Does Southwest ever open up?

[eeyorina]

Does Southwest ever open up the "unavailable" flights as the dates get closer in order to sell seats? Also, does anyone know if Airtran ever discounts their Sunday flights? Thanks

 

[DonnaL]

Yes they do....you need to keep checking daily or if possible, a few times a day. I've had it happen twice and was able to get a better price and a better flight time. Once it was about a month or five weeks before and the other time about three weeks before. Don't know about Airtran......I've never flown them.

 

[bicker]

Are you saying Southwest reserves seats for later sale? I thought that was illegal.

 

[Pembo]

On their latest sale I was able to change my return flight to a day later on a sale fare that previously was unavailable on cheaper fares. I don't think they are doing anything illegal. My guess is they divide out the seats at the different fares, when one plane isn't as full, they give up more seats to the lower fare. That's smart business imho.

 

[allonte]

Yes. SW has been doing that lately. Once the new schedule opened up, nothing but the most expensive flights were open but the others have been slowly opening up.

AirTran does discount thier sunday flights. I bought my family RT tickets Wed-Sun for 89$ each way. Depending on where you are, I would check Spirit too. They've been on sale also.

 

[DonnaL]

No I wouldn't say they reserve seats for later sale, but, those seats are offered at a higher fare and when they don't sell at the higher fare, SW simply opens up more seats at the lesser fares in order to fill the plane. I agree with above poster, it makes good business sense......try to sell the seats at a higher price and gradually reduce the price on those seats to fill them. Don't most retailers use this business practice?

 

[bicker]

The defintely do that. The original post was talking about "unavailable" flights, though, not flights for which discounted fares were unavailable. In the cases y'all just mentioned, the flights were still available, but the seats were priced at full fare and then later discounted.

 

[eeyorina]

Thanks for the info. I am looking to fly to Wash DC/Baltimore in April and was hoping some less expensive fares might open up on Southwest if the more expensive ones don't sell. I'll keep looking a few times a day. If not we'll just drive. Thanks again.

 

[PatMcDuck]

They can pop up and close up again within days........ my DH needed to book PHL to Vegas. We saw some direct flights, but he hesitated. 2 days later, one of the direct ones was "unavailable." We booked what was there, then I checked back 2-3 days later, and the direct one was "back". I quickly cancelled, got the credit, rebooked.........

My example is with internet special rates, not dings.

 

[eeyorina]

I've been checking SW and Airtran several times a day and this afternoon 2 $44 flights opened up for our return from DC. I booked $44 pp each way, Bos to Baltimore. This checking frequently is really time consuming but well worth it. Can't drive and park much cheaper than that. Thanks for everyones advice.

 

[DebbieB]

It happened to me this morning! I'm taking my niece in June, PIT/MCO. When the rates came out, the lowest class was $177 each. I thought I would wait for a ding to see if I could get the $98 alot of people have got lately. I checked it 2 or 3 days ago during a "sale", the 2 lowest classes were unavailable, it was $275 each! Yikes! I started to panic. USAir and AirTran were over $600. I checked late last night, one of the flights opened up, it was down to $225. I figured I would buy it in the morning. I checked this morning and both flights had the lowest class available again, I snapped them up for $177!!!!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

It happened for me, 6/10 PHL-MCO and 6/17 MCO-PHL. I was about to forfeit $300 RT and buy the Fun Fares for $128 each one-way. 3 months to the day, on 3/10 I checked Southwest in the morning and was shocked to see Promotional Fares for $79 had opened up. I booked as soon as I got to work because I didn't have time to buy at home when I first saw them. I got three RT tickets for $531.30, booked each leg one-way because I couldn't put the total on either debit card so I paid for them separately.

 

[Lorraine444]

WOW! I really am not the only one!
I feel like i am in a Casino Gambling!!!!!
Can bookthe flights I want now for 220.00 Round trip, or wait for a ding (if it happens) for 8/6-8/13..
Yikes!

 

[laurabelle]

This happened to me just yesterday, I rebooked my sister's flight for her at the lower fare. Originally the cheapest flight available on the day she and my nephew have to fly home cost her $146 one way each for the two of them. Yesterday I checked and her exact flight was available for $54. I changed it and she has $184 credit, which she should be able to have refunded to her credit card since the only thing that changed was the flight's price (i.e. she didn't take a different flight to get a different price) I've been able to do this in the past too.
Here's the thing...immediately after rebooking for her, I checked, and sure enough the flight at the cheaper fare was gone. This has happened to me before, and on a phone call to customer service I asked a SW agent about it. She said there are only so many fares on a flight at the lowest rate. Another passenger probably cancelled their low fare, so it becomes available again until someone snags it. So 2 seats were available for the lowest fare on my sister's flight, once I booked them for her, they were gone.
So yes, it pays to keep checking...

 

[Lorraine444]

Thank you for your input.
Gee can I hire someone to do this for me so I don't have to deal with all this Anxiety!? Kidding.....
I have never been so stuck to my computer....

Have a great day!

 

[poohbear2]

I have been waiting for a ding on a certain flight and everyday I have checked the pricing. Every price seat was available except the internet price.
Well now the only seats available are the most expensive. I was thinking that ,maybe, if not enough seats were sold as the date got closer then Southwest would Ding some. I guess I wasn't thinking about the last minute travelers who don't mind paying extra for a seat. Silly me.