Southwest Fares- What happened?????

[bujuni]

It looks like the fares went up- all internet special fares/ one way from BWI- MCO was $59 now is $99? Was the $59 an error or is the sale over??

 

[Laralyn]

I'm disappointed too. Despite the big "sale" at Southwest and the fact that you don't have assigned seats, etc. the fare for our trip from Austin to Orlando is still $40 MORE than published fares on other airlines!

That doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone fly Southwest?

 

[CarolA]

It is Tuesday, new sale... so the one you saw yesterday could be over or all cheap seats could be gone.

As to why SW is higher... the real key is that since you have SW the other airlines are cheaper. For example, Knoxville TN just got Independece Air (another budget carrier.) Prior to Independence you really had to watch for a sale to Orlando to get close to $200 and that was with a connection. As soon as Independence came in fares to Orlando dropped and Delta added a Non-stop!

Why would you fly SW? Much better on time record, much nicer flight attendants and in some cases a much better Frequent Flyer program.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Originally posted by Laralyn
I'm disappointed too. Despite the big "sale" at Southwest and the fact that you don't have assigned seats, etc. the fare for our trip from Austin to Orlando is still $40 MORE than published fares on other airlines!

That doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone fly Southwest?

Isn't SouthWest the only airline with non-stop flights from Austin to Orlando? The rest of the airlines make you change planes in Houston, Dallas or Atlanta. I think I would pay $40 more for a direct flight.

The lack of assigned seating is a bit off-putting tho isn't it? And the time/money economics just don't pay for us anyway, since we're cab distance from Boston Logan, and SWA doesn't fly there.

 

[DaveO]

Why would you fly SW? Much better on time record, much nicer flight attendants and in some cases a much better Frequent Flyer program

A little off topic but....

SWA has the BEST FF program ....

Dave O.

 

[Laralyn]

My boyfriend prefers driving and the only way I can talk him into flying is if it's super cheap, around the same price as renting a car and driving. I wish I could figure out how to charge by the hour for the 19 hours we'll spend in the car. ;-)

At any rate, the cheapest fare I see online is $232 per person. At that rate, it is over $200 cheaper to rent the car and drive, even counting gas, etc.

Oh well. I'll keep checking until the day we leave!

 

[NotUrsula]

"I wish I could figure out how to charge by the hour for the 19 hours we'll spend in the car. ;-)"

Easy. How much do the two of you make per hour, combined? Spending 19 hrs in the car means taking off at least an extra day of work (maybe two?); you are losing extra wages, as well as the value of gas and the price of the car.

 

[Ilovestitch]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
Easy. How much do the two of you make per hour, combined? Spending 19 hrs in the car means taking off at least an extra day of work (maybe two?); you are losing extra wages, as well as the value of gas and the price of the car.

Also you have to consider feeling worn out from being in a car for 19 hours when you arrive vs. being fresh and ready to go to the parks. $200 is worth it to me to get there in 2 hrs vs. 19hrs. -Steph

 

[jimmiej]

Originally posted by Laralyn
I'm disappointed too. Despite the big "sale" at Southwest and the fact that you don't have assigned seats, etc. the fare for our trip from Austin to Orlando is still $40 MORE than published fares on other airlines!

That doesn't make any sense. Why would anyone fly Southwest?

My fare from Austin to Orlando went up $30pp during the time I was filling in all the on-line info last Thursday. I refuse to pay that much. I believe I can do better. I purchased the return trip, but I'm waiting to see if the outbound flight might go down.

 

[ozziewags]

I think the word with SWA is patience. They always have sales (every Tuesday) and you have to keep watching, so you have to plan ahead. The closer you get to your date, the higher they go, mostly because they fill up. We got tickets from STL to Orlando for $49 each way. Can't drive that cheap. Keep watching and checking.

 

[Laralyn]

My boyfriend said tonight that we can fly if I don't want to drive. I still want to find a lower price, though, since I spent the money we saved by driving on upgrading to a Moderate resort. Oops.

I think I'll keep trying Priceline over the next couple days and see if I can get a break that way. I'm hoping to get the price down to about $150 each, but we'll see!