I was impatiently waiting for SWA to open up their dates until last week.
We have 3 RR awards that we would have spent for this summer's trip. But I got so frustrated waiting that I ended up booking with 2 different airlines (AirTran going to MCO for $79 ea. and USAir
coming back for $99 ea.). Arrgggh! I really needed specific dates and with the cruise, I couldn't book a flight returning prior to noon on a Saturday. So, I bit the bullet and booked the flights. Ouch! Paying for airfare hurts!
At least by paying with DH's Diner's Club card, I can convert his points to pay for the tickets. They just instituted a new reward system. You book your travel and pay with the Diner's Club card. Then when the charge for the tickets posts to your account, you call them and have them convert your points at a rate of 100pts. = $1.25 towards the cost of the airfare. And you can book any airline you want, any dates, any flights. I've got to say that I like that better than trying to book with FF miles. The flights will cost me about 16,400 pts. per RT
. 1RR award costs 18,000 pts. I actually made out better than by trying to use the RR award on SWA.
For once, I actually made the right choice.
For those of you who booked your flights on SWA, keep an eye
on those DINGs! If there's a fare decrease for your dates, you can rebook at the lower fare with no change fee or penalty. SWA then credits your account for the $$ difference. You have up to a year to use those $$ credits.