Ding question - travel dates

[Fionasmommy]

We're going to WDW May 30 - June 7th.

I noticed the other day that SW released Ding fares that were valid from April 1 - 30. Do they usually release them by calendar month like that? And does travel need to be completed by the date range given, or only commenced?

I was hoping to get good fares by waiting for a Ding, but I'm afraid it won't work with our dates falling over 2 months.

 

[sammi]

Hmmmm that's a really interesting question......we're wanting to fly Oct 28 coming home Nov 11th so we'll be in the same boat too.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

We need May 28th through June 3....Don't worry! Sometimes the DING's are for a longer period.

I got a ding for Feb in November to Tampa from St.Louis for $46 one way!

So far Orlando rates are just too high for me too book. One thing about SW is they will not ding you for one way tickets. So if you see a $49 or $59 sale for May1 - May 31 then just get your tickets down there and then wait and book the trip home later?? They don't care if you do that?

That is what I plan to do if I have too.

I flew to Orlando for $49 one way on a 3 day sale last May and we purchased them in April...So hopefully it will happen soon!!!

Come on Southwest!

 

[Iluvpooh&mickey]

On 1/30/06, I booked Ding fares from Manchester, NH to MCO and then from MCO back to Manchester. The dates the Ding covered were Feb 1st through June 9, 2006. (At the time reservations were only open through June 9th.) We had actually been planning our trip for August but changed the dates to the beginning of June when I saw that tix would cost us $110 r/t which is a good fare from Manchester. GL

 

[drew2wdw]

Our dates also fall over a 2 month period (April 30 - May 6). Last week, via a DING!, I purchased the tickets for the flight to Orlando on April 30. I'm going to hold out a while before I purchase tickets for the flight back and see if I can get a ding for those dates as well. If you don't mind doing the reservations separately, you can probably get a better deal -- and there's really no reason not to, Southwest prices are not any different whether you book round trip or one way.

A month or so ago there were some dings that were good all the way through June 9, but I haven't seen one of those in quite a while.

 

[karrit2000]

Because they tend to limit the dates the Dings are available for when offered the best strategy is to book the flights one way so that you are flexible if they offer for only one date you are looking for. I've gotten into the habit lately of booking at what I consider a reasonable rate. Then if a DING comes up I cancel & rebook at the DING fare. They give you a credit for the rest of the original cost which I then use to book my next trip.