How far in advance do DING fares become available?

[dreamsofdisney]

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm new to the whole DING thing!

I installed it and started watching them this month, and have been ~*thrilled *~ to see that my airport (and some neighboring ones) have had great, low DING fares to Orlando through May 31st. There have even been some great fares without the DING under "Special Offers," but they're only valid through June 15th.

Could someone who has been a DING-master for a longer time please tell me how this works. Do they usually release DING fares for the following month, one month at a time; for example: May 1st-May 31st in April?

I'm hoping for a good fare at the end of June into July. If necessary, I'll book one way for the June departure date and then wait with fingers crossed for the DING fares for our July return!

Just wanted to get an idea of how long I should expect to wait. And I know there's no guarantee rates will come out for my area and dates.

Thanks in advance!

 

[NotUrsula]

It tends to depend on the season a bit. Seats for traditionally slow seasons on certain routes may be released into the Ding! bucket sooner than later; perhaps even as much as 10 weeks out (a good example: late Aug-early Sept midweek fares to FL showed up early last year, as that is peak hurricane season). For the most part, though, about 4-6 weeks out is the norm.

Keep in mind that Ding! is still being tweaked. SWA fiddles with the software constantly, so very little is predictable with the program. They may send different lists to you depending on what airport you give as your home, or they may send lists that are tailored to you based on your previous travel patterns.

 

[chr1972]

How do you sign up? What are the websites?

 

[dreamsofdisney]

Just go to southwest.com and download the DING! utility to your computer. The icon installs on your toolbar and once or twice a day, a DING will appear (looks like a letter/envelope) and when you click on it you are given a certain window of time to respond to a low fare offer.

Hope that helps!

 

[dcgrumpy]

I booked my Ding fare for next week back in January. The day I booked it they were available through 6/3.

 

[pamjb]

You can check this thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=957753&page=9&pp=15

it is a listing of the Dings since December. You can get a general idea of how far in advance they come up.