Seriously cannot believe the prices at Southwest

[jrw118]

We are going to WDW 9/28-10/3. Southwest price from Long Island (Islip) are OUTRAGEOUS! Really $259 there and $163 back? Are they kidding? I decided to book my flight there from Delta flying out of LaGuardia. $102 is not too bad. It was only $97 last week and I should have book. When I saw it go up yesterday I jumped on it. Yes we will have to pay $25 to check a bag but I am hoping to only have to check one. Still beats $259 pp ($1259 for a family of five only one way) I paid $563 for the same family of 5. Why is Southwest not competitive?

Just venting

 

[gojoe]

I'm looking for flights 10/8-10/10 from Providence RI. Quick trip to Food & Wine. I know it's Columbus day weekend but this price is crazy $ 475.00 round trip per person.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm guessing it may have something to do with their taking a few planes out of rotation. They have pulled them to inspect them after the incident with the mid air hole a couple of days ago.

 

[JennSaint]

We are going to WDW 9/28-10/3. Southwest price from Long Island (Islip) are OUTRAGEOUS! Really $259 there and $163 back? Are they kidding? I decided to book my flight there from Delta flying out of LaGuardia. $102 is not too bad. It was only $97 last week and I should have book. When I saw it go up yesterday I jumped on it. Yes we will have to pay $25 to check a bag but I am hoping to only have to check one. Still beats $259 pp ($1259 for a family of five only one way) I paid $563 for the same family of 5. Why is Southwest not competitive?

Just venting

If you signed up for the Delta American Express card you get 1 free checked bag for up to 8 people in your party.

 

[treehugnmama]

I don't think it has anything to do with yesterday's incident as flights were high beforethat mine didn't chance. But they are high. We are creatures of habit so we always book sw but maybe it is time to branch out. I did book my oct trip but I was hoping to go for a quickie in may but not with these prices

 

[palhockeymomof2]

We are going to WDW 9/28-10/3. Southwest price from Long Island (Islip) are OUTRAGEOUS! Really $259 there and $163 back? Are they kidding? I decided to book my flight there from Delta flying out of LaGuardia. $102 is not too bad. It was only $97 last week and I should have book. When I saw it go up yesterday I jumped on it. Yes we will have to pay $25 to check a bag but I am hoping to only have to check one. Still beats $259 pp ($1259 for a family of five only one way) I paid $563 for the same family of 5. Why is Southwest not competitive?

Just venting

I agree the prices are the highest we're seen......We are heading down almost the exact same dates....9/28-10/2.....to celebrate my daughters 21st birthday...we picked those dates since she's a college student and can't miss classes....and Stony Brook along with most if not all Long Island schools are closed 9/29 and 9/30...so its a nice long weekend.....I was luck and booked our flights the day SW released those dates and paid $129pp down and $139pp back....I think the prices are high now since they sold out of the lower price seats probably a lot of us have the same idea to go away for the long weekend....my sister decided to join us and booked her flights on Jet Blue out of JFK this past Wednesday....she's paying $97 each way....she lives right between Islip and JFK so either airport works for her.....we're 5 minutes from Islip and an hour from JFK so Islip is our 1st choice....I guess if the flights don't sell out they will drop the prices as the dates get closer...but they are pretty much the only game in town out of Islip so it's either pay their prices or fly out of JFK or LGA

 

[Rash]

In my experience, SW prices are lowest at around the 2 month mark. This year, mine dropped from $195 each way to $89.

 

[gigi1313]

We are going to WDW 9/28-10/3. Southwest price from Long Island (Islip) are OUTRAGEOUS! Really $259 there and $163 back? Are they kidding? I decided to book my flight there from Delta flying out of LaGuardia. $102 is not too bad. It was only $97 last week and I should have book. When I saw it go up yesterday I jumped on it. Yes we will have to pay $25 to check a bag but I am hoping to only have to check one. Still beats $259 pp ($1259 for a family of five only one way) I paid $563 for the same family of 5. Why is Southwest not competitive?

Just venting

it's likely because it's Rosh Hashana (sp?) weekend and all the schools in the Long Island area are off for a four day weekend (which is likely why the OP is going)...

 

[DanenRox]

We fly SWA all the time. The prices bounce. Maybe they won't bounce as low this year BUT worth noting is when SWA opened their schedule to include September....on that day....most of the airfare was $77.00 Providence to Orlando, Orlando to Providence. I don't recall how many days it stayed that low though. September and October remain low travel times for Orlando so I absolutely believe you'll see those fares drop. I don't know if we'll see $77.00 again though. Fingers crossed.

 

[gojoe]

I've been checking SW twice a day since they opened up Oct. They haven't budge. If it was close to what I wanted to spend I would purchase them and hope for a drop in price before our flight. I have a $ 50.00 credit from resent trip. The thing is the only trip we have planned after this one is July 2012. If I purchase before July I would have to use any credits before 1 year from the purchase date. So unless they drop I have to wait till July.

