Southwest Airlines

[jaw5293]

Does anyone know when SWA moves their dates ahead? I've been watching when they would add the rest of August onto their calender for flights. I need to go to Tampa and they are usually the cheapest and you don't have to pay for luggage. Anyway they are only booking through Aug 13 right now and I need a RT flight from the 14th-22nd for my cruise. Just wondering. I've been checking several times each day and so far they haven't changed.

 

Jane

[pms4104]

You can check here: http://www.southwest.com/flight/travel_center.html

[Shorex]

From the Southwest website -- bookmark the page if you are a frequent customer of Southwest. Just noticed the internal inconsistency on the website. After March 23 you'll know which is correct.

[FlyerTalker]

You can check here: http://www.southwest.com/flight/travel_center.html

 

From the Southwest website -- bookmark the page if you are a frequent customer of Southwest. Just noticed the internal inconsistency on the website. After March 23 you'll know which is correct.

Actually researching on the airline website....what a novel concept!!! ;)

[6rugrats]

Actually researching on the airline website....what a novel concept!!! ;)

Or simply scrolling down the front page of this forum, to see where this exact same question was asked several days ago:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1151837

[Twickenham]

Does anyone know when SWA moves their dates ahead? I've been watching when they would add the rest of August onto their calender for flights. I need to go to Tampa and they are usually the cheapest and you don't have to pay for luggage. Anyway they are only booking through Aug 13 right now and I need a RT flight from the 14th-22nd for my cruise. Just wondering. I've been checking several times each day and so far they haven't changed.

 

Jane

 

Have you priced any other airline? Just for fun, I checked out WN's price for 2 weeks before your dates, and got a price of $289.80. I also punched in your dates into the ITA Matrix site, and found a Delta flight with times that would work for a cruise at $228.30. Even if you check 2 bags, you're still less that the WN flight.

[FlyerTalker]

Have you priced any other airline? Just for fun, I checked out WN's price for 2 weeks before your dates, and got a price of $289.80. I also punched in your dates into the ITA Matrix site, and found a Delta flight with times that would work for a cruise at $228.30. Even if you check 2 bags, you're still less that the WN flight.

Shhhhh....you'll interrupt the Kool-Aid drinking.

[Globaliser]

Shhhhh....you'll interrupt the Kool-Aid drinking.

I tell you, even if I have to pay more money to fly Southwest, it's still cheaper!

[Sargent_Schultz]

Have you priced any other airline? Just for fun, I checked out WN's price for 2 weeks before your dates, and got a price of $289.80. I also punched in your dates into the ITA Matrix site, and found a Delta flight with times that would work for a cruise at $228.30. Even if you check 2 bags, you're still less that the WN flight.

 

Not by much. If you use curbside check-in with Delta, how much do they nickle and dime you for there? And if you decide to change your ticket, Delta will really gouge you there. It would be cheaper to throw the ticket away and start over.

 

Above and beyond that, the odds are about 100% that Delta will change flights and/or flight times on you. At least SW keeps their schedule.

 

SW is still the best value AND makes a profit. Amazing.

[janetz]

Does anyone know when SWA moves their dates ahead? I've been watching when they would add the rest of August onto their calender for flights. I need to go to Tampa and they are usually the cheapest and you don't have to pay for luggage. Anyway they are only booking through Aug 13 right now and I need a RT flight from the 14th-22nd for my cruise. Just wondering. I've been checking several times each day and so far they haven't changed.

 

Jane

 

 

 

March 23rd.

[MarlboroBell]

Have you priced any other airline? Just for fun, I checked out WN's price for 2 weeks before your dates, and got a price of $289.80. I also punched in your dates into the ITA Matrix site, and found a Delta flight with times that would work for a cruise at $228.30. Even if you check 2 bags, you're still less that the WN flight.

 

Um, no you're not. Two bags per person on Delta is $55 each way. So you'd be paying $338.30.

[6rugrats]

If you use curbside check-in with Delta, how much do they nickle and dime you for there?

 

$2 for the first bag, $3 for the second, but no extra fee if you prepay your baggage fees when you check in online.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Um, no you're not. Two bags per person on Delta is $55 each way. So you'd be paying $338.30.

 

Exactly - even before the extra nickel and diming by Delta - extra charges for curbside check-in, penalty fees for not checking in online, etc.

