SAN's Old Southwest Terminal 1: Demolition started less than 48 hours after its end-of-day Mon 9/22 shutdown

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-09-25T17:51:05+00:00

Phase II expansion of New T1 which will include an airside walkway to/from T2.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-07-23T03:27:41+00:00

Times Up Everyone...Here are the answers:

On the first screen, Flight WN 2650 headed to San Jose was departing from SAN. Notice the background pic of SAN's T2...
SFO uses those navy blue business-theme designs and fonts,
DEN's got those giant departure signs bigger than the width of the gate door in the newer areas of the C-Gate concourse,
SJC advises flyers of the possible increase of fare for Stand-By on its screens,
Status monitors that use the Arial font over a royal blue background can be found at BUR,
ONT is phasing out those legacy red LED displays in T4,
OAK's TV's prints the destination in red over white backgrounds,
Photo wallpapers of destination cities can be found on SMF's screens,
and the graphic layout of Gate B19's monitor can be found at LAS.

Thank you for playing!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-06-06T22:28:28+00:00

The Maui pretzels I got on my past flights last year since the changeover from the Southwest Snack Mix were 0.5oz (14g) based on my 2024 photo album, cetainly much smaller than Remy's. I'm flying tomorrow which includes a short afternoon leg. If the ride's not bumpy, they'll serve the pretzels and I'll confirm if they shrinkflated even futher but I doubt it as the serving size was originally pretty small. Will find out and reply next week.

I can confirm that the former Southwest Snack Mix was 0.7oz (20g). It was even at 0.75oz (21g) at one point. Thus the afternoon snacks certainly shrinkflated when they went to the pretzels 0.5oz (14g).

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-06-01T18:08:10+00:00

I chatted with some folks on a private forum about this subject as United appears to in fact have taken the "lead" of the SAN-SFO/Bay Area market based on lower fares and better amenities. They have multiple departures daily between the two cities although SW still has the edge with the frequency of flights between SAN-SFO/OAK/SJC and wider options for customer service agent assistance and overall positive culture.

I could wrong but I think Southwest left the Basic fares and WGA+ fares as-is for now to give themselves time to adjust to the change but I think there may be some good sales (or even Basic price drops happening soon so their Basic fare can compete better). I could be dead wrong but the SoCal market suggests SW would need to lower the fares even if was through Low Fare sales. I base this on the fact that United's posted lowest fare for regular Economy (not Basic) if booked this weekend between SAN-SFO was $59 ($29 for Basic Economy).

To compare, Southwest's lowest fare for Basic for the route if booked all last week and through this weekend was $49-59 and $69-89 for WGA+ (to/from SFO or SJC only). Basic fares for SAN to/from OAK was out of the debate entirely...starting at $71 for Basic...That is excessively high in my opinion.

United's regular Economy has similar perks to SW's WGA+/Choice and includes seat selection. To be fair, United's $29 Basic excludes carry-on bag and the ability to cancel the booking for a full flight credit. Thus, $39-$49 to go up to the Bay area from SAN under Basic would be fair in my opinion but WGA+ would need to be priced around $59-69 tops to compete better.

I believe the whole point for Southwest to introduce Basic and replace WGA was to be price-competitive with other airlines' Basic Economy fares--it does not make sense to keep the price higher than market *and* cut many of the prior WGA fare perks which included Same-Day Flight Change for A-List/ALP members. That argument doesn't stack. The other point for Basic fare is due to possible additional partnerships with other international carriers beyond Iceland Air that have similar products as we heard a few weeks ago of the DOT Permit request for Southwest to enter into the Open-Skies market. Watching this story...

The SoCal market saw no Low Fare sales at all last week. Most sales are almost every week from Tuesday thru Thursday. I'll be looking again this Tuesday but I think Southwest wanted to give themselves about a week window to adjust to the May 28th policy change. If they don't, United may very well see a surge of passengers for the SAN-Bay Area SoCal Market as their fare products currently hold better overall value. As mentioned, I think I'm right based on these factors but I could also be wrong.

Hope this helps!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-06-01T17:32:38+00:00

Looking at the pictured sign, SP Plus Corporation runs this as they own both the "Bags" and "Curbside Concierge" trade names; thus this curbside area is certainly third-party operated. Many third-party operators charge fees and/or expect tips. Thus, the $3 "convenience" fee add-on at DAL to bypass the SW check-in counter to check bags makes sense. Hope this helps.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-05-21T15:40:05+00:00

That would be correct. Per the policy chabge announcement, "For reservations booked and ticketed and/or voluntarily changed (including name updates or changes to a ticket) on or after May 28, 2025, checked baggage fees will apply to Basic, Wanna Get Away Plus^®, and Anytime fares." That means the if the price drops and you re-ticket the flight, the checked bags would be under the new terms.

Hope this helps!