I though with the bad press from hole in there plane would have some effect on there prices. Like dropping faster than there plane had did.

 

[Lewisc]

SW has flights for $144 ($320 R/T) for the days the OP wants to travel. I'm not sure how much cheaper Delta will be, when you include the cost to check a bag and the cost to get to LGA.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Prices have been high all over. We are also flying down the weekend of Rosh Hashana. When SWA 1st released, we jumped on the $78 one way Wed evening. The Sun return was high & SWA isn't a participating airline on DCL's Onboard Check in so we waited to book USAirways or AirTran. Since they both have change fees, I had to wait to book the return until our school schedule was posted. Finally got $116 on USAirways which is great for a Sun return. AT had $105 but very few non stops which would get us home very late. Worth the few extra bucks to go home right after the cruise.

Now, "Jersey Week" is another story. MCO-PHL for Sun 11/13 is almost $300 one way on USAirways, with every other day around $110. Simple gouging and they know it. The seating chart is literally unchanged from the second they were released (some seats were shown as occupied right from the start). I even took off some work that day just to book but just can't choke down $300 one way.
Then one day, just overnight, they showed every single non stop flight that day as sold out, even the 6am! I know this is a bunch of crap; flights normally show a staggered pattern of prices with the more in-demand flights going up in price 1st, then selling out. It must be some sort of marketing gimmick. I'm content to wait for SWA or AT though I expect them to be high too. Even Spirit is $279 that weekend, with all other days $119 except TG. grrrrr....

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

They are thinking that if they want to stay in business they have to make money!

Airlines are wising up and reducing capacity. That means that some of us who only fly when it's $50 each way will get left out of the market. But the airlines finally realized that if $50 was all we would pay they would be better off to lose that business then to bleed red ink trying to keep it....

The "sold out" reported above may be an indication of flight rearrangement. Airlines will "block" seats while the rebook flyers on cancelled flights.

 

[jrw118]

SW has flights for $144 ($320 R/T) for the days the OP wants to travel. I'm not sure how much cheaper Delta will be, when you include the cost to check a bag and the cost to get to LGA.

$144 is for a one stop flight. I paid $102 for non stop arriving in Florida before 10am. Even if all 5 of us check bags, which we won't it will still be almost $80 cheaper to fly Delta. I live in Miller Place. Islip is so much more convienent but I want a direct flight. I am flying with my 2 boys who will be 6 and 3, along with my 12 yr old cousin and my hubby.

Yes I am going because I am a teacher and can swing almost a full week vacation only needing 2 days off.

 

[JVL1018]

I saw Southwest was flying out of Newark now and decided to see how the prices were since I've heard such great things.
It was crazy expensive( for 9/24-10/2) and no non stop flights. Thankfully I booked on Continental a few months ago-we're paying $741 for all 4 of us total.
No stress about seats and non stop.
I'll stick with Continental.

 

[rie'smom]

Southwest prices tend to drop. The prices quoted when they open dates are high. Keep an eye on them though. Also subscribe to DING. You can get super low prices.

 

[webworm]

I'm looking for flights 10/8-10/10 from Providence RI. Quick trip to Food & Wine. I know it's Columbus day weekend but this price is crazy $ 475.00 round trip per person.

What about flying into Tampa or Melbourne with Delta? I see return flights for $286 (Tampa) and Melbourne $309 including taxes.

 

[Disney Ron]

The day SW extended the schedule into Sept. we were able to book PVD to MCO round trip for $67 each way 9/13-9/20.

Ohh BABY!!!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I still go with SW. Their prices change like crazy and always drop, especially if you are a couple of months out.
I check at least 3 times I day when I am searching.
My flight once changed 4x in one day. It went from $89(which I was in the middle of purchasing)...when it jumped to $189. I was so bummed that I missed the $89. Checked back that evening and it was $79! I booked those, and 2 hours later it dropped to $69. Crazy!

 

[mickey2000]

Newspaper 3/27

What will be problematic for Southwest and the rest of the industry is the skyrocketing cost of aviation fuel as oil has shot up from about $70 a barrel last year to more than $100. Fuel costs will be $1 billion higher for Southwest this year compared with last year, said Jordan, the Southwest executive.

Airlines have been raising prices the past several months to pay for their fuel bills. Southwest led some of those fare hikes, raising prices five times between December and last month, according to a report this month by J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker.

"They are charging at least 20 percent more on some routes than they were last year because of (seat) capacity cuts and higher fuel costs," said Parsons of Bestfares.com. "Southwest is in the business of making money, and if they have to pay higher fuel costs, they will pass that on to consumers."


2/1/2011 OIL FUTURES:Crude Settles At $107.94/Bbl; New 2-1/2 Year High