Does Southwest add flights as travel date approaches?

[mrsgthatsme]

I have started monitoring fares for our late April Orlando trip. Right now, there is not a flight time back that doesn't involve two stops anytime between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Is it likely that flights will be added as the travel date approaches? Thanks!

 

[rigs32]

Very unlikely

 

[writerguyfl]

Even if Southwest wanted to, it would be extremely difficult for them to add flights. They would need to get approval by both the originating and destination airports. At an overcrowded airport like Orlando International, that task would be impossible. All the slots/gates are already in use.

What you see on the schedule now is what they will be flying.

 

[cruisin5]

I've never seen SW add flights or ever received notice of a flight time changing.

 

[Fangorn]

In 20 years of flying SW almost exclusively, I've seen them add a flight exactly once. It was an extra flight on Christmas Day and they added it about 2 weeks before Christmas. Pretty sure it was as much an aircraft repositioning flight as anything else. I've also had them change a flight time on me exactly once as well - pushed it out a whopping 10 minutes. Both of those were several years ago.

Steve

 

[Wild4Walt]

Flight schedules don't typically change much ( that's typically, but there have always been exceptions to the rule ) Mostly what you will see are slight time changes. So if you see a flight now at 7a, it could by 715a or even 730a by the time April rolls around. Time updates usually happen around every quarter at the beginning of the quarter if they are going to happen.

 

[georgina]

It sounds like you should start looking for other airlines. My DS lives in Seattle, and SW does not usually have flights with good connections from there to here, so I usually end up booking him on another airline. I would not want to do 2 stops if I could help it.

 

[keishashadow]

I've yet to see a flight change with SWA

I've never seen SW add flights or ever received notice of a flight time changing.

OT Wasn't exactly a bad thing with AT. Say what you will about them. I could book a cheap connecting flight and have a good chance of departure switching slightly, then request a NS for same price. Probably why it performed badly & scooped up by SWA.

 

[DebbieB]

Adding flights means adding airplanes. So they would have to take it off another route. SW's schedule stays pretty stable. Other airlines do tend to move their flights around based on demand. So you are just as likely to have your flight cancelled because they moved it somewhere else.

 

[kydisneyfans]

They have added Louisville/Orlando and back multiple times in the past few years, specifically in the spring/fall.
We snagged the additional flight last November, and also in April 2017. Both were for RunDisney weekends.
Was holding out for the same this fall, but it didn't happen. After watching the rate sit at $239 for months, we booked $111 on Delta with a layover in Atlanta.
On a whim I checked SW again as the flight is in 2 weeks, the price was $106. . Just not comfortable waiting until 2-3 weeks before the flight to buy it.