Another stupid SW question - one way vs. roundtrip

[jjarman]

Since SW only releases one week at a time it seems (or do they, another stupid question), when my departure date comes out should I go ahead and book one way flights and then wait a month or so until the return date is posted and then book another one way flight back? Or should I wait until both of my dates are released? We are flying Saturday and Saturday.

 

[seashoreCM]

Advantages of round trip purchase:

1. Cheaper than two one-ways (when and if),

2. Not stuck with just one way if the fare for the other way goes up while you are in the process of booking.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

If you are only interested in rock bottom fares, it is impossible to tell you when to buy, although generally it is better to wait for a fare war rather than buy at their eveyday low price.

 

[simzac]

As far as I know, SW does not offer discounts on round trip purchases, so two-one way tickets would be the same price as a round trip ticket. Thus, go ahead and buy the first leg of your trip if you are positive you will be flying on SW. JMO

 

[MEK]

Since you are flying on a weekend, I would buy the departure flight. That guarantees you get the time you want. If you wait too long then the weekend flights fill up. I waited too long to book my return from Orlando and now I have to leave at 6pm on a Sunday. Since I am flying out on a Tuesday, I am waiting for cheaper fares before I book the departure flight. Good luck!

____________________________________________________

Max is my favorite cat!

 

[tmt martins]

Also with SWA it's easier to change (get cheaper) flights when they are booked one way under one Ressie # .This comes into play if you get Ding fare for one leg and not the other .

So yes with SWA one way is the way to go.

The only downfall isyou get flagged for security sometimes more with the one-way trips.

 

[zurgswife]

I always book 2 one way tickets because it is easier to change the ticket when discounts come out...Also, there is no discount on SW to book a roundtrip ticket.

 

[evaready51]

This happened to me in Nov 2005 when I was booking for March 2006. I booked the outbound flight and LOL booked the return on 12/21/2005 while on DCL. It worked out well.

evaready51
Barrington, Il

 

[puffkin]

That is exactly what we did on our December trip.

SW doesn't discount or distinguish between roundtrip and one way tickets. It is also easier to get discounts if you do it this way.

 

[karrit2000]

Contrary to what others have posted on this thread, SWA does occasionally offer slightly lower fares that require a RT purchase. That being said, the Dings that may come up and/or special sales usually will be a a better deal than the RT ticket. For this reason I started booking 1-way tickets because they are easier to change if a Ding is only offered for one leg of your trip. I have rebooked many flights and aquired many credits by rebooking at cheaper rates after making the original reservations. I have also had to book 1-way tickets because my departure dates often are offered for purchase before my return dates. I like to lock in the flight I prefer and then keep checking for lower rates. The times I've waited for both ways to be available have usually resulted in higher fares or not getting my choice flight time.