Southwest Airlines Reviews 801

During our flight from Phoenix to El Paso (Flight #1484 on 9/19/2025, originally at 9:05 pm) the younger flight attendant with purple/dark pink hair was extremely rude, condescending, and unfriendly. During the emergency precautionary routine speech, she kept saying, in an unfriendly and condescending tone, things such as;
"I know one of you will get it wrong...."
"See the button next to the light, that is the button for the light not to request assistance, I don't know how many times or how I explain it, somebody always gets it wrong" etc.
First time flying Southwest.
Other than that, the experience was great.

Since Southwest implemented the policy changes to align its operations with other airlines, offering various classes (referred to as choices or basic), my experience has undergone a significant transformation. This shift is primarily attributed to the evolving demeanor of Southwest’s employees. The once jovial and approachable group has undergone a metamorphosis. While some may attempt to maintain a semblance of friendliness, there are instances of outright rudeness. The absence of smiles has become a noticeable departure from the airline’s previous charm. Ultimately, the unique qualities that made Southwest special have diminished, leaving me with a sense of disappointment.😞

I am writing to file a formal complaint against Southwest Airlines for its deeply unethical and exploitative policy of expiring travel credits—credits that represent actual money paid by customers, not promotional vouchers or goodwill gestures.

I canceled my flight due to health reasons, and Southwest issued me travel credit with an expiration date in 6 months. While I understand that refunds may not be allowed under certain fare types, what I do not accept is the idea that Southwest can simply let that credit expire and keep the money. This was not a gift. This was not a discount. This was a transaction. I paid Southwest for a service, and when I couldn’t use it, they held onto my money and then arbitrarily decided it no longer belonged to me.

This policy is nothing short of corporate greed. It forces customers into a corner—either scramble to book a flight before the expiration date, regardless of need or circumstance, or lose their money entirely. It’s a coercive tactic designed to pressure people into spending more, faster, and on Southwest’s terms. And when the expiration hits, Southwest refuses to honor the original transaction, effectively erasing the customer’s purchase and pocketing the funds.

Let me be clear: this is my money. Southwest did not provide the service I paid for, and now they refuse to provide any service at all. They’ve taken my payment and delivered nothing. That is not customer service—it’s theft disguised as policy.

I used to love SWA and it has been my go to airline for decades. However after all the changes they have made I am looking for a new airline. They started charging for bags, then we have to listen to them complain for an hour before every flight that they don’t have enough overhead bin space and need volunteers to check a bag….. almost every flight is fully booked so it happened routinely. I have flown 5 times in the past few months. The perks on Southwest credit cards changed and they try to “sell” it like it is great news but I lost features I have had for years. Their “low fares” deals are a joke. I need a flight for my daughter over 6 weeks from now. Clicked on low fares expecting to see what I usually see and there was only one “low fare” at 6 am with a stop. Every other flight is a new “high fare”. I could not be more disappointed. I guess I will use the points I stacked up on my SW card then look for a new points card/new airline. They need to fire whoever made all these changes. Loyal customers are not stupid. I guess they think we will automatically believe them when they try to convince us these are new “perks” and the changes are good. These hit loyal customers hard. If I am no longer valued as a loyal customer, I will take my business somewhere else. I also repeatedly heard them say they did not have people available for wheelchair assistance. Then on my last flight, a wheelchair passenger was forced to move to the back of the plane because it was not a full flight. That was the final straw for me. She almost missed the flight because her previous SW flight arrived late and there was no wheelchair assistance. She told me she walked because the connecting flight was at the next gate and she didn’t want to miss the flight. When we arrived……again there was no wheelchair assistance available so she was told she would have to wait. When she exited, they thanked her for “powering through”. Fortunately there was a wheelchair at the gate so she could sit down and wait for someone to assist her. She was 85 with limited mobility. Terrible look SWA!! It was all I could do to get off the plane without having a conversation with that flight attendant. Could not be more disappointed in my once favorite airline.

I had an excellent experience flying with Southwest Airlines on my recent round-trip journey. As a passenger requiring handicap assistance, I felt well taken care of from start to finish. The staff went above and beyond to make the process smooth and stress-free, showing genuine kindness, patience, and professionalism both ways on my trip. Boarding and deplaning were handled efficiently, the flights were on time, and every interaction I had was positive. The crew made me feel comfortable and valued as a customer, which is something I truly appreciate. I would highly recommend Southwest to anyone looking for reliable service, a friendly atmosphere, and an airline that truly cares about its passengers. Easily a 10/10 experience.

I paid for 2 tickets to Atlanta and the tickets were non-refundable. When I went to the counter with my guest, I was told that my tickets had been cancelled. I began asking questions...Who cancelled it, what day and time? I never received an answer and I was not compensated. I understood that the tickets were non-refundable but if I did not cancel the itinerary, who did? I will never fly with them again!!!!!!

Southwest was my go-to airline for years until the recent changes to bring back assigned seating and start charging for checked bags. However, their customer service has always been top-notch anytime I've interacted with them.

Call center is not n the united states, they have no empathy for issues.

I was charged over 1400.00 4x they explained not their problem to call my credit card company.

Chase referred me back to them.

Strongly considering cancelling my chase cards as no US help foreign call center no help.

SW vacations also a foreign country call center no help.

Paid extra for Early Bird Boarding. Didn’t get automatically checked in 36 hours before flight. Was BEHIND the two pax in front of me who checked in 24 hours prior (as I did as a back up). 2 email requests for refund refused saying I was given EBB. Finally complained to DOT and disputed credit card charge. SWA finally coughed up my $50, but still maintained I was checked in early. I can forgive human or system error, NOT refusing to believe a customer is right even with proof.

