SW

[wisblue]

I hear you. Holidays are the only times we can travel as well and it just so happens to be the same time that all the on-site WDW resorts dramatically raise their rates in a very similar manner!

Higher rates during peak times are expected, both for airfares and hotel accommodations.

The beef that I and others are having with the Southwest fares is that they have increased more than 50% over last year's fares (which were already, at least in our case, about 25% higher than fares at less busy times).

I have no doubt that we would hear some howling if Disney's room rates increased by 50% or more from one holiday season to the next.

 

[LOL!]

The beef that I and others are having with the Southwest fares is that they have increased more than 50% over last year's fares (which were already, at least in our case, about 25% higher than fares at less busy times).

And yet they keep filling those planes! Even with that ridiculous boarding process! Yet their stock has been climbing like crazy and demand for seats is soaring. Go figure.......

 

[wisblue]

And yet they keep filling those planes! Even with that ridiculous boarding process! Yet their stock has been climbing like crazy and demand for seats is soaring. Go figure.......

Not hard to figure when they are the only carrier serving a route.

 

[LOL!]

Not hard to figure when they are the only carrier serving a route.

I wouldn't think their being the sole carrier in that one minor market would account for success across the entire company. Sorry I didn't read all the details but now that I realize what you are saying (they are the only ones who serve that market with that particular route) that alone could explain why they could be charging so much and why the sudden increase. Perhaps they are absorbing costs that other carriers deemed non-serviceable? If they increased pricing that much it could be because (a) not enough people are flying that route and they have to cover costs to continue servicing it or (b) so many people are flying that route they can command a higher price. I would be inclined to think it's NOT possibility (b) because other carriers would take notice of the demand and enter that market with competitive routes.

Either way, sucks for you for sure. Hope you can find an alternative.

 

[wisblue]

I wouldn't think their being the sole carrier in that one minor market would account for success across the entire company. Sorry I didn't read all the details but now that I realize what you are saying (they are the only ones who serve that market with that particular route) that alone could explain why they could be charging so much and why the sudden increase. Perhaps they are absorbing costs that other carriers deemed non-serviceable? If they increased pricing that much it could be because (a) not enough people are flying that route and they have to cover costs to continue servicing it or (b) so many people are flying that route they can command a higher price. I would be inclined to think it's NOT possibility (b) because other carriers would take notice of the demand and enter that market with competitive routes.

Either way, sucks for you for sure. Hope you can find an alternative.

There are definitely a lot of people flying from Milwaukee to Florida, especially over spring break. A lot of people from northern Illinois fly out of Milwaukee instead of O Hare because it's a lot less hassle and the fares have always been competitive. Usually SW has 3 round trip flights a day from MKE to MCO and on the weekend of Easter and the following weekend they have 8, just as they did last year. The biggest problem on the route is that Air Tran was SW's major competitor, and of course SW bought them out.

 

[LOL!]

There are definitely a lot of people flying from Milwaukee to Florida, especially over spring break. A lot of people from northern Illinois fly out of Milwaukee instead of O Hare because it's a lot less hassle and the fares have always been competitive. Usually SW has 3 round trip flights a day from MKE to MCO and on the weekend of Easter and the following weekend they have 8, just as they did last year. The biggest problem on the route is that Air Tran was SW's major competitor, and of course SW bought them out.

Maybe it's time to turn the tables because in all honesty and in my own personal experience I've never found ORD to be the big hassle it's reputation burdens it with. I can get in and out of there quite easily and actually prefer it to MKE since it's a major hub. Would it be significantly cheaper if you took advantage of flights to MCO from there instead of MKE? I'm seeing RT flights from ORD to MCO on the day before Good Friday for as low as $300.

 

[wisblue]

Maybe it's time to turn the tables because in all honesty and in my own personal experience I've never found ORD to be the big hassle it's reputation burdens it with. I can get in and out of there quite easily and actually prefer it to MKE since it's a major hub. Would it be significantly cheaper if you took advantage of flights to MCO from there instead of MKE? I'm seeing RT flights from ORD to MCO on the day before Good Friday for as low as $300.

We can't travel on the day before Good Friday because my teacher daughters have to work that day and the school district where they work does not allow them to take personal days on the day before or after major breaks.

If we had flexible travel dates we could get much lower fares out of MKE too. And yes, going to ORD is a major hassle for us. It's about an hour and a half longer drive and that's only if we can avoid Chicago rush hours both ways. Add bag fees, tolls, and higher parking rates to the extra time and the fare advantage disappears pretty quickly.

The bottom line on this for me is that for 20 or so years of visiting WDW over Easter break (including 2015) we have been able to get fares for flights to MCO from various airlines that are not much higher than for other times of the year as long as we book as soon as schedules are released. Because of demand, the fares have always gone up fairly quickly and never come down as Easter approached. Southwest changed the first part of that equation on us this year and it took us by surprise, but we will deal with it. Because we usually take other flights over the course of the year, we will be able to take advantage of the travel credits if the fares do come down (which I'm not expecting except maybe for the flights at unpopular times like the ones leaving at 5:30 in the morning or arriving after midnight).