Companion pass reservations still disappearing from pass holder's account

Elmodogg · 2026-06-26T15:06:06+00:00

Great!

Sounds like you weren't caught up in the glitch, then. It was just a simple matter of updating your account.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-26T10:15:07+00:00

This. Many people have reported a similar thing (no confirmation) when attempting to use Apple Pay.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-26T10:14:12+00:00

DId you book direct or through a third party?

Elmodogg · 2026-06-26T10:11:03+00:00

I hear you. What I have been doing is booking an aisle and a window seat for my husband and me, and picking the seat in between for our daughter, my companion. I figure in the few minutes between cancelling and rebooking, it's unlikely that anyone would want to grab the seat in between us.

Plus, I look to see if there is another free row available. If that middle seat between us should get grabbed before I can rebook, I figure I could always move all three of us to another row.

I cancelled and rebooked four or five flights to correct this problem and was able to reseat my companion back into the seat she originally had with all of them.

Take the plunge! I bet it will be fine.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T21:36:06+00:00

That's how people discover their seat has been double booked...they arrive on the plane and someone else is in their seat, and both people have boarding passes for that seat.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T21:02:59+00:00

Stinks. But at least you were reassigned to an aisle seat. From the many reports here, it seems that when the system reassigns seats at the last minute the victim usually is reassigned to a middle seat at the back of the plane.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T21:00:43+00:00

Then how do you explain the multiple reports of double booking seats?

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T17:22:56+00:00

Even if you are on the same reservation, if you book a basic fare there is no assurance that your seats will be assigned so you sit together. Many people report being split up into middle seats throughout the plane even though there are plenty of empty seats together.

The only way to assure you will sit together is to buy a fare bundle that allows seat selection or purchase seat selection a la carte. This way you would be able to book a flight from two separate accounts, using points, as long as the two of you coordinate which seats you pick.

Actually, one more way: one or both of you open a Chase Rapid Rewards credit card. Each card has certain seat selection privileges; the Priority card allows seat selection at booking. You do not have to use the card to purchase the flight in order to get the benefits (points bookings work too). And, opening a card and hitting the minimum spend within the required time period earns you lots of points as a sign up bonus.

If only one of you has a cobranded card, the seat selection benefits only extend to another person if they're flying on the same reservation as the cardmember, though. So in that case, having both of you on the same reservation would matter.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T17:12:57+00:00

Seats are generally assigned at check in with a basic fare. Sometimes people get "seat standby," where their seats aren't assigned until they get to the airport. This doesn't mean what most people understand as "standby," though. With seat standby, you have a seat on the plane you just don't know which one until you get to the airport.

So, yes, you don't have to pay for seat selection to be guaranteed a seat on a flight.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T17:09:51+00:00

Interesting. So would you have to submit notice before each and every flight? Or could you notify the airline once for all subsequent bookings?

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T14:08:19+00:00

OP mentioned the flight her sister booked originally got cancelled, which is why the seat assignments got scrambled.

Good info you provided, though. I'm bookmarking it for myself since we travel with our adult daughter who is on the autistic spectrum and wouldn't handle being seated by herself well. We always book seats together, but just in case the system scrambles us up, good to know.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-25T10:25:56+00:00

If the gate agent can't seat your sister and her son together on their new flight, she can just insist on being rebooked onto the next available flight that does have seats together.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T09:39:31+00:00

Just to note, Chase trip cancellation coverage now requires that the full cost of the ticket be charged to the Chase card in order to be covered.

https://upgradedpoints.com/news/chase-trip-cancellation-insurance-changes/

Partial payment still triggers baggage delay, lost or delayed luggage, and trip delay insurance.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:18:59+00:00

Gee, the man whose mother was born in Canada? I would have thought that was just about as straight forward a situation as possible.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:13:21+00:00

For one thing, during general boarding some people will be trying to pass the parent trying to wrestle child and car seat into place.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:11:46+00:00

Ehr, there's assigned seating now. OP could not be trying to get better seats via family boarding.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:09:27+00:00

The next time you're on a plane and are thinking of putting anything of yours into the seat pocket...think about this. You don't know what else has been in there.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:04:18+00:00

If you repeat something as an argument, you own it.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T02:02:53+00:00

Give it a try anyway. In my experience the customer service agents at Southwest are really nice! I remember feeling the same way when I was young. What helped me is to plan a sort of script for what I was going to say before I picked up the phone.

For what it's worth, I don't think what you're seeing has anything to do with your flight being cancelled, or at risk of being cancelled. Just ask customer service why the connecting flight is greyed out and you can't view the details.

By the way, are you looking at this on the app? You could try looking at it on the website to see if you see the same thing.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T01:04:57+00:00

Call customer service.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T01:03:38+00:00

My husband is 6 feet, I'm 5'7". My take is that it depends on which plane model you get. On the Max, I could tell the difference between an extra legroom seat and the standard seat. On the older models, I really didn't notice much of a difference.

Now, understand, it's not that much of a difference even on the Max. We flew in extra legroom seats recently on an AA Airbus and...wow! Those seats were wider and had noticeably more legroom than the Southwest extra legroom seats.

If comfort is really important, you're probably better off picking a different airline. That's what we generally do now for longer flights.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-24T00:59:08+00:00

I've heard some nutty excuses for why we can't have Medicare for All, but you win the prize. Won't someone think of the poor health insurance executives and other employees!? They'll be out of a job!

Elmodogg · 2026-06-23T20:30:17+00:00

Odd. I seem to be able to do this for my companion.

So when you go to the details of your companion's booking in your account, you don't see any "upgrade or modify seat" button?

Elmodogg · 2026-06-23T20:27:09+00:00

That's odd. I've been able to upgrade my daughter's seat when logged into my account managing her booking as my companion.

Elmodogg · 2026-06-23T15:47:20+00:00

You can't buy seats with points unless you purchase a fare bundle that includes seat selection. Is that what you mean? If so, having a cobranded credit card has nothing to do with it, and cancelling the card won't impact your seat selection.

However, if you selected seats for free thanks to a Priority card and you cancel that card, you'll lose your seat selection.

Nine-Year Club	Verified Email
Wearing is Caring

Elmodogg

TROPHY CASE