Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Southwest Airlines Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Southwest Airlines Company

  2702 Love Field Dr Dallas, TX 75235-1908

• 

  Southwest Airlines

  4600 International Gtwy John Glenn Columbus International Airport Columbus, OH 43219

• 

  Southwest Funding

  725 Airport North Office Park Ste 725 Fort Wayne, IN 46825

• 

  Southwest Airlines

  11a50 Regional Ln Fort Myers, FL 33913

• 

  Southwest Airlines Co.

  3800 E Sky Harbor Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85034

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Regarding Flight number **** scheduled on May 26/2022. We've sent several request to investigate an issue that took place where I was refused to allow to board my flight. I have never been so humiliated and appalled with what seemed to be social profiling on behalf of southwest airlines at the ******************. I booked my flight to attend my granddaughters graduation and the boarding attendant refused to allow me to board accusing me of being intoxicated and falsely noted I urinated myself to "justify" her actions on paper, which is completely false. I have photos of myself in his clothing showing I was nicely dressed and show absolutely no signs of urinating myself as noted by the airlines staff. I'm almost 70 years old and have a slight slur to my speech and naturally walks very slowly due to my age and medical conditions. The airline staff refused to even ask me if he had been drinking or understand any medical issues and automatically, what seemed to be profiled me as being intoxicated. I have already sent several emails to the airline to address my concern and barely received a response today stating they are not willing to discuss because its going to my daughters email. Again, I'm 70 years old with no valid email and asked my daughter to help me as they do not have any contact number to discuss verbally over the phone. I've called them to have the staff tell me to email and inquiry to investigate. Please help me in getting my money refunded to me as I was able to board the next available flight but had to pay for taxi services to get back to and from the airport as my wife has cancer and is unable to drive most days.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  Response to BBB Complaint ******** is attached.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a flight with Southwest Airlines (Flight# ******* on 8/04/2022 from Nashville (BNA) to Detroit Michigan (DTW). Returning to Nashville on 8/07/2022..On 8/06 I received a text message that the flight returning home had been cancelled. After renting a car and driving home I called Southwest (on 8/07) to get a refund due to them cancelling my return flight. I spoke with a CSR named Barbie who advised she was refunding the money for the cancelled flight back to my CC (ending in 0369) (confirmation# for refund ***********) She advised it could take up to 7 days for the refund.... Today makes the 9th day & I have not received anything., So when I called Southwest several times this week I was told that it had been processed and to call my Credit Card company to see if anything is pending.. Called my CC company and was told there is no refund pending.....I have spoke to at least 3 different Reps that can give me no information as to why I dont have my refund..... When I asked to speak with a Supervisor I am told they are busy..... Any help that you can offer regarding my refund would be most appreciated... I will never use this Airline again... I just wont my money for them cancelling my flight.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  BBB Complaint ******** is attached.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been waiting for a refund for a flight that was not booked. Every time i call for a status on my refund i am told to keep waiting it's been almost a year. I was promised a refund of $250 times 3 = $750 total for a cancelled Flight 2021 Case number i have been given is ******** I was told this would be credited back to my Apple pay which i have told them many times that my Apple Card is new and that the card i had paid with has been cancelled and i have been issued a new one by my bank months ago. Please help me resolve this issue that they haven't been able to fix in over 10 months

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/18/2022

  PLEASE ISSUE ME MY VOUCHER!!!!
  YOU HAVE APPROVED IT AND EVERYTIME I CALL I GET A DIFFERENT UPDATE!!! YOU OWE ME MY 3 VOUCHERS!!!
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  The Customers concerns regarding BBB Complaint ******** were addressed by phone.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/12/2023

  I have reviewed the business response and accept this resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a vacation through Southwest Vactions, there was an issue with the people arty traveling and when attempting to contact them I am being told that I will receive no refund for hotel. The policy on my reservation does not state you will receive only credit. Only if within 3 days you lose a night. When contacting customer service the woman misspoke several times on what could be done. Then when asked for a supervisor was told numerous times that they are all in meetings and could not speak to me but would tell me the same thing, yet I have been given 3 different responses as to what could be done by the same agent.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Response to BBB Complaint ******** is attached

