Traveler’s Aide: Stalled cancellation snares Southwest flier

Question: We had two tickets on Southwest Airlines from Denver to Minneapolis for a flight in March. We only buy our tickets from Southwest because we believe they are the most customer-friendly airline.

We decided to cancel a few hours before the flight. For the first time, instead of calling to cancel as I normally would, I used the Southwest app. On the app, there is a button to cancel the flight. I pressed the cancel button, and my boarding passes were immediately removed from the Southwest app. There were no additional instructions saying anything else needed to be done.

Southwest did not give me credit for the canceled flight. I spoke with customer service on two occasions. A representative stated that they could see that I deleted my boarding pass. I indicated that this shows that I canceled before the flight, per Southwest rules. The representative responded that sometimes people cancel their boarding passes to take an earlier or later flight, but that doesn’t mean that I canceled the flight.

This makes no sense. If I’m not going on the flight, and I inform Southwest that I’m not going on the flight, and Southwest has a record through the app that I’m not going on the flight, then doesn’t that mean that I canceled?

Southwest has refused to credit me $360 for these two tickets. Can you help address both my credit and look into the app issue so future customers are not burdened by this situation?

— Karyl Morris, Castle Rock, Colo.

Answer: Southwest has perhaps the most liberal cancellation and change policies among U.S. carriers, but it does have a few rules that passengers with non-refundable tickets must follow, lest they forfeit their airfares.

Travelers can cancel non-refundable “Wanna Get Away” tickets penalty-free — Southwest doesn’t charge change fees — for a credit towards a future flight. But they need to cancel at least 10 minutes before their scheduled flight departure. Passengers who don’t cancel in time, and those who don’t cancel at all, are considered no-shows, and they’ll lose the value of their tickets. Southwest implemented the no-show policy in 2013; it doesn’t apply to refundable tickets or award travel.

Morris canceled, or rather thought that she canceled, far in advance of Southwest’s 10-minute rule. However, something went awry when she used Southwest’s app to do so, and somehow her flight reservation remained in place. It’s not clear exactly what went wrong with Morris’ attempted cancellation, but when her original trip date came and went without her, she was labeled a no-show.

“Our system showed the reservation was not canceled,” says Southwest representative Adam Rucker.

One possible explanation is that she started the cancellation process but didn’t finish it. It’s not a one-touch procedure. Nor would you want it to be; travel is complicated enough without pocket flight cancellations.

Southwest’s app takes you through three screens to cancel your booking, and you must complete all the steps. First, after you select cancel, a pop up window will appear, asking “in order to cancel your flight, we must first delete your boarding pass and reserved boarding position. Do you want to continue?” You have to answer yes or no to proceed, but touching yes doesn’t mean you’re done.

“Deleting a boarding pass does not equal canceling a reservation,” says Rucker.

After you answer affirmatively, the app will take you to the next screen, where you will select your refund method, if applicable. If you have a non-refundable ticket, the app will show your credit, labeled hold for future use. Travelers have one year from the original purchase date to complete travel using those funds. If you combine funds from more than one canceled ticket, the reservation will have the expiration date of the earliest expiring funds.

Once you choose the refund method or accept the credit, the app will show you the final screen that confirms your cancellation. Your flight reservation hasn’t been canceled until you see this screen.

Southwest will then automatically send a confirmation email to the email address on your reservation, says Rucker. Morris didn’t get a confirmation email, but as it was her first time using the app, she wasn’t expecting one either.

Complicating matters, the email address on her Rapid Rewards profile was outdated, so after I sent her complaint to Southwest, its customer-service attempts to contact her went nowhere.

Whether Morris’ failed cancellation was a technical glitch or a new app-user error, Southwest agreed to make a one-time exception to its no-show policy for her. The airline refunded her the $360 for her two tickets, even though her original fare was non-refundable.

How can you avoid trouble?

• Make sure you complete all steps to cancel your booking. You should receive a confirmation email. Verify the cancellation online, via the app or with a phone call if you’re not sure the cancellation was processed correctly.

• Take a screen shot of the cancellation verification screen as proof of your timely cancellation.

• Keep your email address up to date on your bookings and with frequent-flier programs. Check your spam filter, too; you don’t want to miss notifications about your flight.

Do you have a travel consumer issue you'd like Traveler's Aide to pursue? Email Linda Burbank at usattravelersaide@gmail.com. Your question may be used in a future column.