Southwest announces sale after meltdown
One-way tickets being offered for as low as $59
Southwest Airlines is offering oneway tickets for as low as $59 so long as you purchase by Feb. 2 for travel between Feb. 14 and May 17.
The airline seems to have recovered from its holiday meltdown, and CEO Bob Jordan has said that the airline is committed to learning from that episode and preventing similar reliability issues in the future.
The sale includes flights from the mainland to Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well as Southwest’s international destinations.
Fine print on the promotional tickets
Promotional tickets are primarily available for Tuesday and Wednesday flights between Feb. 14 and May 17.
International trips and flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, are excluded between March 9 and April 10, and flights between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland are excluded between March 16 and April 10.
“Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won’t be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods,” according to Southwest.
How to get compensation for canceled flights
Southwest Airlines set up a webpage at southwest.com/traveldisruption for customers whose flights were canceled or severely delayed between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2.
According to the airline, travelers whose flights were canceled or delayed by more than three hours in that period are eligible for full refunds if they did not take a rebooked Southwest flight. Those customers also qualify for 25,000 Rapid Rewards points, which they must claim by March 31 through the airline’s portal.
In addition, Southwest says it will reimburse passengers for “reasonable” incidental expenses, including hotels, rental cars, other airline tickets and food as a result of the operational disruptions.
The airline issued guidance to investors last week that it expects the meltdown will cost the company as much as $825 million.