Affected by a Southwest Flight Delay or Cancellation? Here's How to Request Reimbursement

The airline has a reimbursement request form for those who went through holiday travel disruptions.

It wasn't a good holiday season for Southwest Airlines, or for quite a few of its passengers. Due to inclement weather, outdated computer systems, and staffing shortages, the carrier had to cancel over 16,700 flights over the holidays.

Flight issues like these are frustrating and often expensive. Many passengers had no choice but to spend money on a hotel, meals, and new flights or rental cars. If a Southwest flight delay or cancellation affected you, the airline has provided information online for how to request reimbursement.

How to request reimbursement for Southwest flight issues

If you had disrupted travel with Southwest Airlines between Dec. 24, 2022 and Jan. 2, 2023, visit Southwest Travel Disruption. This page has a refund request form for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed between those dates. You can use it to request a refund of the unused portion of your ticket. To fill out the form, provide your:

• Reservation confirmation number
• First name
• Last name

You only need to fill out this form once for all the travelers on your reservation. Upon request, you should receive a refund within seven business days.

If you incurred additional expenses, such as a hotel stay, food, a rental car, or any other reasonable extra costs, you'll need to submit your receipts to Southwest by email. Here's how:

• Visit the Southwest Email Us page.
• Click "Expense Reimbursement Request," and then click "Next."
• Fill out the form with a description, expense information, and your contact information, and attach your receipts.

Southwest says it will honor "reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel accommodations, and alternate transportation."

The airline has partnered with Hyperwallet for reimbursement payments. When your reimbursement is processed, you'll get an email from Southwest to let you know that your request is approved and to provide your customer ID. Within a few days, you'll get an email from Hyperwallet with instructions and a link to access your payment. If you don't see it, check your junk and spam folders.

Lost, damaged, or delayed baggage

Southwest hasn't provided much information online about baggage issues. Its travel disruption page advises contacting the airline if your baggage was lost, damaged, or delayed, either through Southwest Contact Us or by calling 1-888-202-1024. The Department of Transportation says airlines are responsible for up to $3,800 per passenger for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage, for domestic flights.

It's also worth checking to see if you have any travel insurance plan that covers baggage. Even if you didn't purchase a travel insurance plan yourself, many travel credit cards provide complimentary protections. If you used a travel credit card to purchase your airfare, see if it has any type of baggage insurance. You can find this in your card's guide to benefits, or you can contact the card issuer.

Claim your 25,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points

Southwest is also offering a goodwill gesture of 25,000 Rapid Rewards points. That many Southwest points can be redeemed for $300 or more in airfare.

The offer is available to all customers who were on flights that were canceled or delayed longer than three hours between Dec. 24, 2022 and Jan. 2, 2023. It's available to every paid and ticketed customer on the reservation, and it's in addition to refunds and reimbursements.

If you're eligible for this offer, you should have received an email from Southwest. The email will include a code to claim your 25,000 points. If there were multiple eligible customers on your reservation, you'll get codes for each of them.

Make sure to claim your points before they expire on March 31, 2023. You can do so on the Southwest Rapid Rewards points site.

Where to go for further assistance

Hopefully, you're able to get reimbursement from Southwest without issue. Many travelers have reported that Southwest honored their reimbursement requests for additional expenses. If you run into any issues, you have a few options available to you.

First, make sure to file a claim with travel insurance, if you have any. Remember that many top credit cards include travel protections as complimentary extras. If you paid for your Southwest reservation with a credit card, review that card's benefits. It may have trip cancellation insurance or trip delay insurance that can help cover expenses.

You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Airlines are required to acknowledge these complaints within 30 days of receiving them and respond to them in writing within 60 days.

Southwest's flight issues demonstrate just how badly travel plans can go awry. While issues like these don't happen often, it's good to be prepared for them, just in case. The safest option is to have travel insurance, either through a policy you purchase or through credit card insurance, that covers you if your flight gets delayed or canceled.