too many rules and policies recently, making travel confusing, stressful, and less customer-friendly. What used to be simple—like booking, baggage, and boarding—now feels like navigating a maze of constantly shifting “laws” that benefit the airline, not the passengers. It’s disappointing to see a company that once prioritized transparency and customer experience prioritize profit over people. Sadly, I can’t recommend them anymore unless they return to consistency and respect for their flyers. Trash

Southwest Airlines has lost their soul and abandoned their loyal customers. I used to be a fiercely loyal SW customer and would go out of my way to fly Southwest over other airlines. However, they have done away with the things that made them stand out from other airlines, such as their "two bags fly free" and open seating policies, as well as member loyalty rewards. They are now just a shell of their former company, and after 30 years of loyally flying Southwest, I go out of my way to avoid flying them, since they are just another greedy corporate monster that doesn't deserve loyalty at all.

Have flown SW exclusively for years even now with the elevated prices & add-on fees. Had a Fri-Mon trip (3/13-3/16) and by Saturday night saw forecast of storms Monday at departing airport all up coast, to tornadoes at destination. All day event. Feverishly checked reports & knew they’d cancel flights & we’d be stuck while they try to catch up from a lost day of service. We saw a few seats left for Monday am just before weather would start so knew we should jump on it. Since we’d already taken part of the trip we couldn’t change on app. Called SW & gave up after being on hold almost an hour. Instead of waiting for them to issue the alert we canceled & rebooked flight for more than double cost and only premium $ seats left. During transaction it said I’d get same method refund from canceled leg of trip so I paid out over $2100 thinking we’d get some points back. We literally made it out Monday on the last flight before all were canceled. Destination had a full ground stop for several hours. But the refund they gave was ridiculous based on “their calculation” of what was used for original flight. Spoke to customer service once home & they said that’s the way it is but I could do a form in app to “plead my case” since we were proactive rebooking before they’d cancel anyway. But the form has no fields for comments so of course they won’t reimburse since we canceled the flight. Just so frustrated. Yes can’t control weather. I get it. But when canceling nothing said the amount I’d have to accept as refund (for the 49,500 points used for part of the original ticket.) I never would have proceeded. It’s sickening. It seems they could easily give back a few points based on our YEARS of exclusive use of their card and airline. Definitely shopping other reward cards now.

We had to cancel a trip due to a medical issue. We found out when we cancelled the booking that our flight credit was based on WHEN we booked the flight. Well, this booking was made last August for a planned trip in early March. It was booked that far in advance so we could get the seats we wanted and plus knowing this was the start of Sprint Break. In the past flight credits never expired and in seems they have now gone to the other extreme. WOuld it not make more sense, and be more customer friendly, to base the expiration date on the date of the flight???

Very bad experience with Southwest Airlines . 3 delayed flights leading to us missing our respective events at San Antonio.
One customer service agent at Nashville D5 gate was very rude to us.
Several changes in flights and delays all along the route: Indianapolis- Tampa-Nashville.

I am beyond furious with my experience flying Southwest Airlines. What should have been a routine flight from Honolulu to LAX turned into an absolute nightmare due to complete mismanagement and lack of care for passengers.

Mid-flight, about 2.5 hours into the trip, there was an altercation between two parties. No one was harmed, yet instead of handling the situation appropriately, the decision was made to turn the plane around and fly all the way back to Honolulu. This turned a normal flight into a completely pointless 5-hour ordeal that ended exactly where it started.

What makes this even worse is how passengers were treated afterward. It was 2:30 in the morning, and we were given absolutely nothing—no food, no water, and we were not even allowed to get up to use the restroom. After finally landing back in Honolulu, we were told the earliest available flight was 8:00 AM the next morning—and unbelievably, the same individuals involved in the altercation were placed on that flight as well.

To add insult to injury, Southwest refused to provide any hotel accommodations and even told us we were not allowed to stay in the airport. We were essentially stranded in the middle of the night with no support, no guidance, and no basic human consideration.

As a straight-A nursing student, this disruption had serious consequences for me. The earliest I could get back to Phoenix was 8:30 PM the following day, causing me to miss important exams and putting my academic standing at risk—all because of a situation that was handled so poorly from start to finish.

There was no compensation, no flight credit, and not even a formal apology. The complete lack of accountability and empathy is shocking.

This was, without a doubt, one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had. I will never fly Southwest again.