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Frequently asked questions:

• General content

  Q: Where can I find Southwest’s ARC ticketing policies?

  A: Southwest’s ARC ticketing policies, as well as the associated Travel Agent Addendum, can be found here: https://www.southwest.com/html/swabiz/gds-policy.html

  
  

  Q: Will all GDS systems benefit from Southwest full participation?

  A: While capabilities will differ between GDS providers, Southwest will make the same content available to Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre GDS’s. You will also now have the benefit of full ticket settlement via ARC.

  
  

  Q: Who do I contact if I do not have access to Southwest content in the GDS or have questions?

  If you have any questions about Southwest content please email TMCRelations@wnco.com for more information. Please note that content will only be made available to approved US-based agencies that are ARC accredited.

  
  

  Q: Will customers outside of US point of sale be given Southwest full GDS access?

  A: Southwest bookings can only be ticketed by ARC accredited agencies in the US, with USD currency only. Outside of the US you may access Southwest Airlines content via Southwest.com.

  
  

  Q: Can an OTA or a Meta Search agency get access to Southwest?

  A: OTAs and Meta Search agencies are not being approved by SWA to get content through Travelport GDS nor any other GDS provider. Southwest does not allow any travel agency to openly distribute our content via any online platform directly to consumers.

  
  

  Q: Will there be fares and/or content available via Southwest directly but not in the GDS?

  A: Yes, Southwest will have some “direct fares” that are only available through one of our direct sales channels.

  
  

  Q: Will EarlyBird^® purchases be available in the GDS?

  is now available for purchase in Amadeus and Travelport. Reservations booked in all other GDS’s can purchase EarlyBird^® on Southwest.com. The travel agency will retain ownership of their GDS issued ticket even if EarlyBird^® is purchased directly with Southwest.

  
  

  Q: Will Southwest send emails for ARC transactions?

  A: Southwest will no longer send confirmation emails for GDS issued tickets. You will continue to see emails sent for any transaction that is exchanged, or issued, by Southwest Airlines direct.

  
  

  Q: What is the process for changing a company’s discount filing or tracking agreement with Southwest?

  A: Any change to the way a corporate travel agreement is set up first requires the company reaching out to their Southwest Account Manager. Southwest must make changes to ATPCO fare filings for any applicable discounts, and our Account Manager must update our CRM system to ensure our reporting is not interrupted. More specific information will be shared once the company has engaged their Southwest Account Manager.

  
  

  Q: Will Mexico destinations be available in the GDS?

  A: Currently tickets are unavailable for sale in all GDS’s for travel to any destination in Mexico. You may see scheduled service, but it’s unable to sale in any GDS. Please note that if a travel agency issues a ticket to one of Southwest’s Mexico destinations, you will receive a debit memo.

• Rapid Rewards Number

  Q: Can I add a travelers Rapid Rewards frequent flyer number to my GDS reservation?

  A: Yes Rapid Reward numbers can be added to your GDS PNR using one of the following formats, please note 20000111222 is an example number only.

  
  

  • Sabre FFWN2000111222
  • Apollo MP*WN2000111222
  • Worldspan 3SSRFQTVWNHK/WN20000111222
  • Amadeus FFNWN-20000111222
• New booking process questions

  Q: Will we still be able to hold bookings before ticketing?

  A: Yes, and part of the change to full participation is that a ticketing deadline will be generated for each booking. The reservation will be held until 11:59PM local time, NEXT DAY (not next business day). Fare rules supersede the ticketing time limit. **Please note that any churned reservations will result in a debit memo**

  
  

  Q: Will agents be able to add a Rapid Rewards loyalty number in their GDS bookings?

  A: Yes. Loyalty numbers in GDS bookings will be handled as with any other carrier. Clients with a Rapid Rewards status such as A-List, A-List Preferred will be recognized and applied in GDS bookings, through the status level in the FQTV line. Please note that GDS reservations will decline an invalid Rapid Rewards number when entered in a reservation. However, name verification is not executed for GDS reservations. If the name is incorrect the Rapid Rewards number will not be attached to the reservation, even though it was entered in the GDS.

  
  

  Q: How do we book groups with Southwest? Can we claim a PNR?

  A: Any Southwest group booking is to be handled by Southwest directly. Southwest will not allow claim PNR in the GDS for booked groups. All group bookings are confirmed and ticketed by Southwest direct.

  
  

  Q: Can I access/view in the GDS a booking created on Southwest website?

  A: No. All bookings completed within a Southwest channel will remain with Southwest and cannot be accessed in the GDS’s

  
  

  Q: Can I access/view on Southwest’s website a booking created in the GDS?

  A: Yes. Any booking done in the GDS can be accessed on the Southwest website or by a Southwest agent.

  
  

  Q: Can my GDS booking be serviced by Southwest directly?

  A: Yes. However, once a GDS booking has been reissued by Southwest, it will then reside with Southwest and will no longer be available in the GDS for future servicing.

  
  

  Q: Can we have multiple airlines/multiple tickets in a Southwest PNR?

  A: Yes. Southwest segments can reside with other airlines in one PNR. Southwest does not allow for interline ticketing, which means that a Southwest ticket can only be issued for Southwest flights. No other carriers can be issued with the Southwest ticket as we do not currently have any interline agreements with other airlines.

  
  

  Q: Will Southwest flights be available 365 days from the booking date via the GDS?

  A: Southwest’s complete flight schedule will be visible in the GDS as they become available. Southwest normally publishes schedules 6-8 months out.

  
  

  Q: Can I book multiple one-way tickets in the same PNR?

  A: Currently Southwest does not allow multiple one-way reservations in one PNR. If a traveler wants to add a leg to an existing reservation you can exchange the current ticket, or book the added space in a new PNR.