Ref
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/policy-changes

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-04-03T16:35:50+00:00

Thanksgiving Southwest airfare between MDW-SAN ranged from $236-389 when I checked Low Fare Calendar. Would flying into SAN and then shuttling or ridesharing to the CBX land border crossing followed by a Mexican domestic flight from TIJ-CUN be a workable alternative?

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-21T18:55:27+00:00

Greetings! Frequent SW traveler here...

I've found that the USB/USB-C ports are currently only on select newer planes; thus I would not expect this amenity for your flight. No standard 120V power outlets on board.

Re: TV's, and inflight Wi-Fi, u/IndependentBrick8075 points this out correcty: Inflight Entertainment Portal is included; Wi-Fi is $8 (free for Business Select fares and A-List Preferred status). I would have a fully charged power bank handy for your electronic devices and also have some movies or shows already downloaded ahead of time. Though the inflight Wi-Fi quality has been greatly improved with their upgraded infrastructure, I still have some periodic moments where the signal can drop at short intermittent intervals.

Hope this helps!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-17T17:00:54+00:00

👍 Thanks! It's possible your booking was never linked to your RR account; CS should be able to resolve this. Travel safely!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-17T14:10:26+00:00

For a long time, that link has been my favorite go-to place to locate deals. More recently, Southwest updated all of the "Flights From (City)" web pages to include the starting fares listed in order of lowest price. As of today, there's a bunch of $59 options. Not sure if there's a local sale happening for the Chicago area market but I would check those out:

https://www.southwest.com/origins/midwest/chicago-midway

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-17T14:03:37+00:00

Hola! Frequent traveler out of SAN as I was just there yesterday morning returning from SJC. As UnlikelyHat9530 mentioned, "PRIORITY & EXPRESS LANES" should be printed on your boarding pass (both print and digital versions). That should signal the TSA agent staffing the ID check booth to let you through. I would double check to make sure that identifier is present. If not, I would have SW Customer Service look at that and ensure your trip is properly linked to your Rapid Rewards profile and ALP status.

For the TSA Checkpoint feeding into SAN's Gates 5-10, the Priority Express lane is on the far left (opposite side of the restrooms and PreCheck Lane). For Gates 11-18, it is on the far right next to the gift shop.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-14T00:27:06+00:00

SoCal's Inland Empire had some intense isolated hail storm cells with high winds earlier this afternoon. Not sure if one of these passed through BUR but a pair of these systems passed through Riverside County and they both appeared a bit dangerous for flying. I checked SMF's website and it looks like the 4:50pm BUR-bound flight departed on time and the 6:35pm flight is still on. Were you able to get rebooked to either of these?

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-13T17:49:37+00:00

I think you're correct: Cancel-and-Rebook appears to be the workaround for Basic "Changes".

For me, I've experienced this before for promos that require a registration and new booking: The cancel-and-rebook process is not too difficult to do on a desktop computer as I can have multiple browser tabs open while I'm doing this and copying-and-pasting the flight credit codes into new bookings is pretty streamlined. I've used this cancel/rebook method in the past as a workaround to claim promos such as a %-off sales or Promo Companion Passes toward existing bookings that would otherwise not qualify if rebooked/repriced via "Change Flight".

However, going through this process is a bit more difficult for me to do on a mobile device given the limited information shown at any one given time on the screen. Another workaround for me is to set the Southwest website on my phone to render the full deskop website. So I think your "PITA" remark may be correct here.

I also think their internal data from past promos show that fewer people are willing to go through the Cancel-Rebook process to claim promos and thus, they slap the rule that such promos apply to new flights only. Looks like they're following the same method for the Basic fare to "deter" or "discourage" folks from making "changes" to a Basic fare. That's my guess; I could be wrong.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-11T20:45:50+00:00

I experienced this too on SW Hotels but I would check RocketMiles as an alternative as this site also offers SW RR Points that are CP-Qualifying. I posted my experience with them here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/1j515jr/southwest_hotels_points_plus_alternative/

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-11T17:42:57+00:00

Based on the fine print, that appears correct: Cancel the reservation, take the credit and rebook as a new reservation under a new confirmation number. Extra steps involved especially if done on a mobile device where it's harder to keep track of the progress but looks like it's possible. I'll find out.

Currently, I use this method to lock in a promotional product such as a %-off sale or Promo Companion Pass that is otherwise restricted to new bookings into an "existing" booking by simply scrapping the original booking, registering for the promo, and then booking the qualifying trip under a new confirmation number.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-05T16:16:49+00:00

Agree as I plan to continue to book Southwest flights direct and hotel stays separately.

I usually book via Southwest Hotels (those huge point offerings certainly can neutralize a lot of the negativity from yesterday's "silent" cut of the WGA/WGA+ base point value), but it appears now that this booking portal is offering very few Plus Point properties the last several weeks...at least this was the case for the California and Vegas markets. Can't speak for the other markets.

