This is one of the reasons why I would never put my dog or cat in a cargo hold. I am flying my "grandcat" Mya  to Hawaii in May and Alaska Air was the only airline that would allow me to have her in the cabin all the way to Hawaii. It is well worth the $100 to have her with me on the plane.

The articles states it is for the "wanna getaway" tickets. It's just common courtesy to call and cancel your flight if you are not going to show up. You still get to check 2 bags free, which is more than you can say for the other airlines. I will continue to use SW as I have never had a bad flight or problem.