Flight attendant damaged my suitcase by recklessly repositioning it in the overhead bin. She offered no apology. After filing two complaints, the airline did not offer to compensate for loss of the bag, but provided only a $100 credit for future flights. Still no apology. Terrible customer service!

Really loved flying Southwest over the past several years (it's been my preferred airline). Easy booking, changes, many flights, etc. Very much enjoyed NOT having assigned seating and 2 free checked bags; it really set it apart from all the others! (I usually fly solo and no assigned seating meant I wasn't relegated to a seat in the back of the plane.) Extremely disappointed that all this is changing, along with every Southwest customer I've ever met.

I have been a loyal Southwest customer for years. I have exclusively booked with Southwest and have always recommended the airline to friends, family, and colleagues. I appreciated the flexibility, transparency, and customer first policies that used to set them apart.

But clearly, those days are over.

I booked a flight to Las Vegas back in March for work, using the same basic fare I have always used (Previously known as "Wanna Get Away"). Historically, if I needed to change my flight (which was rarely!), I could simply pay the difference in fare. But now, Southwest has changed its policies, eliminating that flexibility and forcing customers like me to pay a minimum $212 dollar fee just to change an existing booking. In some cases, the price hike reaches $700 dollars, even when seats are clearly available. Meanwhile, new customers booking today get a lower fare than I am being asked to pay for the exact same flight.

This feels like nothing short of a bait and switch. I booked my flight under one policy, and now I am being penalized because Southwest moved the goalposts after the fact.

It is extremely disappointing to realize that despite years of loyalty, I now mean nothing to this company. I will be flying someone else, even if they are just as bad, because I know what I am getting at least. I will be encouraging others to do the same.

I flew from Maine to Baltimore with a small suitcase, backpack, pillow and a bag of gifts I got on the plane with no issues. When I was waiting for the next flight to Las Vegas, I checked the small suitcase, which left me with my backpack, pillow and bag of gifts. The woman letting us on the plane asked me to put my pillow in my bag of gifts. There was no way my pillow would fit in the paper bag, so I ended up, not only losing the bag but a couple of gifts well. I had to stuff everything in my pillow case and put it in the overhead compartment.. For the first flight I was able to put both the backpack and bag under the seat, my small suitcase above and the pillow was behind my back. I am thinking that maybe things should be more streamlined and all the employees should be on the same page! Most of the Southwest employees I have dealt with are good! However that one employee from Baltimore was unreasonable and seemed to be suffering from a god complex, she ruined the rest of my trip.

The boarding process was extremely disorganized. Passengers were randomly pulled out of line to check their bags, despite there being plenty of overhead bin space available. A flight attendant then began “saving” seats for a mother and her teenage daughter, even though the daughter could have easily been seated elsewhere. Meanwhile, another family with a baby and the father received no assistance and were disregarded. The lack of consistency and fairness created unnecessary confusion and chaos.

I have always traveled Southwest. Now with them starting this fat shaming I will have to look else where. I would not be one of the fat shaming people, but to do that is the most terrible thing I have heard.

...and I have two scenarios to prove it.

1. Arrived in Oakland with my brother and grandmother, we were about to get into a taxi when my brother realizes he forgot his Nintendo Switch on the plane, so we walk inside to the Baggage Service Office.
The woman at the desk is kind and listens, calls someone, and soon enough it's reported that they found it, but she says it could take a little while to get it back to my brother. About 30 seconds later, she gets another call, turns out someone's headed to the office to return it to us. It took about 5 mins for them to walk to the office, they returned the Switch, and the whole ordeal only took about 15-20 minutes.

2. This happened on August 8th. We were headed home, and we were flying through Harry Reid International (Las Vegas). My brother forgot his backpack this time, containing not only his Switch but a pair of Nike Pegasus Trail shoes, and didn't realize until we were about to reach our seats on the second plane. So we filed a form when we got home, and within a couple of days Southwest found it and shipped it home to us.

All in all, five stars, please give your baggage recovery teams a raise Southwest!

SW used to be great, discount airline, you give up the USB phone charger, having nice new planes, entertainment, seat screens but get free bags and good fare price. NO MORE. $350-$400 one way Nashville to San diego. Now limited people get free bags, $$ for everything; to pick seat, to board early, to check a bag. I even got harassed by gate attendant for being disabled military and trying to board early. They always just tell me, come up for preboarding. I always ask if I need to do anything or get a different boarding pass. This time they made me go back to the desk, then had to answer one of 3 questions correctly. They were so rude, I have never been treated so bad by an airline. Never had to go through this. I have had over 30 surgeries, I have to have help putting back up and a little slow. The guy told me, well, I don't know how you are getting away with it (being disabled and not getting a pass to get on) at other airports but not here in San Diego. I was not happy then threatened to not let me on the plane. I said I would be contacting corporate office and he said, well I will be putting a note on your account about you .THEN he proceeds to stroll up and down the boarding ramp to get on plane, watching me, then gets on plane and happens to mess around with bags in overhead right around me, intimidating me. The flight attendants were great.

Why can i not be shipped ?
I want receive my gift card by Email but it’s impossible i tried to contact customer service without success.
I am very unhappy

What was once an airline filled with perks and happy customer friendly employees, eager to offer a uniquely pleasant travel experience, has now turned into the worst of the worst. Customer service is now almost completely gone, with baggage fees and blatantly unfriendly and angry employees at every turn. I see BK in the future as customers will eventually flee.

Absolutely terrible, flight was delayed from sanjuan an hour and a half. Which made me
Miss my connecting flight. And next flight is 24 hours later. No vouchers for hotel stays, nothing at all. I Do not recommend this airline to anyone.