  
  

  Q: Will we be able to apply all forms of payment to issue Southwest tickets?

  A: Southwest will enable all forms of payment in the GDS, including cash and check. However, Southwest’s currencies (gift cards, LUV vouchers, Rapid Rewards ® points, residual ticket funds) will not be accepted in the GDS.

  
  

  Q: Will customers be able to have their bags transferred to other airlines if flights are booked in the same reservation?

  A: No, Southwest does not have interline ticketing agreements with other airlines. Customers will need to pick up their bags at the Southwest baggage claim in the connecting city. They will be required to recheck their bags with the other airline.

  Q: Will we be able to issue circle trip tickets in the GDS?

  A: Yes you can issue circle trip tickets. Please note that you cannot issue separate tickets that are point to point within the circle trip.

  
  

  Q: Will customers be able to have their bags transferred to other airlines if flights are booked in the same reservation?

  A: No, Southwest does not have interline ticketing agreements with other airlines. Customers will need to pick up their bags at the Southwest baggage claim in the connecting city. They will be required to recheck their bags with the other airline.

• Exchanges, refunds, MCOs and certificates/vouchers

  Q: What will be the process to exchange/refund/void a Southwest booking?

  A: All Southwest bookings created after cutover to ARC settlement can be voided, exchanged, or refunded through the GDS. Any bookings created prior to the ARC settlement migration will need to continue being exchanged or refunded with Southwest direct.

  
  

  Q: Will agents be able to retain a residual value and issue an MCO for Southwest exchanged bookings?

  A: All ARC settled reservations can be exchanged in the GDS, and an MCO issued for any residual value.

  
  

  Q: Do I always need to issue a residual MCO?

  A: Southwest Airlines never charges any fees for ticket changes. All residual MCO’s are expected to be issued by the travel agency in the name of the traveler. Any MCO not issued for $100.00 or more will result in a debit memo.

  
  

  Q: Can I use a Southwest MCO for another traveler?

  A: Southwest Airlines does not allow MCO’s to be used by another traveler. The contract of carriage states that the name on the MCO ticket must be the user of the new ticket issued. Any MCO used to purchase a ticket in another traveler’s name will result in a debit memo.

  
  

  Q: Can I exchange with a Southwest agent a booking done in my GDS?

  A: Yes, Southwest agents can modify any reservation to fly on Southwest. However, once a Southwest agent has exchanged the ticket, any further service request will need to be done by a Southwest agent.

• Fare Classes

  Q: Where can I find information on Southwest Airlines Branded Fares?

  A: Southwest Airlines now uses branded fares. Please follow this link to access our Branded Fares information.

• Travel Agency Testing

  Guidelines for TMC Transaction Testing with Live Bookings

  • • Email SWTravel@wnco.com with intent to test notification
    • • Start date
    • • Point of contact
    • • Number of transactions
  • • Maximum of 10 test bookings
  • • PNR’s must be booked 90 days out to avoid blocking inventory close to flight date
  • • PNR’s must be cancelled within 24hrs to avoid refundability or ADM concerns
• Travel Agency access

  ARC Settlement

  Travelport/Amadeus

  • If you are new to booking Southwest in the GDS, please reach out to TMCRelations@wnco.com
  • If you have historically booked Southwest in the GDS and are simply looking to continue booking Southwest via Sabre, Apollo, Worldspan, Galileo, or Amadeus, please review the ticketing policy and Travel Agent Addendum available here: https://www.southwest.com/html/swabiz/gds-policy.html

• How can I change, cancel, or request a refund for travel I have booked through SWABIZ?

  You can do this directly through your SWABIZ account - no need to even pick up the phone!

• What does having a Traveler Account do for me?

  Utilizing the SWABIZ Traveler Accounts will auto-populate all of your traveler's information, such as their name, date of birth, RR number, pre-check KTN, etc., all to save you time!

• Does SWABIZ offer a direct bill option?

  With the SWABIZ Ghost Card feature, your travelers can charge their reservations to your company's credit card without ever revealing your credit card's account or billing information. This saves you and your travelers' time and money on reimbursement and administrative costs!

• How do I track multiple work groups within my organization at once?

  The SWABIZ free-form Internal Reference Number field allows you to assign a word, number, or alpha-numeric value to each reservation (i.e. Marketing, Sales, Tech, e023500, etc.) This makes it easy to identify, prioritize, and/or lump each group, team or department together when running your travel report.

• How many Company Travel Managers can have access to one account?

  A SWABIZ account can have as many limited and/or full-access Company Travel Managers as needed. Plus, full-access CTMs can add other CTMs to the account as well.

• Will my SWABIZ account expire?

  Your SWABIZ account will remain active for six months after your last reservation transaction (i.e. initial booking, itinerary change, cancellation, etc.) If your account deactivates due to a lack of activity, you can call the SWABIZ Help Desk (1-888-479-2249) to request that it be reactivated. *Note that after an account is reactivated, it will only remain active for one month unless there is a reservation transaction.

• I still have questions on how to use SWABIZ. Where can I access more help?

  For more info on Travel Policy, downloading reports, or login directions, visit here: https://www.swabiz.com/swabiz/ctm/help.

• Where can I learn more about Rapid Rewards?

  Visit our FAQ - Rapid Rewards page.

• Where can I learn more about EarlyBird Check-In^®?

  Visit our FAQ - EarlyBird Check-In^® page.

• Does Southwest Airlines have a Contract of Carriage?

  Yes! View our Contract of Carriage.

• Our dedication to Customer Service applies to ALL sides of our business.

  Click the link to read our Customer Service Commitment.