If you see a Facebook post advertising free Southwest Airlines tickets in return for a simple reply, odds are it’s too good to be true.
Such was the message the Texas-based carrier had for travelers on Sunday when it posted a clarification calling out a scam circulating on the platform. The airline’s message included a screenshot of a Facebook post from a group called Southwest Air Fans, which had posted a viral status while seemingly posing as a Southwest-affiliated entity. The status featured an image claiming the airline was celebrating its 69th anniversary by giving away two roundtrip tickets to anyone who responded “(Done)” by 5 p.m. Sunday.
The now-deleted post received over 1 million responses and 6,000 shares before it was taken down. The official Southwest Airlines account noted in its own post that the offer was a “scam” and warned travelers to always check for verification of a post’s authenticity before engaging.
“Many of you may have seen this post from a fake account claiming to offer two roundtrip tickets,” the airline stated. “While we like great flight deals as much as the next airline, this one is unfortunately not real, and wasn’t posted by Southwest Airlines.”
Southwest Airlines has responded to a viral scam that made its way around Facebook on Sunday offering free roundtrip tickets to users who commented on the post.
FacebookSouthwest further noted that the bogus anniversary claim was about 18 years off the mark.
“For the record, we’re celebrating our 51st anniversary this year, not our 69th,” the post stated.
A personal blog called “Southwest Air Fans” still exists on Facebook. Its only post, made Sunday, asks users to “like” its page and complete a “registration” process on another site in exchange for tickets.
A Facebook blog called “Southwest Air Fans” went viral Sunday after posing as a Southwest-affiliated entity offering free airfare to users.
FacebookSome users responding to Southwest’s scam alert were amazed that so many people had seemingly fallen for the ploy.
“Use your brain people,” commented user Marc Barrison. “Does anyone really believe that a major corporation is going to give away billions of $ in goods and services. I saw the same thing for Texas Roadhouse today as well. A little critical thinking goes [a long] way.”
Southwest Airlines is among a number of U.S. carriers that have cut flights from their spring schedules and raised ticket prices amid booming demand in 2022. The price of airfare has risen more than 40 percent in the United States since the beginning of the year and ticket prices are projected to balloon another 10 percent by the end of May.
