SWA: Unavailable vs. Sold Out

[leebee]

We are booked on SWA to fly in less than 48 hours, using points and Wanna Get Away fares. I was checking our flights and noticed that this rate for our flight out in two days is listed as "unavailable" but our return flight is listed as "sold out." Should I be worried about the "unavailable" or are Wanna Get Away fares only available for advanced booking, not within 48 hours? I searched the SW website but couldn't find anything helpful.

 

[Aaeolien]

Do you have confirmation numbers? If so I wouldn't worry. If you are truly concerned then you can probably call and confirm that the flights haven't been changed.

 

[richmo]

I don't quite get your concern. If you're already booked, you should be able to plug in your confirmation numbers and view your flights. That it is showing as unavailable or sold out shouldn't be an issue. It may mean your flight is full, but if you already have a spot, just make sure you checkin when you're supposed to and you're good to go.

Southwest typically takes away booking online for many flights once you get inside a week, especially the Wanna Get Away fares.

In my opinion, the only thing you need to do is plug in your confirmation number, verify that your flights are correct and make sure you check in at 24 hrs, since they may be full.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I agree with the above. You have your tickets; why does it matter if the flight is sold out?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . why does it matter if the flight is sold out?

1) Easy.
2) Such flights are usually oversold and people MUST be bumped from the flight.
3) SWA has the 2nd most bumped passengers of any airline according to the U.S Dept of Transportation.
4) On oversold flights
. . . they first try to induce people to give up seats with money and/or vouchers
. . . if not enough volunteers, they select people, who have no choice but to miss the flight

 

[JanaDee]

We are booked on SWA to fly in less than 48 hours, using points and Wanna Get Away fares. I was checking our flights and noticed that this rate for our flight out in two days is listed as "unavailable" but our return flight is listed as "sold out." Should I be worried about the "unavailable" or are Wanna Get Away fares only available for advanced booking, not within 48 hours? I searched the SW website but couldn't find anything helpful.

I will check our flights too, just for my own curiosity to see if they are sold out or not.

Wanna Get Away fares have to be purchased with at least 14 days notice I think, so that is why it says unavailable.

If you're already booked and check in with either EBCI or at the 24 hour mark, you will be fine.

 

[DebbieB]

If "wanna get away" is soldout but the other 2 have prices, I would not worry. When I first went to book my tickets for October, "wanna get away" was sold out for the flights I wanted and the other two were very high prices. I went back on 2 or 3 weeks later and "wanna get away" was available with decent prices.

 

[leebee]

I'm not worried; I was simply wondering if anyone knew what the difference between "unavailable" and "sold out" might be. It sounds to me like "unavailable" means that the flight isn't sold out, but it's no longer the time frame within which this fare category can be booked; "sold out," OTOH, means there are no seats available in this fare category- and therefore it's probably a fuller flight, and maybe we might get bumped or something. I was mostly just curious to see if anyone could explain the difference, because I couldn't find it when searching SW's website.