Help with Southwest

[SaraMc]

DH and I are looking to fly to MCO soon and we thinking of flying on Southwest after a bad experience on Jet Blue in Feb. We flew home Southwest and they were awesome, we didnt have a choice on that flight of price.
However, when I look on the website I see all these diffrent fares and Im so confused on how it works. If I dont get a fully refundable ticket am I on stand by then?
Also how do Dings work?

Thanks everyone for your help

 

[MrMarv]

They've just redesigned their website recently and its pretty easy to utilize.

Pick your departure and arrival city in the top box.

Next, pick the date and time you wish to travel in both directions; selecting 'Anytime' will reveal their entire schedule between your two cities.

Break down the members in your party (adults, seniors etc.)

If you need a rental car, make the selection (Join the Auto Club if you're not a member---their rates with Hertz are phenomenal!!!), and fill in the requested information.

Go to the next page and pick your flights coordinating the available fares and flight schedule.

Enter your credit card info on the next page, and they'll send you e-mails with your confirmation numbers for both flights, and you're done!

 

[NotUrsula]

If I dont get a fully refundable ticket am I on stand by then?

No; they don't do advance sales of standby tickets. You would have a confirmed space on the flight, you are just buying the same sort of nonrefundable restricted fare that you would buy from any other airline -- SWA is just much more open about how many different fare levels they offer at any given time.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm not sure what you're asking. Other posters have told you that you'll have a confimed reservation with any fare.

SW doesn't let you standby for a different flight without paying the difference of fare. Unlike other airlines you can't book the cheapest flight of the day but then standby for the flight you really want. If you wait until the day of your flight you'll have to pay the difference between what you paid and the fully refundable fare.

If I dont get a fully refundable ticket am I on stand by then?
Also how do Dings work?

Thanks everyone for your help

 

[Lewisc]

duplicate post please delete

 

[SaraMc]

Ok, I think I get it, so If I pay for a less expensive seat on the same flight Im not on stand by. But why would I want to be on another flight and pay full fair it I pick the flight I want to be on? Will I be bumped because I didnt pay the full refundable fare?

 

[NotUrsula]

But why would I want to be on another flight and pay full fare if I pick the flight I want to be on?

The difference is that the purchase and/or refund terms differ based on which fare class you purchase. Ignore the dollar amounts for the moment and focus on the names of the fare classes. Advance-purchase means something other than Ding! in ways that affect more than just price.
If you are OK with a nonrefundable fare then just base your purchase on price when you see it on the screen in front of you; nothing makes a material difference in terms of how you will be treated by the airline.

Will I be bumped because I didnt pay the full refundable fare.

No, you won't be bumped as long as you show up at the gate on time. SWA very seldom needs to bump, and when they do they ask for volunteers and almost always get plenty of them. No one has elite status on SWA. If they absolutely HAVE to do an involuntary bump, it will be based on who was the last to arrive at the gate.

 

[Lewisc]

SW doesn't base their "bump" list on the fare paid. Get your BP and don't get to the gate late and you'll be fine. SW can generally get enough volunteers. Assuming you're at the gate at the right time (I think it's 10 minutes before flight time) the first priority is passengers with a BP. if you checkin more than an hour before your flight and get a security document printed that tells you you'll get a BP at the gate worry. That probably means SW has already given out as many BPs as they have seats on the plane. Next SW bases bumping on the sequence number that's printed on your BP.

Some passengers plans change, maybe their boss lets them leave work early. Those passengers normally have to pay the fare difference if they want to take the earlier flight.

SW limits the number of discounted seats on the "peak flights". Maybe the flight you want, the first flight out on Saturday morning, only has expensive seats available. You can't book the cheaper fare available on a later flight but stand by for the flight you really want without paying the fare difference.

Ok, I think I get it, so If I pay for a less ex*****ve seat on the same flight Im not on stand by. But why would I want to be on another flight and pay full fair it I pick the flight I want to be on? Will I be bumped because I didnt pay the full refundable fare?

 

[5boyz]

I got a great price of $69. US each way on my flights from Buffalo, then 2 weeks ago or so the flight there went down to $34. ea so I cancelled my one flight and booked it again and received $140 credit voucher. So I paid $629.US originally and have a credit for next year!!! So right now we are flying for $486 US for 4 of us!!!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Also how do Dings work?

Thanks everyone for your help

DING is a software program you download from Southwest. It notifies you of sales to or from your desired destination. You tell DING which airports you want to get fares from.

If you see a sale fare you want, you can purchase it. If it is lower than your previous reservation you can get a credit with Southwest for future flights. In some cases, you can get the amount credited back to your credit card.

HTH

 

[ZekeKelso]

Ok, I think I get it, so If I pay for a less ex*****ve seat on the same flight Im not on stand by. But why would I want to be on another flight and pay full fair it I pick the flight I want to be on? Will I be bumped because I didnt pay the full refundable fare?

In case it isn't clear from what the others have said, 99.99% of the time, when you buy a SW ticket and have a choice of fares, just pick the cheapest.

PS - Gotta love the combination of misspelling and language filter!