I remember back when an app update was a big deal. Developers would wait until they had a bunch of changes and then release them all together. If something broke or there was a huge security issue, they’d issue an emergency patch but you didn’t need to worry about looking for updates all the time. That’s no longer the case.
Every small change now gets its own update. I guess that’s due to the prevalence of fast, inexpensive data transmission. Setting your device to download updates automatically removes the need to look for new updates daily.
However, constant app updates make it very easy to miss new functions, even ones that are incredibly helpful. (I like TripIt’s approach of a one-time alert of the changes after you update to the latest version.) I found out about a new function of the Southwest app buried at the bottom of a flight confirmation email.
You can now split a reservation on the Southwest app.
For example, say you have a trip with multiple people on the same reservation. They’ll all be included on a single PNR (that’s the code of six letters and numbers assigned by the airline). If one person on that reservation needs to change their flight, you must split the reservation, assigning a new PNR to the person who will travel separately from everyone else.
Until now, you needed to call Southwest to do this. But you can now divide the booking on the Southwest app or at Southwest.com.
Delta, American and Jetblue require a phone call to split a PNR. United is the only other major US airline I could find that offers the ability to split a PNR online.
Final Thought
Southwest has been on a roll updating the mobile app. In 2022, they started selling Upgraded Boarding seat positions on the app, which is way easier than purchasing it at the airport. Now you can divide a reservation online. I’m curious whether other airlines will follow United and Southwest’s example.
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