Ouch! Airfare price doubled!

[lafa]

i totally understand this. about a month ago, we weren't sure of our exact dates either, now airfare to lax has almost doubled for us!!
i'm hoping southwest will have a sale coming out soon for feb 2011!

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

I'm sorry but I don't see why this is a SWA problem. Regardless if the travelling companion isn't sure of their dates, the fares were available and could have been booked at the $39 rate. Blaming SWA for you or your friends indecision is misplaced. You snooze, you looze.

 

[Yukonjack]

My wife and I are flying from New Mexico in February to LAX, and the rates this afternoon were $89.00 each way. Just under $200 is a great deal for us and we are going to book. I am an A lister and fflyer, so if I do not use the tickets for this trip I will certainly use them for something else. Buy early on SW and change later if the fares are more to your liking.

 

[Ariel224]

I never sensed that the OP was "blaming" SWA for anything. She came here seeking clarification on how the fare system works to see if there was hope that the fare would decrease again to the rate she saw earlier.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that the OP does not fly often and doesn't sit around checking fares daily like, oh, say, me . She looked it up once and assumed that was just the rate she would pay. I think she now realizes that she missed a great opportunity, but didn't realize the urgency involved at the time. Those special fares are listed as "nonrefundable", which, if you don't have a working knowledge of SWA's change policies, could also translate as "unchangeable." It sounds like it wasn't a matter of indecision delaying the booking as much as her friend needing to wait on approval for time off. (Some employers aren't exactly prompt in responding to time off requests. I actually had to quit a job and pursue another opportunity when my boss refused for 4 months to let me know if I could have time off for MY OWN WEDDING! ) Also, if you do book a nonrefundable fare and end up not being able to change it to a flight that's still within your budget (because the rates for those days have increased), the resulting flight credit does you no good if you aren't planning to fly again before the credit expires.

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm sorry but I don't see why this is a SWA problem. Regardless if the travelling companion isn't sure of their dates, the fares were available and could have been booked at the $39 rate. Blaming SWA for you or your friends indecision is misplaced. You snooze, you looze.

Hi, I was in no way blaming Southwest. I love Southwest Airlines. I was simply stating that I thought those were the regular prices for flying from my area to LAX. I did not expect them to jump in price so much.

You are right in that I snooze I lose. I also realize that you can change your flights on Southwest however had I booked the fare at $39 and then had to change the date then I would still end up paying the extra so it would have made no difference with a date change the price. If my dates were set I would have definitely purchased already.

My friend is having trouble getting the time off of work because we are both RN's. Unfortunately her manager tends to deny all vacations and because the day she is scheduled is a Friday it is difficult to get the time off.

This was not a post to state dissatisfaction with Southwest in anyway. It was just to show my aggravation in not getting the good price.