Southwest Airlines review by Cynthia

Southwest Airlines denied my young children from boarding a plane 12 minutes before departure. They were re-booked on another flight which gave them a long layover that was not planned. I called customer service and asked if they could be compensated with meal vouchers because my hungry children, ages 9, 9, and 4 would need to eat. They refused because they claimed my family was late for the flight. They arrived at the airport at 2:30am for a 5:00am flight and were detained in security because my 9 year old daughter packed her rock collection. They arrived at the gate at 4:53am for a flight that left at 5:05am. Southwest's policy is to close the gate 10 minutes before departure, which means they should have been allowed to board. I asked to speak to a manager and was told managers do not take phone calls, but I was welcome to speak to a coordinator. The coordinator refused to offer any compensation and blamed my family for being late for the flight. Then she, her name was Dawn, hung up on me. Totally unreasonable. Zero customer service. No compassion for travelers. Never, ever fly this airline.