Southwest

[Ar1el]

Quick question. I bought our airlines tickets for our trip down on Southwest as the price was only $73. I did not purchase the way home bc they were a lot more in price. I was figuring that they would at some point the price would go down but I am only seeing it go up and up. Do you think it will go down or stay going up?

 

[eagleoneoh]

my best advice for southwest is watch the days you fly on some are cheaper than others and yes i see prices go down at times.

 

[kwdw]

So - $73 one way from my location would be a bargain basement price. The trick is this - you have to learn the basic starting price from YOUR hub to the various destinations. For me - I know that when SW opens up fares - the price between my hub and MCO is $115. Anything less is an awesome price. I know that if I'm lucky - I can get between $89-$105 for a one-way ticket. I also know that sometimes they go down from that $115 starting price a bit 3-4 months out, sometimes they don't. Hit about 5-6 weeks in advance - prices usually only go up.

For my next two trips - both fell into that awesome three day sale they had a few weeks ago - so while prices vary for each of those 4 legs - 3 of them were great prices (two at $79, one at $99), but I did have to pay $132 for the one return flight. In total - I'm happy with the price.

So - my advice is this - if it's getting close to your trip - let's say within a month - I'd just buy them now. But it you are still 5 months out - I'd keep checking prices. And check on DIFFERENT computers and different days....

 

[Ar1el]

Our trip is Nov 17 to the 23. I have some months so I will keep checking. Thanks all!!

 

[HeatherL1985]

Also, check first thing Tuesday and Wednesday morning. I've heard that airlines routinely reassess their prices on Tuesday, make price adjustments and sometimes readjust again on Wednesday to hit where they want to be in terms of sales. Southwest doesn't always participate in the industries "conventional wisdom", however, so this may not always ring true.

 

[Veggie]

You can always buy them now and then rebook if you find a lower price.

 

[whitney250]

Tuesdays and Saturdays seem to be the cheapest days to fly... can you return on one of those days? Our tickets never go down, even with sales, they always go up substantially

 

[themouseandme]

I'd say since you're flying home during Thanksgiving week, the prices will be higher than what you got going down. You may not want to wait since that week is likely to book up. Good luck!

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

During Thanksgiving week, I doubt they would go down. They love to charge more for holiday travel. I got lucky in that our SW flights came out pretty cheap.

 

[jillymom8]

Any idea when southwest usually release rates? We are going august 2016, i was thinking maybe november?

 

[Disneylover99]

Any idea when southwest usually release rates? We are going august 2016, i was thinking maybe november?

Usually some time in February for most of August. It depends on your dates.

 

[hokieinpa]

I would book now and then if the rate goes down, you can call Southwest and they will give you a credit to use on future flights. Since it's the week before Thanksgiving, flights will fill quickly! Prices will also be higher and less likely to drop overall.

Any idea when southwest usually release rates? We are going august 2016, i was thinking maybe november?

Southwest seems to release 6-8 months ahead. In mid-August 2015 they are releasing flights through mid-April 2016. They will have the release dates for the next round of flights on their website!

 

[Julylady]

If you are traveling over a holiday or a school break, the prices probably won't go down. I have found that Southwest is particularly sensitive to high demand travel times in the local market. The best prices for those times (spring break, Thanksgiving, Columbus Day weekend), are generally found on the very first day the tickets go on sale.

My sister was in the same boat as you last year. She purchased one-way tickets for a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale at a rock bottom price, but declined to buy the return trip since the price for that leg was higher. She waited and watched, but the prices never came down. What she didn't realize was that it was spring break for a local college in her town. Since she didn't have kids college-age, she never realized. Long story short....the prices never did come down and she ended up paying much more for the return ticket than she would have if she had just purchased it at the beginning. So....you might want to do a little research.

 

[quagmire0]

You can always buy them now and then rebook if you find a lower price.

Just keep in mind that you'll get a credit for Southwest, not a refund. The credit also has an expiration date. So, it's a better deal if you are a more frequent flyer.

 

[pjacobi]

Refund or credit depends on fare class. In one case, when the fare dropped I actually got a refund back to credit card. When the fare dropped again, the only option was credit.

Re-booking at lower price can easily be done on-line. In some cases, Southwest can charge fee for phone service.


-Paul