Dear Southwest.... I hate you.....

[jennapens]

I cannot believe the lack of flights around Thanksgiving. No morning non stop flights from PIT. Best deal was flying out Thanksgiving day at 1:30. Complete waste of a day!! If I wasn't so against paying baggage fees, I'd be booking AirTran in a minute.

(And I'll probably end up booking Air Tran and paying the baggage fees.)

 

[deakam]

by Thanksgiving Airtran will be Southwest. The two are due to merge any time now. Southwest already owns Airtran and it is just a matter of time before they intertwine their schedules and drop a number of flights. No non-stops sounds like they already started.

 

[disnutt]

Had the same problem we were supposed to take that nice direct flight out of PIT Friday morning. Ha! It's gone.

I can't believe my DH was willing to go along with the afternoon flight out on Thanksgiving. I originally wanted him to leave on Thanksgiving anyway but we arranged our DVC rooms to start on Friday! So, I get what I wanted in the first place but I didn't want it by now.

 

[DebbieB]

by Thanksgiving Airtran will be Southwest. The two are due to merge any time now. Southwest already owns Airtran and it is just a matter of time before they intertwine their schedules and drop a number of flights. No non-stops sounds like they already started.

They will not be combining operations until first quarter 2012. Considering prices I've been seeing posted, it would probably be cheaper to book AirTran and pay the baggage fees. In one case I saw posted, SW was $200 more. Are you really getting free bags?

http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/lowfaresfarther.html

Southwest currently expects that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will grant the airline a Single Operating Certificate (SOC) in the first quarter of 2012, at which time Southwest will work toward full integration. After SOC is achieved, Southwest will gradually transition the AirTran fleet into the Southwest paint scheme—one color, one brand. Ultimately, this acquisition will create an expanded low-cost, low-fare carrier with outstanding Customer Service and a unique Culture. Customers will be informed throughout the process with updates on southwest.com, airtran.com and lowfaresfarther.com. In the meantime, Employees from both airlines will continue doing what they’ve always done—delivering world-class Customer Service, operating efficiently and Safely, and taking care of our Customers.

 

[disnutt]

The price for our dates from PIT was the same on AirTran and SWA. So if the ticket prices are the same and you have to pay for luggage on AirTran I guess we are getting free luggage on SWA. Also, I had 2 SWA awards.

 

[Ro Z]

Tues after Thanksgiving. 2 non-stops from Manchester NH. 6am or 330pm! The lack of non-stops, the new rewards system and now you can't give your credits to anyone else has me rethinking SW but.......they are still the cheapest! Believe me I have looked!

 

[kalebandnoahsmomq]

I want morning flight and not one available for our dates. Air tran has one and the price is the same. I am guessing with 5 of us we can put alot of stuff in carryons and check one bag maybe two. Really thinking of air tran. We are also flyin out of Pitt on Nov 28th

 

[DSLRuser]

Way too early to get uptight. They change routes around every week. Relax. Keep an eye on it.

 

[crashbb]

Way too early to get uptight. They change routes around every week. Relax. Keep an eye on it.

Actually, no. Southwest tends to make few (if any) changes to their schedule once announced.

They also do not announce their schedule as far in advance as most other airlines (hence the thread about SW opening up their schedule today).

 

[mdsd8700]

There does seem to be a lack or certainly less non-stop flights then before. We fly Chicago to Orlando. We were lucky enough when the schedule opened up this am that there was one non stop on the way down and one on the way back that worked for us. However in the past it seemed there were always several flights to choose from and that no longer seems to be the case. The fairs were higher than I expected, but went along with it just so we would have something. I am going to be in Disney for Thanksgiving, so all is good.

Agree with a PP, I don't understand how someflights were sold out at 6 am? That just seems crazy!

 

[Brian Noble]

If I wasn't so against paying baggage fees, I'd be booking AirTran in a minute.

