Southwest Rapid Rewards - So the SWA Flight I want is sold out.

So throwing this question out there

I've always been told by different SWA employees that a flight will oversell by 4. I've actually been at airport. Have it oversold by 4. Then drop to 3, and then it was available for purchase online. I actually bought it with no intention of flying, only waiting for the bump offer.

If the flight I want is sold out, is there any best practice to find out what they are oversold by? Online? Call CS?

I tend to look numerous times online during the day, only one time in two years I can remember the "sold out" flight come back to "available"

Guess I'm checking to see if anyone has a "best practices" in obtaining this information


Thank you

I think without knowing it you are trying to look at proprietary SWA data.

Good luck but obviously it is available internal and to certain employees. If your + 4 "over sell" seems to work on a certain route I would stick with it. I doubt the over sell amount and information is the same for all flights and routes.

Sometimes flights will simply sell out and not be oversold. This is particularly true on routes with a high number of last minute buyers. I had a flight that was sold out that I wanted to be on. I checked morning and evening until a seat opened up and my purchase closed it again leaving no seat for my "companion." Two days before the flight it showed open again and I grabbed a seat for my companion. It immediately went to closed.

The previous flight I was on went from sold out to one seat available when I changed the first ticket. When I moved the companion it changed to two.

The flight I was on went out full with no volunteers.

On another occasion, I was at the GA desk and I asked about volunteering both my seat and my companion as the flight showed it was unavailable. They only needed one seat, and ended up taking a volunteer. I also found out that my connection was sold out and volunteered from the originating AP for the connection. Can't be done. It has to be done at the AP where the oversell is. I did learn from the GA that they were oversold by 3 on the connection. By the time I got to the connecting flight, it went out full with no volunteers.

So, the GA might tell you this info in the context of asking to volunteer.

Also, making a reservation just to get to volunteer may run afoul of the speculative purchase rule (an iffy interpretation IMO, but possible):

You may not use Southwest's sites to make any speculative, fraudulent, or false reservation or any reservation in anticipation of demand. If you have made multiple reservations to one or more destinations on or about the same date, Southwest reserves the right to cancel all such reservations without notice.

From here. (http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/terms-and-conditions/?int=GFOOTER-BOTTOM-TERMS)

You also need to keep in mind that if the flight you are booked on is carrying a number of thru-PAX, if those thru-PAX missed their connection for any reason, that will open up seats.

Sometimes flights will simply sell out and not be oversold. This is particularly true on routes with a high number of last minute buyers. I had a flight that was sold out that I wanted to be on. I checked morning and evening until a seat opened up and my purchase closed it again leaving no seat for my "companion." Two days before the flight it showed open again and I grabbed a seat for my companion. It immediately went to closed.

The previous flight I was on went from sold out to one seat available when I changed the first ticket. When I moved the companion it changed to two.

The flight I was on went out full with no volunteers.

On another occasion, I was at the GA desk and I asked about volunteering both my seat and my companion as the flight showed it was unavailable. They only needed one seat, and ended up taking a volunteer. I also found out that my connection was sold out and volunteered from the originating AP for the connection. Can't be done. It has to be done at the AP where the oversell is. I did learn from the GA that they were oversold by 3 on the connection. By the time I got to the connecting flight, it went out full with no volunteers.

So, the GA might tell you this info in the context of asking to volunteer.

Also, making a reservation just to get to volunteer may run afoul of the speculative purchase rule (an iffy interpretation IMO, but possible):



From here. (http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/terms-and-conditions/?int=GFOOTER-BOTTOM-TERMS)


That's my current issue. Waiting for a seat to open for my CP. 5 flights that day. Ony 1 NS. 1:40. With 1 stop 4:00 min. Bummer. Keep checking...

Sometimes flights will simply sell out and not be oversold. This is particularly true on routes with a high number of last minute buyers. I had a flight that was sold out that I wanted to be on. I checked morning and evening until a seat opened up and my purchase closed it again leaving no seat for my "companion." Two days before the flight it showed open again and I grabbed a seat for my companion. It immediately went to closed.

The previous flight I was on went from sold out to one seat available when I changed the first ticket. When I moved the companion it changed to two.

The flight I was on went out full with no volunteers.

On another occasion, I was at the GA desk and I asked about volunteering both my seat and my companion as the flight showed it was unavailable. They only needed one seat, and ended up taking a volunteer. I also found out that my connection was sold out and volunteered from the originating AP for the connection. Can't be done. It has to be done at the AP where the oversell is. I did learn from the GA that they were oversold by 3 on the connection. By the time I got to the connecting flight, it went out full with no volunteers.

So, the GA might tell you this info in the context of asking to volunteer.

Also, making a reservation just to get to volunteer may run afoul of the speculative purchase rule (an iffy interpretation IMO, but possible):



From here. (http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/terms-and-conditions/?int=GFOOTER-BOTTOM-TERMS)



Well I was an opportunist. Push come to shove not sure if I would have got on that flight or not. It was las-sea. I was stuck at airport, they needed volunteers and I got 650. I would have taken the flight, maybe, I was definitely tired of being at las. But the 650 swayed me nt to go. Instead I wentl back to my hotel and out the next am. Either way a long day, and not one I would revsit

I tend to look numerous times online during the day, only one time in two years I can remember the "sold out" flight come back to "available"

Guess I'm checking to see if anyone has a "best practices" in obtaining this information

Check back frequently. That's all you can do.

I've routinely seen "sold out" flights become available again. In most instances, that's because if a flight is sold out and so much as one traveler cancels his or her plans or changes them, voila, it will be back to available, at least in the "Anytime" bucket, until someone else claims that last seat, of course.

That's my current issue. Waiting for a seat to open for my CP. 5 flights that day. Ony 1 NS. 1:40. With 1 stop 4:00 min. Bummer. Keep checking...

Does the time you are spending trying to figure out a bump opportunity for a $300 voucher be better spent and more profitable say selling stuff on ebay, working a part time job etc. Seems like you are missing the opportunity cost for such a low reward. Cost (time) does not seem to = benefit

Does the time you are spending trying to figure out a bump opportunity for a $300 voucher be better spent and more profitable say selling stuff on ebay, working a part time job etc. Seems like you are missing the opportunity cost for such a low reward. Cost (time) does not seem to = benefit


Well since your a smart guy. It's actually 300 plus cost of ow fare. Or 549 x 2. Or 1098 for a bump

In my current case, I'm not looking for a bump at all. I'll take a bump anytime I'm offered, but...... I'm looking at saving travel time. One NS 1:40----sold out. Vs 4:00. Vs 4:35. Vs 5 hours travel time All with one stop. So yes, time in always money.

Follow along, next time....