Airfare to ft lauderdale/Southwest?

All this may be true for YOU. But it is hardly true for everyone. I used to live in Houston and WN was almost NEVER the cheapest. I could fly nonstop on UA for much cheaper and not have to stop in Oklahoma Phoenix, Baltimore or wherever while in route. I now live in Charleston and there are just much better options to get where I want to go. (AA and DL mostly) Plus, I want an assigned seat, with the option of first class or the extra legroom seats. (MCE, E+, Delta comfort). Baggage fees are a non issue. Just get a branded cc and you won't have to pay a fee. The big 3 all have cc options for $95 a year that includes a free bag. And usually early boarding. Thus none of the "must check in early" to get a early boarding group for a decent seat nonsense. I'm usually one of the last to board and I know exactly which seat I am going to be in. I know you WN fans love to say how great they are (and I'm not saying they are a bad airline) but, if you take off your blue and orange glasses you'll realize they are not really any better than the others.

I agree. I used to love Southwest and AirTran before they merged. Now they seem to be much more expensive and have stupid routes. I have a couple airline CCs that I get free bags and priority boarding with too. I’ve actually been able to fly First Class quite a few times for the price WN wants for a regular ticket. I also prefer to have “my” seat.

I also don’t care for the fact that if your flight is canceled/delayed that they can’t/won’t book you on another airline as they don’t have reciprocity agreements with the legacy carriers. That can cause a huge issue if you’re trying to get to the ship.

They offer a good product and price point for many and I’m happy for them. Unfortunately those days are gone from my airport.

Someone needs to put the other side out to counter the cult of the blue and orange. :rolleyes:

I constantly hear blanket statements like "try WN, they are the cheapest" or "try WN, they fly to more cities". Pricing and route availability varies widely depending on one's home airport and travel itinerary. And like Trucker Dave said, some prefer to assigned seats, not worrying about checking in early, etc. Some, like me, also prefer an airline that flies internationally (beyond the Caribbean, LOL), as those airlines can have more value in terms of earning or using miles, either for award flights or airline status or both. Everyone's wants and needs are different, so everyone has to decide what airline best serves them. :)

So true but I like the idea that I change my flight or cancel at no charge but hate having to pay $15 for early bird but after my last flight when someone wouldn’t let me save a seat for my daughter! Ugh!

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So true but I like the idea that I change my flight or cancel at no charge but hate having to pay $15 for early bird but after my last flight when someone wouldn’t let me save a seat for my daughter! Ugh!

Trust me, the number of changes and cancellations is factored into your ticket price. It's not transparent, but the revenue management folks at WN have figured it out and folded it in. They know how many people change/cancel flights and put that data into revenue calculations. Just like your "free bags". That's part of the ticket pricing and those without bags, in effect, subsidize those who do bring their full allowance.

WN spent decades and millions of marketing dollars to convince the public that they have the cheapest fares in all markets at all times. Sometimes that is true. Far more often, it differs widely from reality.

The late departed Greatam had done research on fares offered by WN. Often they were the cheapest when they came out. But she also researched that it was usually possible to get a much better price from a "legacy" carrier in the time frame BEFORE WN released their schedule - that WN tended to "match" the currently available pricing, rather than the previous available low levels. Unfortunately, her passing leaves us without updated research and information, but I have no doubt that the practice continues to this day.

but hate having to pay $15 for early bird but after my last flight when someone wouldn’t let me save a seat for my daughter! Ugh!

I wouldn't expect you to be able to save a seat for your daughter, that is why you should each pay the $15 if you need to sit next to each other.

So true but I like the idea that I change my flight or cancel at no charge but hate having to pay $15 for early bird but after my last flight when someone wouldn’t let me save a seat for my daughter! Ugh!

 

 

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Saving a seat on SW is poor etiquette. Either every one in a family should purchase early bird check in or the family should just board in the assigned boarding category. If your daughter is to young to sit alone then purchase early bird. Yes, I have flown with my two children and we do pay extra for early bird to make sure we can sit together.

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Hey, who cares about etiquette anymore - it's all about saving the fifteen bucks.

Wonder what they do with pool loungers?

Spirit

 

Frontier

 

Not many do!

 

 

 

There are far more that Don't!

American, Delta, United.

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Does anyone think that it will go down from the $133.00 it is still at? I didn’t buy it yet as last year I bought it for less in March! Thanks

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Does anyone think that it will go down from the $133.00 it is still at? I didn’t buy it yet as last year I bought it for less in March! Thanks

 

 

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Is still still MDW-FLL? $133 seems pretty good to me.

Does anyone think that it will go down from the $133.00 it is still at? I didn’t buy it yet as last year I bought it for less in March! Thanks

What's your risk tolerance level? Are you willing to risk that the price will go up by $50 in order to save $10? It goes up by $100? Are you trying to squeeze the very lowest price - because the only time one knows what the lowest price for a flight was is when the door closes and the plane pushes back. And then it is too late to buy.

Econ 101 says that inherently prices rise as inventory becomes less available. Will inventory become less available? What do you think? What you paid last year has little relevance to what you might pay today. How does that compare with the usual going rate for that market - because that's the research one needs to do.

And finally, does the fact that "anyone" thinks the price will drop have any relevance to whether it actually will?

Sorry to sound harsh, but that's what individual decision making in capitalism is all about.

(And Zach probably has it right)

Thank you both!! So true!!

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The late departed Greatam had done research on fares offered by WN. Often they were the cheapest when they came out. But she also researched that it was usually possible to get a much better price from a "legacy" carrier in the time frame BEFORE WN released their schedule - that WN tended to "match" the currently available pricing, rather than the previous available low levels. Unfortunately, her passing leaves us without updated research and information, but I have no doubt that the practice continues to this day.

Yes, I really miss her. She was a great resource.

ML

So I bought the air but only got 2 at that price but each of the other 2 went down so I did a credit for one today and one yesterday! I have $44.00 to use for 2 each on the way home!

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