SW down... Airtran back. Am I nuts?

[kiteri]

Okay, I am booking flights for my trip May 7-16, 2010.

SW opened fares through May 7th today and I could snag their lowest Wanna Get Away fare of $84 to get there.

I can't book the return on SW until December 17, but their fares for every other Sunday they opened up today were $159 per person so I should probably expect the same when they do open fares through May 16th.

Airtran has fares on May 16th for $99 per person and has a time much more desirable than the SW flights.

Should I avoid booking two one way tickets on different carriers?

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Jillpie]

I would book Airtran, that's a good amount of savings. And then youll have it off your mind. I have booked one ways several times, with absolutely no problems, go for it.

 

[Anjelica]

We are in a similar situation. I booked SW going down for our May 1st trip but we don't fly back till May 8th. However, I've always been happy with SW and have never flown Airtran so I'm a bit hesitant to look at AirTran at this moment.

 

[klynn]

The last few trips I have only booked one-way fares on two different carriers. It has saved me alot of money.

 

[edk35]

We do it all the time. We are flying down on SW in Jan. and back on Airtran. If I could book Airtran both ways I would ....but I need to use a credit on SW.

 

[kcandbella]

I'm having the same problem! I'm flying out May 2 and back May 9th. I really wanted to use SW both ways, but am thinking I will need to either do both ways AirTran or at least one. December is so long to wait!

 

[lats118]

We've booked one-way fares on JetBlue and AirTran in the past for a trip to WDW. It saved money and the flight times were better for us by splitting up the trip between 2 different airlines.

 

[jamstew]

I also booked one-way on Southwest, and I'll wait for December for the return. I'm not interested in paying luggage fees or having Airtran change my flights by several hours as I've experienced before. I would have considered JetBlue, but their schedule for my return date isn't open yet either.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I ended up booking SWA for our trip down because I had over $70 in credits left. We are trying AirTran for the first time on our way home. I booked through kayak.com (thanks to my fellow Dis'ers) so I avoided the fee associated with picking our seats. Since we're DVC members we only travel with a carry-on so the baggage fees don't apply to me.
BTW, our SW one way tickets were $84 each (we're not buying EB) but AT were only $59. Every little bit adds up when you're traveling with a family.

 

[msvlg]

Last year we flew down on SW and home on AirTran becuase it was a much better deal money wise. I was nervous as we always fly SW but it worked out just fine! I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I'm checking airlines now for the best deal for our April trip. Good luck!

 

[robinb]

I would go for it! Even if you wait for Southwest you are still booking two one-way fares. Be aware that you are more likely to be flagged for extra security when you book one-way fares.

 

[kiteri]

Thanks everyone!!!!!

I did book the AirTran flights home. There is a peace of mind in knowing I have my flights booked. I couldn't hold out until December to book wondering all the while.

The AirTran portion of the trip is the ride home. By then I won't mind if my flight is changed by a few hours. I will have Southwest's reliability and lack of baggage fees to get me and my luggage there.

I also take pre-paid labels and ship a lot of my stuff home so I don't have to deal with it on the flight home, so the baggage fees on AirTran shouldn't be a problem. I will likely be down to a carry on by the last day anyway.

I would have preferred SW and would have been okay with paying a little more than I did on Airtran.... IF they had the fares open. Call me impatient, but I just like knowing I have my flights booked.

 

[cranbiz]

I would go for it! Even if you wait for Southwest you are still booking two one-way fares. Be aware that you are more likely to be flagged for extra security when you book one-way fares.

If far enough in advance, not likely. Many of the discount carriers sell one way fares only and if you book a RT tix, it's still 2 one way fares. I have done just that many times although not recently. SW one way, JetBlue the other. Song one way, Independence the other (both long gone now) and other various combinations of carriers offering one way fares. Never been singled out for extra screening.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Be aware that you are more likely to be flagged for extra security when you book one-way fares.

I was wondering about this exact issue! I am pretty much expecting to have to book my trip down at one time and back another, since my trip falls in two different months. Will I have to pay extra in fees if I do it this way? Even if it's on the same airline? Anyone with knowledge/experience with this would be greatly appreciated!

TIA

 

[scootch]

I almost always book two different one way flights..... no problems with security. I think I would wait for Southwest(personally) because with Airtran you have to pay for luggage and for your seat assignment if you want to sit with your family. Just a word of caution, Southwest does not change their flight times once they are posted, but Airtran almost always do. We are flying Airtran down, our flight time was moved but only an hour later(which was actually better).

 

[wezee]

We just got home last Sunday. We flew Spirit down to WDW and Airtran back. We got great prices and the flights were smooth and comfy. Considering the high airfare for March, I will probably look for one-way deals in the months to come.

PS....we booked our Airtran flight for our recent trip, last March, and our departure time only changed by 20 min. We only booked non-stop flights and I think they are less likely to have radical time changes.

 

[jamstew]

I booked my daughter and her family on Airtran for our May trip because it was non-stop from Dallas. They changed the flights by four hours in both directions--I cancelled & re-booked on a SW connecting flight.