Southwest Airlines Vacations Travel

[kimgg]

I just wanted to pass on a combination of things that I think saved me some money - I was stressing about airfare prices climbing, and for my trip in August the flight choices were dwindling especially on non-stop flights (I hate flying and refuse to change planes if I can help it).

So, I found that on Ebates (when you buy online you get cashback of certain percentage from participating stores when you click in through Ebates website first) Southwest Vacations Travel had decent deals on combo flights/hotels. My flights alone for my family of 4 were running $1500 to LA - I was able to book airfaire + 7 nights at a 4 star Disnleyland area hotel for a total of $2000, plus I will get a check back from Ebates for 5 % off the total.

I could have kept watching flights and booked the hotel on expedia, travelocity, etc. and maybe gotten a similar or maybe even better deal, but I really needed to get the bulk of this vacation booked for my peace of mind. Plus to be able to fly when I wanted (and not get there at an inconvenient time and with multiple flight changes) I wanted to get my flights booked. Plus, there were actually better flight choices on the SW vacation travel listings than just going through Southwest for flights alone (they must reserve certain seats for their travel packages) so those flights must have been sold out for flight only seats. Now I can plan the less stressful parts like where to eat, what to ride, etc. .

PLUS, you can make changes with no charges just like you can on the SW flights only reservations, so what did I have to lose!

Anyway, fwiw, thought I'd pass my creative travel planning tips along . Happy planning!!

 

[msmayor]

Are you sure about the "changes with no charges" thing?

From their terms and conditions, ANY change is considered a cancellation and subjects you to $100 per person fee:

Cancellations are defined as a complete cancellation of the vacation package; changes to the departure or return date; changes to origin or destination cities; changes to the package type or a reduction in the size of the traveling party.

Cancellation made at any time after booking and up to 15 days prior to departure date will result in a $100 per person cancellation fee, plus any applicable supplier penalties.

When a group of us planned a trip to Vegas, about half used Southwest Vacations while my DH and I along with another couple booked our hotel and flight separately.

edit: I see that "modifications" are permitted with no fees for a certain time period...perhaps that's what has changed.

The Vacation Travel folks had to pay up front for everything. They could NOT take advantage of any price drops in the flights, could not change their flight times. They had to check in at the airport while we were able to check in on line.

Back then, the only way you could avoid any fees for cancellation was to buy the waiver protection at time of booking.

I do see, though, that it is still not ticketless and you need to present your ticket at the check-in desk to get a boarding pass.

 

[hpfan100]

I've used the SW vacation feature and sometimes you can get a great deal. They now give you a code so you can check in online and get your number for boarding. You print the security document and can go through with no problem. After that just head to the gate and get your official boarding passes. It's easy. I was able to A passes each time I boarded. I also changed my flight on the way home and was not charged any fees.

 

[kimgg]

There is no $100 fee to change, only to cancel or for a change made within 15 days of travel. The current policy:

•Modifications are defined as changes to the flight time/number on existing travel dates; changes to hotel; changes to the rental car; or changes to activities.
•Modifications to the flight time/number on existing travel dates, hotel, rental car, or activities on an existing reservation made at any time after booking and up to 15 days from departure will incur no modification fees. Supplier charges may apply. If documents were issued, a $15 document delivery fee will apply to ensure receipt of new documents in time for travel (if applicable).
•Modifications to the air portion of the package will not be allowed 14 days or less prior to departure date as the air portion of the package becomes completely nonrefundable, non-modifiable, and non-exchangeable 14 days or less prior to departure date.
•Modifications to the hotel, rental car, or activities on an existing reservation made at 14 days and up to 7 days from departure will incur a $100 per person modification penalty, plus any applicable supplier charges and a $15 document delivery fee to ensure receipt of documents in time for travel (if applicable). Modifications to the hotel, rental car, or activities on an existing reservation will not be allowed 7 days or less prior to departure date.

I can also check in 24 hours ahead just like a normal flight, but I will have a paper ticket as well. I don't mind paying in advance - that's what I wanted so now I only have to worry about park tickets and ground transportation - so much less stressful!

This my first time flying SW and I hope I'll love it. I know I love the no baggage fees!!