Does Southwest repopluate "sold out" categories?

[LaurenT]

I'm trying to book SW for Pres week, but the prices are crazy.
At this point, all of the non stop flights are sold out in the wanna getaway category. I would pay the higher price for them and then take the credit for them if the price drops, but has anyone seen them add seats to a sold out category?
The standard fare doesn't seem to ever drop below $400 (that's per person each way!), so I can't book that one and then get credit....
I would have booked earlier, but my next flight after Pres week is end of August, so I was waiting until I was within a year out in order to apply any credit I got...
SW is also the only airline that offers direct service from Albany, NY to Orlando!
Any help is appreciated!

 

[NotUrsula]

The answer is yes ... and no.

Do they ever re-sort the fare buckets and open up more discount fares closer to departure date? Yes, they do it all the time, if the more expensive fare buckets are not selling as expected.

However ...

It pretty much NEVER happens on major school holiday week flights to resort destinations.
If you want to go to Des Moines for President's Week you should be fine, but Orlando?, not a prayer.

PS: When pricing your flights, keep in mind that in airline-speak, "direct" and "non-stop" are NOT the same thing. Direct flights may have intermediate stops; they just will not have plane changes with a layover.

 

[LaurenT]

The answer is yes ... and no.

Do they ever re-sort the fare buckets and open up more discount fares closer to departure date? Yes, they do it all the time, if the more expensive fare buckets are not selling as expected.

However ...

It pretty much NEVER happens on major school holiday week flights to resort destinations.
If you want to go to Des Moines for President's Week you should be fine, but Orlando?, not a prayer.

PS: When pricing your flights, keep in mind that in airline-speak, "direct" and "non-stop" are NOT the same thing. Direct flights may have intermediate stops; they just will not have plane changes with a layover.

Thanks. Good to know that it happens. They did substantially reduce the fare within an existing bucket for this past Easter vacation, though I don't know if that category had sold out and was re-sorted, because I already had tickets and hadn't been paying such close attention.
I think I'll take the wait and see approach. I can always book the higher priced category if I see any of those flights starting to sell out.
I just see people on here complaining about the ridiculous high fares - they're referring to $250 or $300 roundtrip and I cringe, lol. $350 is about as cheap as we can get it out of Albany (non-stop). I'm looking at $800 right now (yes, per person!).

 

[Lewisc]

PP is correct. Southwest will sometimes release more seats at lower fare "buckets".

Presidents Week. 3 N/S per day. It's also possible the flight will sell out without any fare reductions. I wouldn't count on any significant discounts on the Saturday N/S flights.

What's more important to you price or getting a N/S flight at the exact time you want?

Price is important book a flight with a connection and hope to make a change if the flight you prefer goes down in price.

You want the perfect flight? $421 is a fully refundable fare. Book that and you'll be able to get a cash (credit card) refund if discounted seats become available.

I'd be surprised if significant discounts become available on the N/S flights Saturday. I see discounted fares are available if you wait until Monday to fly.

 

[LaurenT]

PP is correct. Southwest will sometimes release more seats at lower fare "buckets".

Presidents Week. 3 N/S per day. It's also possible the flight will sell out without any fare reductions. I wouldn't count on any significant discounts on the Saturday N/S flights.

What's more important to you price or getting a N/S flight at the exact time you want?

Price is important book a flight with a connection and hop to make a change if the flight you prefer goes down in price.

You want the perfect flight? $421 is a fully refundable fare. Book that and you'll be able to get a cash (credit card) refund if discounted seats become available.

I'd be surprised if significant discounts become available on the N/S flights Saturday. I see discounted fares are available if you wait until Monday to fly.

Hadn't thought about the business select. That's a possibility since it'll be almost that much anyway if the
Wanna getaway isn't refilled.
We definitely want N/S. If I were willing to stop, there are a few cheaper airlines I could go with, but we got burned badly once and lost two days of vacation. Feb weather is very iffy and the more stops you make, the greater the risk that something will go wrong.
I think we'll watch it daily. If the Wanna Getaway refills, we'll grab that - or if I see the other categories start to sell out, we'll jump on those.
Thanks for helping me think it through!

 

[kaytieeldr]

What about driving to Hartford? $563 round trip on jetBlue, flight 331 departs about 7:30 AM, flight 330 departs Orlando around 6:52 PM?

 

[Lewisc]

I'd book a connecting flight over driving more then 2 hours to Hartford. Flight leaves at 7:30a. You probably have to add a night at a Hartford airport hotel the night before the flight. Otherwise forget about doing anything on the day you arrive.

edited to add: Southwest suggests arriving 2 hours before your flight. That suggests leaving Albany 3:30a or earlier. OP is concerned about possible weather issues with a connecting flight. Weather issues could impact driving to Hartford.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I get all that. But BDL has more of what's most important to the OP: nonstop flights. And at $237 less per ticket, one person would break even; two or more would save money. jetBlue has a similar credit policy, if the fare goes down your TrueBlue account gets credited (and somebody here recently processed that themselves online).

 

[Lewisc]

I get all that. But BDL has more of what's most important to the OP: nonstop flights. And at $237 less per ticket, one person would break even; two or more would save money. jetBlue has a similar credit policy, if the fare goes down your TrueBlue account gets credited (and somebody here recently processed that themselves online).

I interpret her posts differently. I thought what's most important to her is a N/S flight, at the date at time she wants, from ALB. It sounds like she's willing to pay full fare, if that's what it takes.

I have no idea if she'd prefer a 2 hour drive to Hartford instead of a connecting flight. A connection on Southwest probably will add less time to her trip the time it will take to drive to Hartford. She mentioned weather issues. Driving to Hartford could be an issue.

GOOD POINT. Different people have different criteria in allocating time and vacation dollars. Some people will pay a premium for the flight time, airport and type of flight (N/S, direct or connecting) they want. Others want the lowest price no matter what.

Poster did mention they have Southwest credits to pay for part of their flight. That will offset some of the fare difference.

 

[LaurenT]

Just stopping in to say we've decided what to do.
We're actually going to book the business select SW n/s.
It will give us automatic EBCI and the extra SW points will go toward getting us completely free airfare for our next trip (should have at least 70,000 pts by then).
If we get lucky and they add more seats into the wanna getaway bucket, we'll book it and get a full refund on the business seats.
Our concern for traveling to another airport is really the same as the one we have for a connecting flight. Mid February in Albany (and much of the country) is prime snowstorm time. The more driving we have to do, or stops we have to make, the more risk we will run into weather that will disrupt our travels and cost us precious vacation time - time worth more than the difference in price in our opinion....
I do appreciate all the suggestions. It did help in leading us to our final decision!

 

[Lewisc]

Don't forget the free drink coupon.

edited to add: People waiting for fares to go down need to realize there are customers willing to pay a premium to get the exact flights they want. This is particularly true during holiday weeks/weekends. The OP is willing to pay to get the vacation experience they want. To minimize the risk of weather issues impacting their vacation.

Some people want the lowest price. Doesn't matter if they have to drive hours to another airport. Long connections. Bad flight times. Others will pay a premium for better flights. Not everyone has the some priorities.