Don't let principle get in the way of your vacation. If the total price (fare+baggage+seats) is in your price range, at times you like, book it. At least in my market, SW is typically *more* expensive than at least one or two of the three airlines that fly nonstop, even after accounting for luggage fees, and SW has no non-stop flights.

Every once in a while, they have a really good deal. Usually not.

There does seem to be a lack or certainly less non-stop flights then before.

This has been going on for almost two years now. Airlines have figured out that lowering capacity leads to better profits, because they can charge higher fares for the seats that remain. And, if you were going to cut capacity, would you cut the routes that business travelers (who will pay almost anything) fly, or the ones that hyper-price-sensitive leisure travelers dominate?

Yeah, me too.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Way too early to get uptight. They change routes around every week. Relax. Keep an eye on it.

You seem to post a lot of misinformation. It would be helpful if you checked your facts before posting. Just a suggestion to improve the helpfulness of these boards.

OP - why not check the rates for other airlines? You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[chartle]

I was going to post in another thread. But I think this may apply to my situation also.

A co worker is going the the week before thanksgiving and she can't find any early non stops from PIT on SW but there are flights for Airtran.

So I if read this thread right, she should book airtran now and not wait because she shouldn't expect any added flights on SW.

 

[DSLRuser]

You seem to post a lot of misinformation. It would be helpful if you checked your facts before posting. Just a suggestion to improve the helpfulness of these boards.
.

Uh no. I was watching south west for the last 3 months on my trip for this week. And routes, connections and prices changed weekly, if not daily. Thanks giving is 6 months away. Relax. People on these boards are way too uptight on things like this

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

by Thanksgiving Airtran will be Southwest. The two are due to merge any time now. Southwest already owns Airtran and it is just a matter of time before they intertwine their schedules and drop a number of flights. No non-stops sounds like they already started.

They have merged.

However, operating as one airline will take MUCH longer. Thanksgiving is optomisitic!

However, I disagree with DSLRuser. Airfares on SW change daily. Times... RARELY! Generally when they release a schedule they actually intend to fly it. If you are seeing "changes" that probably means that flight availbilty changed not that SW changed the times etc. So if there is not a morning flight from your city to MCO on the schedule one probably won't magically appear.

 

[mom2brooke76]

Uh no. I was watching south west for the last 3 months on my trip for this week. And routes, connections and prices changed weekly, if not daily. Thanks giving is 6 months away. Relax. People on these boards are way too uptight on things like this

They may have added a new flight, because they did for my trip a couple of weeks ago. Initially there were no afternoon non-stops from BHM to MCO, so I was forced to book one with a change of planes. About two weeks later I checked prices and they had added a new non-stop flight. I've seen prices go up and down too. I will say though, I've been flying Southwest regularly for the past 8+ years and have NEVER seen them change an already published flight (departure/arrival time).

 

[Ro Z]

Way too early to get uptight. They change routes around every week. Relax. Keep an eye on it.

The only thing I have found that SW changes from MHT is the price. I checked yesterday and the rate was $139. Today $124. But no change in the schedules. Only 2 non-stops. One too early and the other too late!

 

[ericamcl]

The preferred flights for my DH were gone when I tried to book on Tuesday. As it stands now he will be in St Louis for less than 24 hours because of the new crappy flight schedule. We're hoping they'll add more flights with in the next few months and then we'll just change his flight home.

 

[stacyz]

I was also looking to book that Southwest nonstop morning flight out of Pittsburgh to Orlando the day after Thanksgiving. That flight is always filled. We've been taking that flight for years - I was very surprised to not see it listed.
We now have to decide if we are going to book the afternoon flight in hopes that a morning flight is offered, and we can switch then.

 

[MEK]

I am experiencing the same problem out of Philly or Baltimore in December. The non stop flights seem to have evaporated. OK. I am exaggerating, but there are only about 4 a day. In Philly there is one at 12:40pm and then not again until 7:15 pm. That's a lot of time with no non-stop flights. Probably will have to book US air and pay the luggage, but I have SWA credit that I need to use up on the way home.