Southwest Airlines Ticketless Travel Online
Certificate Authority Root Certificates Expiration FAQ

Q.  What is happening after December 31, 1999 to many Internet browsers?

A.  Since January 1, 2000, you may have seen a pop-up error screen (please see the examples below) informing you that your "Certificate Authority Is Expired" (Netscape Navigator and Netscape Communicator browsers) or "The Internet site you are trying to view uses a security certificate that was signed by an unknown authority. This page cannot be viewed." (Microsoft Explorer browsers.) This is not a bug in your browser nor is it a problem with the Southwest Airlines web site.

On January 1, 2000, the VeriSign and GTE certificate authority root certificates (CA root certificates) expired in some older versions of Internet browsers.  All Internet browsers include a series of CA root certificates issued by various companies, including VeriSign, Thawte, GTE, and AT&T.  The purpose of these CA root certificates is to provide a trusted "third-party" to verify the ownership of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates issued to web server operators like Southwest Airlines.  The function of the CA root certificate is similar to that of a Notary Public who witnesses a signature and provides third-party verification between two parties. Also similar to a notary public's seal, these CA root certificates have an expiration date to ensure the CA root certificate issuer continues to be a valid third-party entity. Newer versions of Internet browsers include the latest CA root certificates available and were not affected on January 1, 2000.

The CA root certificate does not affect the SSL certificate issued to Southwest Airlines and does not affect the encryption security of your Ticketless Travel Online purchase.  When an individual Internet user is on the Southwest Airlines web site, the CA root certificate in your browser is used to verify the owner of the SSL certificate (in this case, Southwest Airlines.)  This is to provide you with confidence that the company who owns the SSL certificate is the company with whom you are conducting your secure electronic commerce transaction.

Q.  Is this related to Y2K issues?

A.  No. It is coincidental that the CA root certificates for VeriSign and GTE expired on December 31, 1999.  Not all browsers or CA root certificates were affected by this expiration date.

Q.  Is this a "bug" with my browser?

A.  No.  The CA root certificate is designed to expire.  When the CA root certificate expires, the browser should no longer trust it.   The browser is performing correctly when it prompts the Internet user to decide whether or not the web site they are using can be trusted.  While the CA root certificate is valid, it performs the third-party verification function for the Internet user behind the scenes, unless you have your browser alerts set to show you all security alerts or unless the SSL certificate and the web site URL do not match.

Q.  Is there a way to fix my browser?

A.  There are "patches" available to load new CA root certificates into existing browsers.  However, Southwest Airlines recommends upgrading your browser to a new version rather than applying a browser patch.

As of January 1, 2000, to purchase travel online, we recommend you use a web browser equivalent to Netscape Navigator version 4.06, Netscape Communicator 4.06 or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01 or higher. The newest versions of these browsers can be downloaded from the Netscape or Microsoft web sites, respectively. America Online (AOL) users should use AOL version 4.0 (or higher), which uses Internet Explorer 4.01. In order to use the Ticketless Travel Online successfully, the browser you use must support tables and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.

To determine which browser you are running, press the [Alt] and [H] keys on your keyboard at the same time while the browser is open. In the Help menu, select the About menu item that describes your browser.

Q.  What can I do about making a purchase on the Southwest Airlines web site if my browser does have a CA root certificate that has expired?

A.  If you are using Netscape 4.05 or lower, you may see a dialog box similar to this one:

You can click on "Continue" to finish your transaction.  Your browser is telling you that your browser's CA root certificate has expired.   The SSL certificate for Southwest Airlines is valid, encryption is functioning, and your transaction is secure.   You will continue to see this notice until you upgrade your browser.

If you are using an older version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may not be able to complete a Ticketless Travel Online transaction until you upgrade your browser version.  You may see the error message below.

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