Southwest Airlines reverses policy on EarlyBird refunds

Southwest Airlines is known for being one of the most customer-friendly airlines when it comes to things like change fees. It is one of the only airlines that allows you to change your flight free of charge and even allows you to get credited when fares change in price.

But one thing about Southwest that is not refundable is Southwest EarlyBird.

Southwest EarlyBird allows you to check into your flight automatically 36 hours prior to check-in. It costs $15 to $25 per person each way.

EarlyBird is important for flying Southwest because it allows you to board earlier and secure better seating. (There is no assigned seating so boarding earlier is definitely a privilege on Southwest.)

In the midst of coronavirus, many people have purchased Southwest EarlyBird and later canceled their flights due to the threat of the pandemic but have not received refunds for their EarlyBird purchase. This has made a lot of people unhappy.

The complaints have been piling up since other airlines like American Airlines and United have allowed refunds for things like seat fees.

Well, in response to these complaints, Southwest first decided they were sticking to their guns but then quickly (in the span of hours) decided to make a customer friendly decision and refund the Southwest EarlyBird purchases.

However, they are only doing this temporarily.

You can only get a refund for your Southwest EarlyBird purchases if you have travel dates between March 1 and May 31 and cancel your reservation. You will need to make a special request for this refund and you will receive a voucher good for one year that can be used for a future flight. (You can’t use it for other EarlyBird purchases.)

USA today notes: “The voucher will be issued for all the EarlyBird fees paid on the same reservation so families and other groups get one voucher and not travel funds in each passengers’ names, as happens with airfare credit.” 

This new refund policy applies to travelers who have already canceled their flights and those who are planning to cancel future flights for travel through May 31. It’s possible that Southwest will extend this policy out into the future but we will just have to see.

It’s always nice to see an airline respond positively to its customers needs. Personally, I did not expect Southwest to reverse this policy because it has been established for so long. But, these are truly crazy times and so it is nice to see some companies listen to customers and consider how many lives have been affected, even when airline revenue is at an all time low.

 Southwest collected $358 million in EarlyBird fees in 2017.

H/T

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