One of the most important things you can do is understand your rights as a passenger to ensure you receive fair compensation for delayed or cancelled flights. Reading through the Southwest flight delay compensation can be extremely beneficial since your rights on U.S. vs E.U. flights are very different.
Unfortunately, no U.S. federal law requires U.S. airlines to provide compensation for delayed domestic flights in the U.S., and Southwest does not fly to/from the E.U., where the laws mandate a Southwest flight delay compensation. Going strictly by U.S. laws, Southwest flight delays do not guarantee any flight compensation. However:
Below are the key points relating to Southwest flight delay compensation policy:
Note: Southwest will not rebook you on a partner flight or another airline at no additional cost if it doesn’t already have an agreement with them.
According to the Southwest delayed flight policy:
The Southwest delayed flight policy does not include free rebooking on partner airline/other airline flights with which it does not have an agreement.
U.S. laws do not provide financial compensation for flight delays, except in case of involuntary boarding denials. Since Southwest does not fly to or from Europe, its flights do not qualify for the European Union’s Flight Compensation Regulation 261/2004, which entitles passengers to compensation for flight delays of 3 hours or more.
Tip: If a flight has been delayed by more than 1 hour, Southwest has been known to almost always give delayed flight compensation, even though it’s not required. You will likely be issued a LUV Voucher as Southwest flight delay compensation, which you can use to travel later. The voucher has a 1-year validity, which means you must complete your travel before expiration. It can be used by anyone, even if it includes another person’s name.
Southwest flight delays are not required by U.S. laws to provide compensation, except for involuntary boarding denials. This means if your flight is delayed and you have not been involuntarily denied boarding, you will not be eligible for any compensation.
However, if your flight is delayed, Southwest will:
Note: Although not guaranteed, Southwest offers LUV Vouchers as flight delay compensation, depending on the length and reason for the delay. They can be used for future travel. You can also request a refund of the unused portion of your ticket, as long as you’re ready to rebook yourself to your destination on an alternative flight.
To learn about compensations relating to involuntary boarding denials, refer to the section titled Southwest Delayed Flight Compensation.
A Southwest LUV Voucher is a type of compensation provided by Southwest in case of flight delays, luggage delays, etc. It’s Southwest’s way of keeping customers happy. Southwest has been known to traditionally offer LUV Vouchers for flight delays of more than 1 hour (solely at its discretion)—although this is not required.
Southwest compensation for delayed flights applies only to passengers who have been involuntarily denied boarding and offered an alternative flight with a delayed scheduled arrival time (i.e., after the original flight). The amount of delayed flight compensation due to involuntary boarding denials will depend on the route (national/international) and the extent of the delay, as shown below.
Exceptions: You will not be entitled to any compensation if you’re offered comparable alternative transportation (at no additional charge) if it arrives at your stopover/destination within 1 hour after the scheduled arrival time of your original flight.
You have the option to receive compensation in the form of a draft (in your favor) or a Southwest LUV Voucher (if you wish) which you can use to complete your travel within 1 year from the date of issue of the voucher.
In Europe, delays exceeding 3 hours may entitle you to compensation under EU261, unless the flight delay resulted from extraordinary circumstances, such as bad weather, air traffic decisions outside the carrier’s control, political strife, security risks, etc. Eligible flights include flights within the European Union, flights departing from the E.U. to any country, including connecting flights booked within the U.S.
However, U.S. laws do not provide for Southwest flight delay compensations, unless you are involuntarily denied boarding and the alternative flight offered to you is delayed, i.e., arrives later than your original flight. The compensation will depend on the route (domestic/international) and the length of the delay.
The compensation for flight delays resulting from boarding denials on Southwest are as follows:
Southwest Airlines will pay the compensation on the day and place of the boarding denial. However, if it arranges alternative transportation before the payment of the compensation, you will receive the compensation by mail or other means no more than 24 hours after the boarding denial occurs.
You will initially be offered compensation by draft (payable to you) or with your consent, a LUV Voucher that you can use toward future travel.
The Southwest 1-hour delay compensation applies to alternative flights delayed by at least 1 hour when offered to a passenger who has been involuntarily denied boarding. If you were involuntarily denied boarding and offered an alternative flight that is planned to arrive at your first stopover, or if there’s no first stopover, your destination, the compensation will be at least 2 times the fare or USD 775, whichever is lower:
The Southwest 2-hour delay compensation applies to flights delayed by up to 2 hours when offered to passengers who have been denied boarding involuntarily. If you were denied boarding involuntarily and not offered an alternative flight, and the flight taken by you is scheduled to arrive late at your first stopover/destination within 2 hours of your original domestic flight, the compensation will be at least 4 times the fare or USD 1,550, whichever is lower.
