US airline (DOT rules) · WN
Southwest Airlines refund & compensation policy
What Southwest Airlines owes you when it cancels, delays or overbooks your flight — and how to actually collect it.
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Southwest Airlines refund policy in plain English
Wanna Get Away fares are non-refundable but fully reusable as flight credit (no expiry since 2022). Anytime and Business Select are refundable to the original payment. Southwest cancels → full refund on request for any fare.
Delays and cancellations
Southwest's customer-service plan commits to meals after 3 hours and hotels for overnight controllable delays. After the December 2022 meltdown it has been quick to issue goodwill points for long delays.
Your rights on Southwest Airlines (US DOT rules)
- Cancelled or significantly changed (3h+ domestic, 6h+ international, airport change, extra stop): automatic cash refund to the original payment within 7 business days (card) — a voucher only if you choose one. This applies to every fare, including Basic Economy.
- 24-hour rule: any ticket booked 7+ days before departure can be cancelled for a full refund within 24 hours of booking.
- Delays: no fixed compensation, but you can refund the unused ticket once a delay becomes "significant". See the airline's customer-service plan for meals and hotels.
- Denied boarding: 200% of the one-way fare (up to $1,075) for arrival 1–2h late, 400% (up to $2,150) beyond that — cash on request, same day.
- Bags delayed 12h+ domestic / 15–30h international: checked-bag fee refunded.
How to claim from Southwest Airlines
- Gather the booking reference, boarding passes and any messages from Southwest Airlines about the disruption.
- For a refund, use Southwest Airlines's own form: www.southwest.com/help/changes-and-cancellations, or call +1 800 435-9792. Cite your right to a cash refund and decline vouchers.
- For compensation (EU/UK rules), either file with the airline and escalate to the regulator if refused, or hand it to a no-win-no-fee partner via the checker above — they pull the flight data, counter "extraordinary circumstances" claims, and sue when needed.
- If a refund you are owed hasn't arrived in 7 business days, a credit-card chargeback for "services not rendered" is a fast parallel route.
Policies summarised from Southwest Airlines's published conditions and applicable regulations; airlines change fare rules often — confirm on the link above before relying on a detail.
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