Southwest-not impressive

[kristenrice]

I want to take the last flight of the night (a 6pm departure) from Orlando to Grand Rapids on Friday, October 20. I can still get home at midnight for the same price (so it's not the leg from Chicago to Grand Rapids that is sold out), but I have to depart earlier and stop in either Austin or Columbus before flying into Chicago for a layover and plane change.

I'm in such a pickle right now...I can book the flight down for $176. It's more than I'd like to pay, but it is acceptable. I don't really want to book that flight home because, if that ends up being our only option on SWA, I would probably opt to fly Delta into Detroit. They have a non-stop flight that departs at 3:25 and lands at 6:15pm for $168. Of course, with that one, I'd have to add in half the cost of a rental car to get home ($35) and possibly a checked bag ($25) would be about $230...which is the next-cheapest option. With my luck, I'd book the Delta flight and then the SWA flight I want will come back available and probably on sale.

I'm glad I didn't book the Delta flight! I checked tonight and the WGA fares are back, but the 6pm flight (with one stop) is still over $200. The flight that departs at 5:50 and stops in Columbus before continuing on to Chicago is available for the same price as the one we already booked so we changed it. Now, we are still getting home at midnight, which sucks, but at least now we will be leaving at 5:50pm instead of 4:30pm.

 

[WiscMomof2]

See lots of MKE SW travelers on this thread!

We've been flying with them pretty exclusively since they came to MKE and have yet to be disappointed. Thankfully where we travel most often (MCO and PHX) we haven't experienced any radical price differences or lack of availability. If that ever changes I'll be so disappointed!

 

[izzy25]

We booked our flights last night out of milwaukee and paid $304 a piece. The early flight out that was $199 dropped to $159 and late flight homega dropped from $159 to $145. Now it feels official!!! October can't come fast enough!!

 

[stitchlovestink]

I am going down from BWI in late September on a Sunday for a work thing and my DH is flying down on Wednesday evening to join me and we'll finish out the week together. Three weeks ago for the Sept. release I was able to snag $85 for my Sunday flight down and $72 for my DH's flight on Wednesday. This morning best I could do was $132 return on the last non-stop of the day. Last one out is OK but would have liked next to last as it is a Sunday night & we'll have work the next day. The 3 flights preceding this one opened at $184 at 6:30 this morning. Crazy that this release is so much higher than one just 3 weeks before. So sounds like we did better than some of you $$ wise bcuz we booked later on our return but still sitting at $217 and $204 round trip. A tad higher than we'd hoped. But BWI is a big hub for SW so that probably worked in our favor.

Keep watching. I have been flying SW to MCO (from BWI) for years. It has been extremely rare for me not to be able to get a cheap flight about a month from my travel date. Sometimes I buy on even shorter notice like 2 weeks!

Totally agree! Haven't flown SW in years due to lack of direct flights. As bad as United is, at least don't usually have to deal with long layovers. Especially difficult with young kids (or seniors) in tow.

Do you mean Direct or nonstop? They are definitely not the same.

Has anyone ever even Southwest flights go down? Right now for my October dates out of milwaukee we only have 1 direct flight down and it's over 200 one way. I looked at some dates in June or July for the heck of it and they are like 79 each way. Wondering if we should hold off or maybe it's time I switched to a different airline. :-(

I never buy mine more than 2 months prior to flying but I fly out of BWI and there are usually at least 12 flights per day to MCO.

Betting JetBlue influences this.

The only change I have noticed with SW since JB started flying BWI/MCO is that you can still get WGA fares even less than 2 weeks prior to flying. Used to be WGA fares disappeared at 13 days from the date of travel. Now, you can find them even the day before as long as the flight isn't full.

I LOVE SW!!! we get great airfare with them.

 

[HipsterPeterPan]

I was able to get two round-trips from SW at $134 a ticket there and back.... Of course, I'm coming from Austin.

 

[maxiesmom]

I was able to get two round-trips from SW at $134 a ticket there and back.... Of course, I'm coming from Austin.

Color me jealous. I'm lucky to find $174 one way, and some of those have 2 stops.

 

[HipsterPeterPan]

Color me jealous. I'm lucky to find $174 one way, and some of those have 2 stops.

Ours are nonstop, as well. Just need to call the resort and make sure I have DME set up, I can't remember if I did or not.

 

[kristenrice]

I'm glad I didn't book the Delta flight! I checked tonight and the WGA fares are back, but the 6pm flight (with one stop) is still over $200. The flight that departs at 5:50 and stops in Columbus before continuing on to Chicago is available for the same price as the one we already booked so we changed it. Now, we are still getting home at midnight, which sucks, but at least now we will be leaving at 5:50pm instead of 4:30pm.

THe price of our outbound flight went down by $50!! My friend was bummed because she is not flying within the timeframe of the credit, but since I bought points and booked with those, I got 3300 points back to use towards my trip next October.

 

[maxiesmom]

Had to change my dates a bit. We are now heading to Disney World October 18. So I was able to get a nice flight down for $123. Leaves Grand Rapids at 11 am with 1 stop in Chicago. Now to just get flights home, but that can wait.

 

[mamamelody2]

Like the PP, I fly from GRR, too. When we went to WDW in 2010, we paid $1200 for the 5 of us to fly airtran nonstop roundtrip. Now Airtran doesn't exist anymore, of course, so we flew Southwest last September. It was over $2000. Ouch. Not a nonstop flight, either. I couldn't believe it, but that was really the best we could do.
Now DH and I are going November 12-19, so our dates aren't open yet through Southwest, but hoping the flights don't suck! I would REALLY love a nonstop flight, but doubt it'll happen. I have been looking at other airlines and other airports and there are just no deals to be had! Argh.

 

[Disneylover99]

SW flights opened up a couple of months ago for our August trip. At the time round trip flights were roughly in the $260 - $320 price range out of Buffalo. Not too bad but we didn't know our exact dates so we decided to wait and maybe drive down.

On Friday we firmed up our dates, so I decided to check SW prices. $69 down and $119 back for a total of $188 return. Direct flights at perfect times. But nope, my husband and kids decided we should drive down. It was painful to see those prices creep back up on the weekend.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

SW flights opened up a couple of months ago for our August trip. At the time round trip flights were roughly in the $260 - $320 price range out of Buffalo. Not too bad but we didn't know our exact dates so we decided to wait and maybe drive down.

On Friday we firmed up our dates, so I decided to check SW prices. $69 down and $119 back for a total of $188 return. Direct flights at perfect times. But nope, my husband and kids decided we should drive down. It was painful to see those prices creep back up on the weekend.

 

[Disneylover99]

Thanks for feeling my pain.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Thanks for feeling my pain.

Let me guess... in your family you are the one that does most of the long distance driving.

 

[Disneylover99]

Let me guess... in your family you are the one that does most of the long distance driving.

Actually no. I have to admit, my husband does the bulk of it. He loves to drive.
But if it were me doing most of the driving? I wouldn't have consulted, I would have just booked!