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04/23/2024
III
Southwest Airlines Customer Service PlanEnglish Version
Effective: 04/23/2024
The Southwest Airlines Customer Service Plan (CSP) is issued by Southwest Airlines pursuant to 14 CFR § 259.5. The
CSP reflects Southwest Airlines' dedication to high-quality Customer Service but is not a contract and does not create any
contractual obligations on the part of the Carrier. In addition, if there is any conflict between the language of the CSP and
the Southwest Airlines Contract of Carriage, the Contract of Carriage shall govern. Our Senior Vice President Marketing &
Customer Experience bears the ultimate responsibility for our compliance with the CSP.
For detailed terms and conditions applicable to your transportation on Southwest, refer to the Southwest Airlines Contract
of Carriage.
Welcome to Southwest Airlines.
1. Offering the lowest fare available
Tickets may be purchased directly from Southwest on our website, through the Southwest mobile app, over the phone with
a Southwest Representative, or at a Southwest ticket counter. When you inquire about a fare or making a reservation, we
offer the lowest available fare for which you qualify.
Try our low fare calendar at Southwest.com to quickly find our lowest fares.
2. Notifying Customers of known delays and cancellations (including those related to diversions) for flights within
seven days of departure
If your flight experiences a delay of 30 minutes or more or is cancelled, we use an automated system and will make
reasonable efforts to notify you within 30 minutes of our being made aware of such flight status change. Unless you opt out,
you will be notified by email, voice, or text, depending on the selection made at the time the reservation was booked (voice
notification is not available for international reservations). At the airport, including the departure gate and Flight Information
Display screens under our control, we will make reasonable efforts to notify Customers of the updated status of the flight
within 30 minutes of our being made aware of such flight status change. Flight status information is also available on our
website and by speaking with a Customer Representative at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). For an international
itinerary, if you do not provide contact
information at
the time of booking, you will not receive automated notifications.
For changes to a flight that is more than seven days from departure, see Section 10 below.
3. Delivering baggage on time
We make reasonable efforts to load the items you entrust into our care onto the same plane you board and return them
to you promptly at your destination. If delayed, we make reasonable efforts to return your luggage to you within 24
hours.
If your luggage is delayed or lost for reasons outside of your control, you may file a mishandled baggage report at the
airport and submit a claim for consideration of reimbursement of reasonable expenses you may have incurred. Southwest
does not charge fees for the first and second checked bags (provided they are not oversize or overweight). If you paid a
baggage fee to Southwest and your checked bag was delayed and not recovered, we refund the applicable fee(s) paid.
See Southwest.com for more information on traveling with checked baggage.
4. Canceling your reservation(s) without penalty within 24 hours of booking
We allow you to cancel your unchanged reservation(s) without penalty within 24 hours of the initial booking for a full refund.
The refund will then be processed to the form of payment of the ticket purchase.
You can cancel your reservation at Southwest.com.
5. When a refund is due, providing it promptly
Eligible refunds are provided according to the tickets original form of payment and rules associated with that form
of payment.
Refunds for eligible Southwest tickets purchased with a credit card will be credited back to the same credit card. Our
Refunds Department processes credit card refunds within seven business days from the date we receive the request. Your
credit card company may then take up to 10 business days to post the credit to your account, and, based on your individual
billing cycle, you will see the refund on your credit card statement within one to two billing statements.
Refunds for eligible Southwest tickets purchased with cash will be issued by check no later than 20 business days after
we receive your request.
Additional information on refunds is available at Southwest.com.
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6. Properly accommodating Customers with disabilities and Unaccompanied Customers under 18 years of age
Customers with disabilities
Southwest Airlines will provide assistance to Customer with disabilities, including during lengthy tarmac delays, in
accordance with the Air Carrier Access Act and the regulations implementing the Act under 14 CFR Part 382. Information
regarding assistance provided is available:
Southwest.com
1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792)
TTY at 1-800-533-1305
From uniformed Southwest Customer Service Employees at the airport.
Unaccompanied Customers under 18 years of age
Children from the ages of five through 11 years traveling without an accompanying Customer who is age 12 or older must
travel using Unaccompanied Minor (UM) service on Southwest. For information about UM service, see Southwest.com.
Young Travelers (YTs) from the ages of 12 through 17 traveling without an accompanying adult (18+ years of age) must be
of sufficient maturity and capability to travel alone. For more information about YTs, see Southwest.com.
7. Meeting Customer needs during tarmac delays
Onboard delays are situations we always try to avoid. However, we have adopted the Southwest Airlines Tarmac
Contingency Plan for situations when weather, gate-space limitations, visibility, airport conditions, mechanical problems,
ATC requirements, or other uncontrollable circumstances cause a long onboard delay prior to takeoff or upon landing.
