Southwest questions ---

[Sunshine1010]

90% of the time, we fly through SW. I usually go through the DING service, but at times, the regular website will have cheaper fares than the DING specials (hard to believe, but true). We usually fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday since those days are usually cheaper than the rest of the days of the week.

This year, due to schedules, we are flying to Orlando on a Friday, and flying back home on a Sunday.

1. Can anyone tell me if there are ever specials from DING or the main SW website, for flights on the weekend?

2. How much more (if, in fact, it is more) are the flights during the weekends?

I'm prepared to pay a little more than what I'm used to....but will I be blown away by the prices?

[Donald's Girl]

We always fly Southwest and usually on Friday or Saturday and have always gotten good sales in the past. Never actually had a DING come up for it but by watching all the time have always done pretty well.
What we also do is go ahead and book as soon as the dates we need are available, no matter what the fare is. Then, we watch it constantly and get adjustments as sales come up. This way we get the flights we want and just bank the money for the next time we go!
I think the difference between weekends and cheaper days is usually about $20-30 each way.
Good luck!

[crazeedizneefinatic]

Last year we flew out on a Fri and came home on a Sunday. RT we paid $130, that was not a ding but through the website. This year we are going the same days of the week. I just bought our flight down at $96. I am hoping it goes down but doubt it since the gas prices are way out of line. I am thinking of buying our flights home they are at $96 too right now. I am not sure they will go down but a little over 200 RT is okay, especially with the price of gas!

I agree SW sometimes has the cheapest flights on the website. I check almost everyday hoping to catch something.
Good luck!

[MickeyMomof2]

We flew from Nashville to Orlando last September and got $59 each way. It was a sale that was good for every day of the week, so I know it happens sometimes (although Tuesday and Wednesday are often the best days for price). In addition to DING, be sure to sign up for the weekly email newsletter that comes out on Tuesdays.

[pogo]

Southwest has a 'low fare finder' on the web site that will show you the lowest fare of each month.

To find it enter your tentative dates for travel and your departure and arrival city in the normal booking screen. When it shows the flights and prices, the 'fare finder' will be on that page. Click it and it shows the lowest fare for each day of the month. Try it !

Good luck and travel safe. :D

[Fangorn]

I fly Southwest a lot, and not just to Orlando. My experience is:

Web fares on the site can indeed be less than DING fares. Check frequently (i.e. DAILY).
I've found great web fares for every day of the week, but some days are more common than others.
It always depends on the traffic between the two cities. For instance, between Portland, OR and Orlando the heaviest travel is on Saturday. Fares are generally highest on Saturday.
Fridays and Sundays, while not as good as Tuesday and Wednesday, often have excellent fares too.
And of course the time of year is always a factor as well. June is more costly than September, and during holiday periods, discounts will be very scarce.


Make use of the Shortcut to Low Fares feature when you're looking at fares. This feature will show you at a glance the lowest fare for each day in a given month. It's a great tool if your dates are a bit flexible. Be aware though ,that just because the tool shows you can get from Portland, OR to Orlando for $109 on Sept 9 (which it currently does) that doesn't mean every flight will be at that price. In this case only 2 of the 6 flights have seats at that price and both of those flights have less than desirable (for me anyway) schedules. The early morning flight (my favorite) is going for $142, and the mid-morning flight is $184. The best fare I could get on Saturday is $184.

And finally, thank you for asking this question. In looking up the specifics I cited above, I actually rebooked our September flight home and saved $11.70 per ticket. For the four of us, that's $46.80. Not too shabby. :mickey:

Anyway, I hope this helps some.

Steve

[Sunshine1010]

Oooooooo. .....thank you so much. I looked the information up. I'm going in December, but this gives me a good indication of how their prices fluctuate.

Some months, the weekend prices aren't that much of a difference. On other months, it's an average of $100.00 more for weekend flights!

I'll just have to wait until the schedule comes out for December. Anyone know when that will be?

Also - Fangorn --- CONGRATS on saving money. Every little bit helps!!!!!

Sometimes I'm hesitant on buying SW tickets early. I know that you can get a credit...but the credit starts on the ORIGINAL date that you made the reservation...NOT when you take your trip. I have gotten a refund though....but a refund is NOT guaranteed either. It actually goes up for 'review' to see if you are allowed to get a refund or not. And I was.

Anyhow - thanks everyone.