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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 all GDS’s. Southwest content is now available in Apollo, Worldspan, Galileo, Amadeus, and Sabre BBR.

  Sabre will change to full access settlement through ARC sometime in 2021.

  
  

  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-DG@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 and only USD currency. Outside of the US you may access Southwest.com to book reservations. US Currency is only accepted on 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?

  A: EarlyBird^® is now available in Amadeus. Travel agents and travelers can go to Southwest.com and purchase EarlyBird^® for their customers, for reservations booked in all other GDS’s. The agency will retain ownership of the ticket even if EarlyBird^® is purchased directly with Southwest.

  
  

  Q: Will Southwest send emails for ARC transactions?

  A: Travelport GDS agency issued tickets will no longer receive confirmation emails. You will continue to see emails sent for GDS tickets exchanged directly with Southwest, and for EarlyBird^® purchases.

  Basic Booking GDS transactions will continue to receive confirmation emails from Southwest.

  
  

  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. Please note that if a travel agency issues any ticket to one of Southwest’s Mexico destinations, you will receive a debit memo.

• Existing GDS bookings and cutover handling guidelines

  Q: What will happen with already ticketed PNRs that need servicing? (exchanges, refunds)

  A: Bookings done prior to the any of the GDS cutover dates will need to be serviced by Southwest directly. For any change or refund, please contact a Southwest agent for assistance.

  
  

  Q: I canceled a booking made using BBR, Basic Booking, can this credit now be applied to a new ticket in GDS?

  A: Basic Booking GDS transactions, as well as other direct channel transactions, carry travel credit in the form of a residual travel fund, or RTF. RTFs are not redeemable via any GDS channel and will need to be applied to a new reservation booked directly with Southwest.

• 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 the next day. If not ticketed on time, the booking will be auto-canceled. **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. However, at this time, Rapid Rewards numbers MUST be added prior to ticketing a GDS reservation, or the loyalty number will not be received by Southwest. A travel agent or traveler can add a Rapid Rewards number to a reservation post ticketing directly through Southwest.

  
  

  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. All group bookings are confirmed and ticketed by Southwest.

  
  

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

  A: No. All bookings completed with Southwest directly will remain with Southwest and cannot be accessed in the GDS.

  
  

  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 accessed 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.

  
  

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

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

  
  

  Q: What is the maximum number of passengers that can be booked in a same PNR?

  A: You can book up to 8 passengers in a Southwest 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 forms of payment (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.

• Exchanges, refunds, MCOs and certificates/vouchers

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

  A: If the Southwest booking was created after cutover to ARC settlement, agents can void, exchange or refund their tickets in the GDS. Any booking that needs to be exchanged or refunded, but was created before migration to ARC settlement, must be exchanged by a Southwest agent. **Please note that only one ticket per PNR is allowed for exchanges. VOID tickets can now be processed and a new ticket issued in the same PNR effective immediately for Apollo, Worldspan, Galileo and Amadeus. Sabre BBR VOIDs are not allowed**>

  
  

  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. All residual MCO’s are expected to be issued by the travel agency in the name of the traveler. Any MCO not issued for $25.00 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 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. **Please note that only one ticket per PNR is allowed. A VOID does count as a ticket **. Exchanges will need to be processed in a NEW PNR too.>

• Exception Policies and Waiver Codes

  Q: Does Southwest Airlines provide waiver codes for accommodation procedures?

  A: Yes Southwest does offer waiver codes for travel agencies to reaccommodate flight changes. These codes are available on Southwest.com https://www.southwest.com/html/historical-waiver/. Please note Southwest requires the new flights be rebooked in the same class of service and travel within 14 days of the original date of travel.

• Travel Agency Testing

  Guidelines for TMC Transaction Testing with Live Bookings

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

  
  
  

  Basic Booking Settlement

  Sabre

  • If you are new to booking Southwest in the GDS, please download, sign and return a Certificate of Appointment available here: https://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/terms-and-conditions/travel-agency-certificate.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.