When to book flights (southwest)?

[js]

Check every day starting with the 6th. They post dates and sometimes open up a couple days before

Thank you for this information. Does above usually happen? If so, I will spend a ridiculously amount of time this weekend stalking the app to see if they open earlier.
I need seven roundtrip tickets from EWR/LGA to FLL and want to get as soon as it opens.

Thank you.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

So glad I found this thread! Hope someone can help me out. We are looking to book August 19th -25th. Just got the SW Plus and Premier cards and have spent enough to get our 100,000 bonus points. The problem is that we won't get them until late February/ Early March. Right now we have no points. Do WTGA tickets really sell out that fast everywhere or is it based on the airports?

Also: If I buy the tickets with cash the day they are posted would I be able to rebook and use points instead retroactively somehow?

WTGA typically don't sell out fast but what happens is the cheapest rate for the WTGA fare sell out fast. For example when SWA opens the booking window on Feb 15 they have a predetermined set of tickets they will sell for a rock bottom rate for the WTGA fares. For example will have priced say 12 tickets for $65 one way, after those sell out then they raise the price WTGA tickets to $100, and so forth. That is why it is best to book as soon as the booking window opens. If you book with cash NO you can no then use points to get a retroactive ticket.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Thank you for this information. Does above usually happen? If so, I will spend a ridiculously amount of time this weekend stalking the app to see if they open earlier.
I need seven roundtrip tickets from EWR/LGA to FLL and want to get as soon as it opens.

Thank you.

I have not seen it happen. I am up at 6 a.m. EST and on the sight to book our tickets. Some time the window does not open till 6:15 a.m.

 

[DrFacilier]

WTGA typically don't sell out fast but what happens is the cheapest rate for the WTGA fare sell out fast. For example when SWA opens the booking window on Feb 15 they have a predetermined set of tickets they will sell for a rock bottom rate for the WTGA fares. For example will have priced say 12 tickets for $65 one way, after those sell out then they raise the price WTGA tickets to $100, and so forth. That is why it is best to book as soon as the booking window opens. If you book with cash NO you can no then use points to get a retroactive ticket.

Thanks so much! That changes everything. 52,000 RR points from one card just posted today. It’s worth a try on the 15th in case thats enough to pay for our trip. I think it will be pretty close. If not I will still be able to book it until the end of the month.

 

[mousestruck]

WTGA typically don't sell out fast but what happens is the cheapest rate for the WTGA fare sell out fast. For example when SWA opens the booking window on Feb 15 they have a predetermined set of tickets they will sell for a rock bottom rate for the WTGA fares. For example will have priced say 12 tickets for $65 one way, after those sell out then they raise the price WTGA tickets to $100, and so forth. That is why it is best to book as soon as the booking window opens. If you book with cash NO you can no then use points to get a retroactive ticket.

I thought this was the case as well, but learned otherwise for flights last November. Was on the website as soon as schedule opened. Several of the WGA fares sold out within minutes. Prices were high to start and went up as I was trying to buy them... and then completely sold out. I was so upset. Several weeks later they reappeared... and at lower price than Day 1. So the rules seem to vary. You have to know a good fare, check back frequently, and pounce when you see it!

 

[DrFacilier]

I thought this was the case as well, but learned otherwise for flights last November. Was on the website as soon as schedule opened. Several of the WGA fares sold out within minutes. Prices were high to start and went up as I was trying to buy them... and then completely sold out. I was so upset. Several weeks later they reappeared... and at lower price than Day 1. So the rules seem to vary. You have to know a good fare, check back frequently, and pounce when you see it!

Thanks. I’ve been following what is available for the last week in July and I’m only a couple weeks into August so I think I have a handle on what a good deal might be.

 

[Budzooka]

I literally check SWA fares everyday as part of my morning routine when I check my email, bank accounts, etc. I check the fares for any booked trips to see if the fares have changed so I can rebook if it has dropped. I have rarely booked my flights the day they are released, but I have found there are small windows when fares drop and you have to be paying attention to capitalize. But generally speaking, the fares increase over time, and sometimes rather significantly.

 

[mousestruck]

I literally check SWA fares everyday as part of my morning routine when I check my email, bank accounts, etc. I check the fares for any booked trips to see if the fares have changed so I can rebook if it has dropped. I have rarely booked my flights the day they are released, but I have found there are small windows when fares drop and you have to be paying attention to capitalize. But generally speaking, the fares increase over time, and sometimes rather significantly.

This. I found my great fare early on a Saturday morning of all times! Just grabbed my phone to check when I woke up and there it was! Gone by Sunday.

 

[happymom2one]

Does anyone know when flights for November 1st will open?

 

[Karenj2]

I'm up at 6am est - nothing so far... I'll try again at 7.

 

[Frozen2014]

Yeah, I'm checking too for end of August. The other flights from Buffalo to FLL are not much cheaper than from Toronto so am curious if at release time there will be a bigger savings.

 

[Karenj2]

It popped up around 6:40am! My tickets are booked, and we saved close to $500 vs. what I had seen before... YAY!

 

[Budzooka]

Thanks for the reminder guys. I check daily for my flights that already booked to see if there has been a fare change, but am not good about seeing when the new booking window opens. This was very helpful.