 

Even the drinks on SW are cheaper than on Delta. ;)

[Litewait]

so do I need to be up at midnight/12 am on the 23rd to get a good price? I need airfare -Aug 20th returning the 29th into Miami or Fll. Which will be cheaper from San Diego do you think?? Cruising out of Miami. Weve only flown to Tampa before a few years ago. Thanks for the help!;)

[scottbee]

returning the 29th into Miami or Fll. Which will be cheaper from San Diego do you think??

 

A little research on WN's website will tell you the answer to this even before the fares are released.

 

As WN don't fly into MIA, I can guarantee the deal you'll get flying into FLL will be better than the non-existent deal.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Have you priced any other airline? Just for fun, I checked out WN's price for 2 weeks before your dates, and got a price of $289.80. I also punched in your dates into the ITA Matrix site, and found a Delta flight with times that would work for a cruise at $228.30. Even if you check 2 bags, you're still less that the WN flight.

 

And you get a seat assignment! We booked Delta today for our May trip to Las Vegas for that reason. We can manage with a carry-on for a 3-day trip.

[Litewait]

Call me stupid.. Whats WN??? I've looked at so many different airlines I'm confused. I think your telling me SW doeant fly into Miami..

[scottbee]

Call me stupid.. Whats WN??? I've looked at so many different airlines I'm confused. I think your telling me SW doeant fly into Miami..

 

I can tell you 110% for sure that SW/Air Namibia do not fly into MIA; neither do WN/Southwest.

 

These are the standard two-letter IATA airline codes used by airlines, travel agencies and airports, if you look at a ticket for Southwest Airlines flight 1234, you'll notice it's probably written as WN1234, in the same way that United 1234 is UA1234. While most of the codes makes sense, often the code is already taken, and an airline has to pick something else (as in the case of Southwest choosing the WN code); some of ones that people tend to mix up are the WN/SW one, along with;

DL/DE (DL/Delta, DE/Condor)

SK/SA (SK/Scandanavian, SA/South African)

AS/AK (AS/Alaska Air, AK/Air Asia)

WS/WJ (WS/Westjet, WJ/Air Labrador)

 

Unfortunately using the wrong code could be worse than using no code at all... There's a nice lookup of codes (airline airport and ICAO vs IATA) here: http://www.airlinecodes.co.uk/

[Sargent_Schultz]

And you get a seat assignment! We booked Delta today for our May trip to Las Vegas for that reason. We can manage with a carry-on for a 3-day trip.

 

You can... May is soon enough where Delta might actually keep the schedule. Maybe not.

 

If they change flights on you - Delta is notorious for doing that, all bets are off on whether you keep your assigned seats.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Call me stupid.. Whats WN??? I've looked at so many different airlines I'm confused. I think your telling me SW doeant fly into Miami..

 

Don't sweat it. Most people aren't travel agents and the IATA codes don't matter. Many of them don't make any sense. Look for the Southwest signs.

 

SW doesn't fly into Miami, but Fort Lauderdale works just fine - the two aren't that far apart. There are lots of shuttles available.

[FlyerTalker]

Although the codes may not be as significant for USA domestic flights, trust me that many international airports use the 2 letter code rather than spelling out the airlines on display monitors or boards. So if you head overseas, know your airline code.

[Sargent_Schultz]

This is a Southwest thread. SW doesn't fly international routes, so no need to be anal about IATA codes.

[scottbee]

This is a Southwest thread. SW doesn't fly international routes, so no need to be anal about IATA codes.

 

What, IATA doesn't apply in the USA?

[Litewait]

Do you think I need to be online at midnight to snag a good rate? Do they change them at 9 am? Any insight??

 

Thanks again!

[Sargent_Schultz]

Do you think I need to be online at midnight to snag a good rate? Do they change them at 9 am? Any insight??

 

Thanks again!

 

What I do is purchase two one way tickets on SW when I find a price acceptable to me.

 

If it isn't already at the lowest price they offer, I check periodically for lower prices and/or specials. If they appear, I change the ticket to the lower fare. Unlike legacy airlines, Southwest doesn't charge a change ticket fee.

 

I then have a credit with SW that I can use within a year for another flight.

 

The two one way tickets allow me to change each one independent of the other. If a round trip ticket, sometimes one of the fares goes down and the other goes up and you don't want to switch to the higher fare.

 

I do check the going rate on other airlines. All things being equal, the other airlines price would have to be quite a bit better for me to consider them. I take into account not only the luggage fees, but the other nickel and dime fees, as well as the ticket being more restricted, etc.