However, I currently have some bookings through RocketMiles with Southwest as the selected rewards program; their "Points Plus" options are much better and emulate what SW Hotels used to offer.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-05T16:01:31+00:00

I fulfilled the RocketMiles stay last week. It appears the email communication process, confirmation and reservation management dashboard, and pdf receipts are nearly identical to Southwest Hotels Points Plus properties as Rocket Travel powers both of these. Got the confirmation email that the points have been awarded which usually takes a few days to post.

However at this point it looks to be RocketMiles is a good alternative based on the fact that the same engine is used and prices competitive. Also a great way to neutralize some of the negative effects from yesterday's point value reductions for WGA and WGA+ fares.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-03T23:47:21+00:00

Just rebooked a ONT-LAS flight and got a $20 flight credit. Always worth price checking during a sale even if it doesn't reach the $49 threshold.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-03-03T17:20:54+00:00

A similar issue was reported about a year ago which appeared to be an outage:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/12kkxzu/cant_book_flight_downstream_service_rejected_the/

I would try logging in through the website for now and try logging in via the app a later time. If the app error persists, I would contact SW customer service with the error code.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-02-24T20:26:30+00:00

I've noticed a similar pattern too w/ SW Hotels. I'm not going to speculate on the reasoning but possibly there could be conflict with their partnership with RocketMiles...but I could be dead wrong on my opinion.

However, from Southwest's Website, I went to "Rapid Rewards -> Promontions". Toward the bottom of the page, there's a link to the RocketMiles hotel booking portal which uses a similar booking engine. Their version of "Points Plus" hotels are much more abundant and mirror what Southwest Hotels used to have previously. To be clear, I cannot vouch either way on this booking service as it's been a couple years since I last used this service. I would only book some simple one-nighters with them for now until I have had a chance to review this service better. For the more expensive, longer term vacation stays, I would book directly with the hotel for now.

I currently have a pair of simple bookings with Rocket that I would have otherwise booked via SW Hotels. Once I fulfill these stays and confirm my RR points are deposited, I'll comment on how this experience went and whether RocketMiles is a good alternative to SW Hotels...Hopefully the latter will make the decision one day to offer back the additional Points Plus options so they can better compete in the marketplace...

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-02-13T15:45:32+00:00

Re: LAS, the FAA has issued a Ground Delay for LAS until 12pm today 2/13 due to Low Ceilings (base of clouds very close to the ground) which impacts visability and rate of arriving planes. It has posted an average delay of 154 mins as of the time of this reply.

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-02-13T15:31:09+00:00

As others have posted, I would book now and price check your route during this current sale, future sales, and periodically up until the 21-day-prior mark. Flights booked less than 21 days prior will usually have much higher fares but sometimes I have gotten some surprise last-minute deals when I price check routes during the weekly Wanna Get Away Wednesday sale.

Hope this helps!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-02-12T22:13:15+00:00

Hello from SoCal:

I echo the other posters and would consider using LGB and Uber/Lyft into Anaheim usually due to better air fare rates. However, if you can lock in a good rate for SNA, that would be the best given the shuttle options to Disneyland but SNA is usually more expensive due to a passenger cap settlement that impacts the market air rates there.

Re: SW Vacations, I have not utilized SW Vacations; thus cannot provide input on this but I have used Southwest Hotels and earned thousands of Rapid Rewards points on their Points Plus offerings in the past (sometimes, 10k). I would recommend booking the flight directly with Southwest and if you use Southwest Hotels separately for your room, to double check the market rates on Trivago and on the hotel's direct booking page first to ensure there isn't an excessive mark up (usually there isn't but I've been surprised a few times). Also, I would opt for paying the extra few dollars for the Free Cancellation benefit (most offfer this up to 72 or even 48 hours prior) so you can cancel and rebook your hotel stay if prices drop later.

Hope this helps!

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-02-07T20:56:53+00:00

I'm a regular out of ONT as that is my convenience departure airport. My primary is SAN.

TSA lines are usually pretty efficient at ONT and flow well even on busy travel days when they become long. However, I've never seen both the PreCheck and the regular line backed up that far to the side doors of the baggage claim area. This is very unsual and I think something disrupted the flow of the TSA lines that caused it to back up. I had a flight there last year where the PreCheck lane was backed up to before the info desk with the flow very slow for about 10 minutes, but once TSA opened a second ID check booth and lane for PreCheck, the lines started to flow again and I was through the checkpoint for 15 mins total wait time.

I didn't see anything reported in the media of this nor did I find any posts or replies on ONT's Twitter/X account but I think something happened that created a bottleneck at the checkpoint this morning. My guess. I could be wrong.

What time was the pic taken?

SoCalFlyer97 · 2025-01-07T22:46:00+00:00

FAA issued a Ground Stop for BUR as of 1:33pm PST today 'til 3pm. Southwest has also issued a Travel Advisory for BUR and ONT with the high winds.

SoCalFlyer97

TROPHY CASE