SWA Flight...How Full???

[jayhawk74]

While anyone can be bumped the procedure that Southwest follows is that they bump those who don't have a boarding pass. This is done by when you check in on line, or at the airport, instead of getting a "C" Boarding Pass you will get a Security Document that states "Proceed to Gate". At the gate they will either give you a "C" boarding pass or note the time that you arrived at the gate. Ten minutes before the flight they will issue Boarding passes to those people, in the order that they arrived at the gate, to replace the volunteers who are not going or passengers who just don't show. For those who have an "A" or "B" Boarding pass they will only get bumped if they volunteer.

 

[goofy4tink]

I flew SW 10x and AT twice this year and only twice was the flight 100% full. Often it was 80 to 90ish% full. But there were still some seats open. I think it can depend greatly on what airport you are flying from and the time of day you choose to fly!
As recently as last summer I was on a SW flight that only had 18 passengers!! The FA told us she did NOT want to see Two of us in the same row!! LOL. Needless to say, DD and I were in the same rw because we like to lean on each other to nap! Was this a normal situation? No... but we like the late night flights from MCO and they tend to be less busy ESP on weekdays (not necessarily the case on Saturday though!)

It all depends on where you are flying from and where to. Most flights heading to Orlando are pretty full.
We had a SW with only 15 people on it but that was because the flight had been diverted to Philly (due to a snow issue in Providence). We were given two choices...get off the plane, find a hotel for the night, and we would be on an early flight to PVD the next day, but our luggage wasn't getting off with us. Or...go back to Ft Lauderdale, get our luggage, find a hotel for the night, and be on an early flight the next day. We chose to keep our luggage with us, so back to Florida we went. But only 15 of us chose that option.

 

[stitchlovestink]

It all depends on where you are flying from and where to. Most flights heading to Orlando are pretty full.
We had a SW with only 15 people on it but that was because the flight had been diverted to Philly (due to a snow issue in Providence). We were given two choices...get off the plane, find a hotel for the night, and we would be on an early flight to PVD the next day, but our luggage wasn't getting off with us. Or...go back to Ft Lauderdale, get our luggage, find a hotel for the night, and be on an early flight the next day. We chose to keep our luggage with us, so back to Florida we went. But only 15 of us chose that option.

Yeah, the flight with 18 of us was going from MCO to BWI. But we do have a lot of flights going To Orlando from BWI, and I have been on ones that are not completely sold out. Like I said 80 to 90% full, but there were definitely empty seats. I will say, that I typically do not travel on sat/sun so that may be a factor as well.

 

[kristenrice]

Well, as of today, it would let me buy 6 tickets, but 7 or 8 it shows the flight is sold out. So, I am going on the assumption that it will be full. Hopefully, I will not be on a call tomorrow at 2:45 when I need to check in. (I work as a paramedic) DH and I discussed buying EBCI but figured that the $25 was an unneeded expense since it is just the two of us. We will sit in what is available.

 

[MAH4546]

Southwest's average load factor in 2012 was 80.3%. So, no, most flights are not "at capacity."

But a flight to Florida or another vacation destination is more than likely to be fuller than average.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Southwest's average load factor in 2012 was 80.3%. So, no, most flights are not "at capacity."

But a flight to Florida or another vacation destination is more than likely to be fuller than average.

I think that statement hits the nail on the head! And again, throw in factors such as how many flights there are per day from that airport to MCO...
The fewer, the more likely they are to be full
Weekends versus weekdays
And the time of day....the earliest flights at our airport can depart prior to 7am which means getting there at 5:30am which isn't so popular esp when you have 'little kids'. But the 9am thru 1pm flights are pretty popular with families in my experience...

 

[JediBonas]

My flight on Oct 27 showed fares available about a week before our flight. Our flight ended up being totally booked, though (every single seat was taken).

 

[DonnaL]

I would agree with above posters that most SWA flights are nearly always full or very close to it. However, there are exceptions....we flew Newark to Phoenix this past January and the flight was half full....when we first boarded I began to check my tix to make sure it was indeed a ns flight and we weren't stopping somewhere for additional passengers. Needless to say it was an awesome flight....there were four of us....and we all had our own row!! Now our return flight wasn't so lucky....completely full flight from PHX to PHL... I would think a lot has to do with where you're flying, what day you're flying and the time of day.

 

[kristenrice]

I would think a lot has to do with where you're flying, what day you're flying and the time of day.

We're flying out of a small(er) airport (Grand Rapids) on a Thursday at 2:45pm. It is the only non-stop flight to Orlando offered...on ANY airline...so I'm sure it usually runs at or near capacity. SW is the only airline out of GR that flies non-stop to MCO. I believe we still have Allegiant that flies into Sanford and they offer non-stop flights too.

 

[kristenrice]

Well, I was available at 2:45 but my phone wouldn't connect so I was about 5 minutes late. We ended up with B21 and B23. I assume that we should have no problem sitting by each other, just probably not near the front. Oh we'll...we are going to WDW!!

 

[Skyhawk341]

Based on your 2:45 departure time, it looks like your flight actually originates in Grand Rapids (plane comes in from St. Louis with a different flight number). So your boarding numbers should be just fine.

Good luck with the half marathon, and enjoy your trip!
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