8. Handling “bumped” Passengers with fairness and consistency
Southwest does not typically overbook flights; however, there may be instances where the number of Customers holding
reservations exceeds the available seating capacity resulting in an oversale. In these situations, our Customer Service
Agents will ask those who have checked in and received a boarding pass if they are willing to volunteer to take a later flight.
If we do not receive enough volunteers to accommodate all Customers who have purchased travel and have met our
check-in requirements, we have to involuntarily deny boarding to Customers. If you are involuntarily denied boarding
you will be given a written Notice of Denied Boarding to help understand our policies, compensation, and travel
alternatives. You will generally be entitled to compensation and transportation on the next available Southwest flight.
See Southwest.com for additional information.
9. Disclosing cancellation policies, frequent flyer rules, aircraft seating configuration, and lavatory availability
Information about our cancellation policies, frequent flyer rules, aircraft-seating configuration, and lavatory availability is
available over the phone with a Southwest Representative or by following the links to Southwest.com below:
Cancellation of confirmed reservations
Rapid Rewards Frequent Flyer Program
Our Airplanes
10. Notifying Customers in a timely manner of changes in travel itineraries (more than seven days from departure)
We sell flights several months in advance, and at times, we may adjust our schedules. We will notify you as far in advance
as practicable of any change to your itinerary, including routing, departure time, and/or arrival time. We will attempt to notify
you within 48 hours of our becoming aware of the change.
You will have the option to select the revised itinerary, or, if the itinerary change is significant, you may choose an alternate
flight/date within a 14-day parameter of your original travel or cancel your trip without penalty and receive a refund upon
request in accordance with our Contract of Carriage.
For changes within seven days of departure, refer to Section 2 above.
11. Ensuring responsiveness to Customer complaints
Compliments, complaints, or questions about service? Email, call, or write to us. Written complaints will receive an
acknowledgment in writing indicating receipt of the complaint within 30 days of receipt. You will also receive a substantive
response no later than 60 days after our receipt of your complaint. Contact information is available at Southwest.com.
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12. Identifying the services we offer to help mitigate inconveniences of Customers traveling on confirmed reservations
during irregular operations
Southwest intends to operate flights as scheduled; however, there are situations that arise based on either uncontrollable
and/or controllable circumstances that may cause a flight to be significantly delayed and/or canceled.
For significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated cancellations that are within our control (e.g., mechanical problems,
aircraft swap) we will rebook you on the next available Southwest flight(s) with seats available to your ticketed destination at
no additional cost. If you choose not to travel due to a significant delay and/or cancellation, Southwest will issue a refund of
the unused portion of your Southwest ticket upon request in accordance with our Contract of Carriage.
During flight delays that are within our control of three (3) or more hours and/or Southwest-initiated cancellations that
are within our control that result in a wait of three (3) or more hours for a flight at the airport, we will provide a meal
voucher upon request at the airport for participating vendors within the airport or, if participating vendors and/or
vouchers are not available, we will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals purchased during such
irregular operations. Additionally, we may provide complimentary snacks and beverages for Customers.
If Southwest flight accommodations departing on the same day to your intended destination or applicable co-terminal
city are not available following a flight delay or Southwest-initiated cancellation that is within our control (e.g.,
mechanical problems, aircraft swap), resulting in an unscheduled overnight delay or stay when your itinerary did not
originally include an overnight layover, we will arrange lodging accommodations upon request if available, or will honor
reasonable requests for reimbursement for lodging accommodations (provided you do not reside locally). If the lodging
accommodation we arrange does not provide shuttle service to/from the airport, we will offer a voucher upon request or
honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for ground transportation.
Effective for travel beginning April 30, 2024, for significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated cancellations that are
within our control, you may be eligible for a fully transferable Southwest LUV Voucher (of at least $75) if the following
conditions are met:
Southwest canceled and/or delayed your flight within seven days of the scheduled departure; and
You arrived at your final destination three or more hours after the scheduled arrival time; and
You submit a request for the Southwest LUV Voucher via Southwest.com/DelayForm no later than one (1) year
after the flight in question.
If Southwest has already issued a voucher for a Customer for the same delay or cancellation, that satisfies Southwest’s
commitment to issue the voucher, and an additional voucher will not be provided.
For significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated cancellations that are not within our control (e.g., weather, Air Traffic
Control, safety/security-related events, FAA-required crew duty limitations, infrastructure/utility problems), we will rebook
you on the next available Southwest flight(s) with seats available to the Customer’s ticketed destination at no additional
cost. If you choose not to travel due to a significant delay and/or cancellation, Southwest will issue a refund of the unused
portion of your Southwest ticket upon request in accordance with our Contract of Carriage.
Although we do not offer complimentary lodging accommodations for significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated
cancellations that are not in our control, we will seek to arrange a discount off of a lodging accommodation near the airport.