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I'm very upset that my Mother was left on a plane for an hour waiting on wheelchair assistance once she landed in ******* tonight. On 8/16, my Mother ******************************* flew from ****** to ******* Conf #4E45FW. She, along with 6 other passengers were left on the plane, because when they landed, their was no one waiting with the wheelchairs. Then, when the wheelchairs were dropped off an hour later, their wasn't assistance to wheel them to baggage claim, so they continued to wait and then later, someone came and had to make several trips taking them to baggage claim. The airport was not busy, basically empty, so my concern is where was the support? And, this is the second time this year, this has happened to my Mother. I'm very upset about this! My Mother is older and this is the exact reason why we arent fond of her traveling alone on Southwest because of this ongoing bad experience. I understand that you might be short handed, but the flight attendant shouldn't have had to go around the airport seeking wheelchair assistance for the passengers, they should have already been in place. As an "A-List member" I'm so disappointed that my Mother and other elderly and disabled passengers experienced this.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  The Customers concerns regarding BBB Complaint ******** were addressed by phone.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Saturday, August 13, 2022, myself and my significant other had a flight from ******************************* to ************************************* in ********* **********. Flight 719. Confirmation number: 2XP998. The flight had been cancelled due to "weather." However my family members were flying the same day and at nearly the same time out of the same airport to nearly the same destination "******* **********." Their flights did not get cancelled. The weather in ********* was partly cloudy with no rain or thunderstorms. The weather in ********** was sunny as well. We called Southwest to see if they could help us out with getting a hotel compensated and they denied us. I spoke to a pilot who works for Southwest and is a family member to which he told me; they use "weather" as an" catch all to not have to help people with compensation towards a hotel when they cancel flights. Due to our flight being cancelled because of weather and seeing that all other flights at that time and on the same flight path went out, we should be compensated for the hotel we had to purchase which was $162.70 at the ********************** in ********* **. reservation: XY9LXBM. We also had to purchase meals since we were unable to cook in our hotel which was a total of about $85 between the two days. We also had to miss events the next day that we have previously paid for but we do not expect to be compensated for those. We originally had a direct flight the was only 4 hours long. They switched us to a flight the next morning that had 2 layovers and took about 9 hours long. When we landed in ************ I found out they lost my luggage. They did compensate me for that but I would rather have had my luggage than this whole hassle. We understand business do not run perfectly smooth and events in life happen, but we expect companies to not make their clients have to pay up for their mistakes.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  Response to BBB Complaint ******** is attached.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/12/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   I have not received any compensation and the company has caused me to lose a lot of money.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing out of frustration regarding the cancellation of flight #*** which was canceled on Friday, August 5th. The flight was scheduled from *** TO ***. When I arrived at *** from LAS at 9:40 pm I was informed that the flight was canceled and I was booked on another flight on August 6th at 5 pm routed through ************** to CMH and would arrive at CMH around 11 pm. I was told there were no other flights because they were oversold and no seats were available. I faced the horrible possibility of sleeping in the airport all night and waiting all day the next day before I could depart causing me to miss a scheduled event on August 6th. I went to the ticket counter at *** and the representatives tried to book me through *** to *** on a 5 am flight on August 6th but your system would not allow them even though the system showed available seats. They were able to book me through CLV on an 11:00 pm flight on August 5th. We were late leaving *** and arrived at CLV at 3 am on August 6th. I had to sleep at the airport until 7 am before I could rent a car and drive 2 hours to CMH to drop it off and retrieve my personal vehicle.I am asking Southwest to reimburse me for the cost of the rental vehicle of $150. The extra day of parking $8, the inconvenience of sleeping in a chair in the airport, pain, and anxiety

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Response to BBB Complaint ******** is attached

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Response to BBB Complaint ******** is attached

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My son and I were scheduled to return home on a Southwest flight Sunday August 13, 2022. Sunday morning the day of our flight, SW canceled my son and my flight and sent me a rebooked flight option for Tuesday August 16. 2022 and a re book link. My son only received notification that his flight was canceled but did not get a rebook option until later in the day. I contacted the customer service line and held for 72 min. When the agent spoke with me she informed that the terminal had interruption and all flights had been canceled. She offered to refund our money and give $200voucher although the cost to purchase a new ticket on a different airline was $700. Nothing more was done until shortly after, the terminal was reopened. I made several phone calls to SW customer service to rebook our flights for the original day of departure and was told there was nothing that could be done to get us back home on Sunday. When I explained the importance of us returning home on Sunday, I was offered only a small Luv voucher, and a refund, but nothing further. I was told to keep checking but by the time the new flights loaded NOTHING was available.After several phone calls and hours of hold time we were booked from ***********. My son and I drove 4 hours so we could get home. So in addition to all of the hold time, pleading for a new reservation, the 4 hr drive to a different City, missed work which cost us a total together of $1200, all that SW offered is $250 in vouchers.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2023

  The response to BBB Complaint 19724787 is attached. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/14/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had a Southwest Flight Credit that expired on July 25, 2022. I booked a flight (Confirmation # 2OXCOX for $370.98) for July 24, 2022, but was not able to fly because I tested positive for COVID-19. I was not able to cancel the flight in the Southwest app. The gate agent called me on my mobile just before the flight and canceled the flight for me and said I would get an extension on my flight credit. I did not receive the flight credit in the app, so I called customer service. I spoke with an agent, ****** re: the missing flight credit. The Case# ******** was assigned and she said that I would receive a *** voucher instead of the flight credit that I was originally offered by the gate agent. As of, today, August 14, 2022, I have not received the *** Voucher OR the flight credit or any further correspondence from Southwest regarding this case.In addition, Southwest is now offering credits that don't expire, but they aren't even giving me the credits that I had. They are offering me a *** voucher instead of the $370.98. This is poor business practice and poor customer service.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  The Customers concerns regarding BBB Complaint ******** were addressed by phone.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Flight **** on 8/13 out of ***. Pilot: ********************* Our first flight was delayed due to malfunctioning equipment on the intercom system. The 2nd flight was smaller and 30 people lost their spot on the flight due to Southwest not providing an alternative. We pushed off on the 2nd flight and the engines would not fire, neither one of them according to the pilot (*********************). Who shared the news in a joking tone. Someone came on the plane after we pulled back in to the gate and told us we can leave if we really want to but southwest will not pay for any hotels, we'd have to wait 1 or 2 days until the next available flight, and they said we will lose our luggage for a minimum of 1 day. My family and I were faced with losing our luggage and thousands of dollars out of our own pocket OR sitting on the plane for hours longer to try and go back up in the air on the same plane who's engines would not fire. To top it off, the captain was joking with the passengers on the intercom and said a valve was stuck open and prevented the engines from firing and it SHOULD be okay now. The flight attendants (who were great by the way) leaned into his open pilot cabin door and told him he needed to correct his statement because our families were unsettled by his remarks.We could not leave the plane and we were not offered water or food while waiting on the hot plane for 2+ hours.In total, our flights were delayed 8 hours due to your faulty equipment, staffing, and training gaps. This is unacceptable from a customer service and, most importantly, safety perspective. We will never fly southwest again and we will share this same experience with as many people as we possibly can and tell them not to fly southwest. We demand a refund and, more importantly, an explanation for this unprofessional and unsafe behavior.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  BBB Complaint ******** is attached.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/12/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   Insufficient response