Southwest Open Thru June 9th 11:06am Est

[jonesmatNY]

Swa Open

 

[rie'smom]

I just checked @ 10.05 CST and the cheap flights from MSY to MCO are gone. I'm so sad. Oh well, I guess I can always use my airtran coupons. DH and I were planning those those for a special trip just for the 2 of us.

 

[Pocahantas]

I just booked our flights MSY to MCO for May. Prices are not great - $190.90 per person but I am keeping my fingers crossed for some great DING fares like I got last year!!!

 

[rie'smom]

If you book fun fares,etc can you change to DING later?

 

[hanlin]

I can't believe they came out today of all days. I'm leaving the house and won't get back to my computer until tonight. Please some of the veterans, tell me what I should do. I don't understand all the different kind of fares they list. What's a fun fare? Should I wait until dings start coming up for April? I know it'a a gamble but I need airfare for 6 and right now I got a quote of almost $2400!! That's crazy. If I book now the refundable price and change later, do I get $ back or credit for future flight. I will probably not fly again for years. What to do, what to do!! I can't wait to get home and read what everyone is getting. Any info here would be great! Thanks!

Sandy

 

[stacieps]

To change to a Ding fare you would have to cancel your original booking and then book the Ding using the credit from the cancellation - I've done it before, I suppose it could be tricky if not done quickly. I usually use 2 brower windows, but have a credit card handy in case the credit isn't immediatley available (never had that actually happen).

I booked my April dates MHT to MCO for $223 ($59 down, but $127 back)- not great, but ok for vacation week in NH. I was getting the same rates for Boston, so this saves me a bit of travel time and MHT is easier to deal with than Logan.

 

[rie'smom]

Thanks. So even if SW is showing sold out apparently there are Ding seats open?

 

[stacieps]

SW will not offer a Ding fare if a flight is sold out. I assume that the Ding fares are used to try to fill up flights. I've had some luck watching the website and catching a lower fare now and then (flew to Tampa last month and wasn't happy with the rate, but managed to hit the site one day when rates changed slightly and got a $65 credit, total for 4 of us, not a big deal, but it was a credit to use this time!). I received a few Dings between booking and when I flew from Tampa, however, none of them included my flights.

 

[CallaLily]

I can't believe after 1 hour all the good cheap seats were gone for my arrival flight from BWI to MCO on 4/29. Oh well, I'll be watching for Ding fares later.

 

[boomhauer]

Oh brother - I need July flights.

Looks like I'll be waiting quite a while.

 

[treloarf]

How did these people get these fares so quickly - cheap Pgh. to MCO sold out too for 4/15, 4/16, 4/17 returns.

 

[Ilovestitch]

Whoo hoo! Just booked our flights for May from BWI to MCO- $79 each way!!

 

[Bishope2]

Hello all,

I checked the SWA website at 11:00 a.m. EST.....AND NOTHING! I went back at 11:15 a.m. and the schedule had OPENED UP! I needed 4/13 outbound and 4/23 return. I got it but at a cost, so to speak.

If you got fares below $300/person feel lucky. I just paid $1,557.00 for a family of five. That equates to $311.40/person. I was expecting to pay that much anyhow. It is a disappointment to see that at one point SWA was offering fares as low as $59 one way. If I had just checked sooner! On the bright side of things, as of 5:15 p.m. EST my outbound flight is now at $187 one way and the return is sold out. SO I feel lucky.

Good luck to all

 

[splashmt]

bishope2 - whats got to be so frustrating for you is that you checked at 11:00 and nothing.... and then 15 lousy minutes later, the cheap seats are gone. You mentioned feeling bad about not checking "sooner". What a pill to swallow. You wouldn't think 15 minutes would make that much of a difference... I am sorry that you are spending more $$ than you had to. I guess it could have been worse in 1 day and 15 minutes. Have fun.

 

[Poorman]

From experiance,check a few times in the next couple of days. I think SWA throws out the numbers to see who will bite. Then a couple of days later they open up some cheap fares. It has happened to me. Keep checking.

 

[thelionqueen]

I just checked from Denver to MCO and the price is just slightly less than a non-stop. Since I have never flown on SW, I am hoping that I may get a Ding fare cheaper.

Any advice on buying now or later?? We are leaving end of May thru June 9th. I am worried that if I do buy it will go down, if I don't buy it'll go up.

I am so frustrated, I just wish I would have bought them when I was checking daily and the airfare was $275 each non-stop. ARGHHH

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Right now, flights are $176.90 r/t. We're paying $96.90 r/t in Feb, and I can't decide whether to buy or wait.

 

[lawgs]

as a previous poster has said, the first release of schedule does not mean the release of the "good fares"....

and all the good fares have not necessarily SOLD out, they were just not there to begin with

just keep checking ....

on a side note, surprised that they are opening 6 months in advance, that has not been the usual practice for SW

 

[rie'smom]

bishope2 - whats got to be so frustrating for you is that you checked at 11:00 and nothing.... and then 15 lousy minutes later, the cheap seats are gone. You mentioned feeling bad about not checking "sooner". What a pill to swallow. You wouldn't think 15 minutes would make that much of a difference... I am sorry that you are spending more $$ than you had to. I guess it could have been worse in 1 day and 15 minutes. Have fun.

I checked SWA @ 10:05 central and the least expensive flights from New Orleans to Orlando were gone. Is there some sort of Ding-like thing to alert people when these fares opened? It just seems so odd that w/in a 5 minute period all the cheapie fares were gone. I guess they must really be limited. May work out though and leave more seats open to Dings later.

 

[maccalovah]

as a previous poster has said, the first release of schedule does not mean the release of the "good fares"....

and all the good fares have not necessarily SOLD out, they were just not there to begin with

just keep checking ....

I'll definitely keep checking. As it is right now, the cheapest I can get is $179 EACH way, which seems a little high to me. I can get $190 RT on NWA, which is as about as good as you can hope for- yet I keep hearing about $59 fares etc with SW, and am tempted to keep waiting....