The Southwest 3-hour delay compensation applies to flights offered to passengers who face involuntary boarding denials, and includes international flights scheduled to arrive late by:
The Southwest 3-hour delay compensation for the flights mentioned above is:
You should apply for flight delay compensation in the U.S. soon after your flight is disrupted. Although Southwest is not obligated by law to provide compensation for flight delays, long flight delays may offer restitution in the form of LUV Vouchers that you can use toward future travel. To place a compensation request, you will be required to provide your flight information, incl. your ticket number, so be sure to save this information.
You can apply for a flight delay compensation in any of the following ways:
When contacting Southwest’s customer service, have the following information with you:
Tip: Always be polite to the agent you engage with.
Below are a few cards that offer trip delay reimbursement, mostly for trips with a delay time of 6 – 12 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Southwest is not obliged by U.S. law to reimburse for delays. However, if your flight is overly delayed, you will be rebooked on another flight at no extra charge. Also, if the flight delay results in your having to wait for more than 3 hours for your new flight, you will be provided a meal or cash voucher, or reimbursed for the meal.
If a flight delay within the airline’s control (and not due to extraordinary circumstances like bad weather, etc.) necessitates an overnight stay, you will be provided free hotel accommodation plus free ground transportation to and from the airport or reimbursed for both as long as your claim is within reasonable limits.
The length of the delay will only apply if you were denied boarding and the flight on which you were rebooked arrives later than your originally booked flight.
If an alternative flight is offered to you, the length of the delay (vs. the original flight) that would entitle you to compensation from Southwest is:
1. More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours for a domestic flight, and
2. More than 1 hour but less than 4 hours for an international flight
If you’re not offered an alternative flight, the length of the delay (compared to the original flight) that will entitle you to compensation from Southwest is:
1. Up to 2 hours within the scheduled arrival time of the original flight on domestic routes, and
2. Up to 4 hours within the scheduled arrival time of the original flight on international routes
You can get compensated from Southwest by draft or LUV Voucher (if you wish). The compensation will be made on the day and place of the flight disruption. However, if you’re offered alternative transportation before the payment can be made, you will receive the compensation by mail or other means within 24 hours from the time the boarding denial occurs.
The Southwest delay compensation is only applicable if you’re involuntarily denied boarding and the alternative flight offered to you arrives later than the original flight.
If an alternative flight is offered to you and it is scheduled to arrive late, the compensation is 2 times the fare to your destination or USD 775, whichever is lower:
1. For domestic flights arriving more than 1 hour but less than 2 hours before the original flight
2. For international flights arriving more than 1 hour but less than 4 hours before the original flight
If no alternative flight is offered to you, the compensation is 400% of the fare to your destination or USD 1,550, whichever is lower:
1. For domestic flights arriving less than 2 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight
2. For international flights arriving within 4 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight
You can only get financial compensation for a delayed flight on Southwest Airlines if you were involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking and the alternative flight offered to you is scheduled to arrive late:
1. By more than 1 hour but less than 2 hours after your original flight on a domestic itinerary, and
2. By more than 1 hour but less than 4 hours on an international itinerary
However, if no alternative flight is offered to you, you will be entitled to compensation if your new flight is scheduled to arrive (late):
1. Within 2 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight on a domestic itinerary, and
2. Within 4 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight on an international itinerary
How long a domestic flight will have to be delayed to get compensation will depend on whether or not Southwest offers you an alternative flight to your first stopover/destination.
If Southwest offers you an alternative flight on a domestic route, the flight delay must be more than 1 hour compared to your original flight. If Southwest does not offer you an alternative flight on a domestic route, the flight delay can be within 2 hours of the original flight to entitle you to receive compensation.
Since Southwest does not fly to/from the EU where flight delays of 3 hours or more may entitle you to compensation and U.S. laws do not mandate compensation for delayed flights within the U.S., normal flight delays do not qualify for financial compensation.
The Southwest delayed flight compensation in 2023 applies only to involuntary boarding denial cases because U.S. laws do not require airlines to provide financial compensation for delayed flights.
If Southwest offers you alternative transportation with a scheduled arrival time that is later than that of your original flight, the compensation for the delayed flight is 2 times the fare or USD 775 (whichever is lower):
1. For domestic flights that arrive more than 1 hour but less than 2 hours after the original flight
2. For international flights that arrive more than 1 hour but less than 4 hours after the original flight
If Southwest does not (or is unable to offer) an alternative flight, you are entitled to a compensation of whichever is less—4 times the fare or USD 1,550:
1. For domestic flights that arrive within 2 hours after the original flight’s scheduled arrival time
2. For international flights that arrive within 4 hours after the original flight’s scheduled arrival time
Related Page
Latest Pages
Leave a Reply