Southwest Rapid Rewards - "We are unable to price the flight you selected"

Here's a new-to-me error message:

# We are unable to price the flight you selected. Please select a different flight or call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) for assistance.
# The next lowest available fares for the flights you selected are listed below. If you accept the new price, please click "Accept and Continue" to proceed. If not, click "Modify Flight(s)" to make new fare or flight selections. Click here for additional information about our fare combinability rules which may apply.

The fare buckets shown at the front end aren't matching the availability from the back end. Weird. I think I'll try it again in the morning.

This reminds me all too much of Alaska Air's web site, whose front end display of fare availability was often more then 24 hours old. You could only get true availability by phoning them, which defeats the cost saving concept of having a web site.

Edited to add: It appears that I was trying to book a flight just as a $5 fare increase was being pushed through. The front end has caught up now. Bummer. Maybe I'll wait for a Ding sale. I can't remember the last time I saw fares change on a Wednesday night, and before midnight Central as well. Thursday and Monday nights are the usual change times, and near midnight Pacific time.

These intra-California fare gyrations are nuts. When fuel prices soared, fares went from $29 to $39 to $49 and even $59. That was understandable. Then they came back down to $49 and sometimes $44 or even $39. Also understandable.

Then fuel prices started back up. Fares began to change almost randomly. Sometimes $41, sometimes $57, different amounts seemingly every few weeks. Then Southwest had the $30 sale, followed by a week of $30 Ding fares. Then came the amazing $25 fares.

Southwest has been teaching its customers to wait for intra-California fares less than $49, and not to bother booking anything more expensive. In that context, what possible sense does it make to increase the fare from $54 to $59 more than a month in advance?

Southwest's fare sale strategy since June has been uncharacteristically stupid. I wonder if higher-fare and lower-fare factions within Southwest's revenue department are having their own internal fare war: Charge! Retreat! Charge! Retreat!

Having booked virtually everything I need at $25, I'm going to sit out this cycle of higher fares. When ticket purchases fall off a cliff, maybe the lower fares will return.

Edited to add: This $5 increase appears to coincide with a $5 increase by Virgin America. I guess I'll have to make a habit of visiting VX's website to see exactly when their sales end. :(

Wording may have changed with the site overhaul, but it sounds like this situation.

I'm always surprised to see comments suggesting there is any regularity to fare changes. Perhaps it is different in different markets, but for the routes I follow they can happen any day of the week and at various times of day.

Southwest's fare sale strategy since June has been uncharacteristically stupid. I wonder if higher-fare and lower-fare factions within Southwest's revenue department are having their own internal fare war: Charge! Retreat! Charge! Retreat!

You're not kidding! Two weeks ago, I needed to fly LA-San Francisco. Since I missed the 7 day cutoff, fares were high to OAK and SJC. SFO still had WGA availability for $39. I went to book an hour later, price for LAX-SFO went from $39 to $69. SNA-SFO $49 to $119. I checked again about midnight fares were back down to $49 for SNA-SFO. I booked it. I looked in the morning and fares dropped to $30(!!) for a flight <48 hours from departure.

This has been happening on SAN/LAS/LAX-SFO flights since at least May. It's great for me since I book about 5 days from departure, and it's gotten to a point where I don't even bother to look at fares until then.

I love VX. Never flown them, but I love them! :D

I love VX. Never flown them, but I love them! :D

Then VX will be most welcome in SJC....where the fares are relatively boring and stagnant.