Several Ding questions

[Pixiedust34]

I have not flown in over a decade, and I am clueless about Dings.

I'll be flying out of BWI in September. Here are some questions:

1. What would happen if I book my flight with SW and a Ding comes out that is cheaper than the price I paid for my tickets? Can I get the cheaper price w/o penalty? Can I arrange for that over the phone of do I have to change over online?

2. How far in advance does SW do it's Dings for Sept. travel?

3. What if I wait too long to book and I never snag a Ding? Would I have to pay a full price a few weeks before my trip?

Thank you very much! I'm sure I'll have more questions as we get closer to Sept.

 

[pamjb]

Pixie,

You can get credit for travel on SW if a Ding! or lower fare comes out. This only works if you are planning to travel within the year. There is no charge for making the change.
For example, for our trip this past March, I booked the tickets as soon as the fares opened up. I think it was Oct 2005. I got a Ding! for $100 less r/t per ticket in January. So got a credit to use for our Aug 2006 trip, and a round trip flight for under $100.
This is only a good method if you can't book with another airline for a cheaper flight from the very beginning. Since I can't find a direct flight from Philadelphia to Orlando at cheaper than what I would pay for a fare at Southwest, this works for me.
The fact that I have $500 credit with SW helps too.

 

[pamjb]

I have seen Dings! come up within 2 weeks of the departure date. Very cool if you can be a last minute traveler.

 

[tmt martins]

Dings from BWI have been lousey lately .No good cities and mostly weekday travel only .

Also it works best for dings if you book seperate flights for down and back that way if you cancel for a DING fair you don't lose you price on the other flight .

 

[kkleiner]

Hi...trying to understand DING too.

I have a flight for April 19th. If a Ding comes out for a flight on that same day, but earlier (which is what I want), how do I do this?

Do I book the DING and then cancel my other? The other reservation is a round trip ticket.

If I do cancel that flight, I can use the credit in 1 year?

What if it is internet-only rate?

Thanks in advance....

 

[taimgxe]

You can cancel your existing reservation if a DING special comes out cheaper, but remember that you have to have the special for the roundtrip that works your dates. You can't changed one part to get a DING special and use the other part of the your existing reservation. The best way around this is in the future, make sure to buy one-way fares from Southwest. That way you cancel and rebook each segment and still maintain the other segment if new promotion does not fit your dates. Also, make sure that you check your credit date if you rebook. Southwest will only grant credit for one year from the original purchase date, not the actual date of travel.