Wanna Get Away - Nov 29 (Sunday after Thanksgiving)
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Delta Platinum & MM, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, National Car Executive
Posts: 400
I started this thread because I could not find a single WGF on 11/29 and I still can't and I have not seen anyone post information to the contrary. SW can see fit to maximize its revenue anyway it wants but this is different behavior than last year and will likely change soon enough as SW will lose too many customers.
Right now on Google Flights I can find 1 AA flight from BOS to ORD on 11/29 for a deeply discounted $214 one-way and 9 AA flights for a slightly less discounted $253 one-way. SW cheapest fare right now for BOS to MDW is a $400 Anytime fare.
I expect fares on 11/29 to be higher than other days but I also expect more fare buckets will be opened once SW feels they got all the people who are not price sensitive and want to book right away and won't keep on top of it.
Anytime and business fares are fully refundable. So anyone who books can simply re-book once this nonsense is over.
Honestly, I think this is stupid and ill conceived if this really is a system wide strategy. They would be better off with higher bucket non-refundable WGF fares. Of course I am going to use points making them quite refundable but many buyers wouldn't and would be locked into spending dollars with SW once they pull the trigger.
Am I missing something here? I sure doubt SW is going to wait until AA sells out before selling non-refundable seats in the Boston to Chicago market at or close to the Anytime/Business prices. It just isn't going to happen.
Right now on Google Flights I can find 1 AA flight from BOS to ORD on 11/29 for a deeply discounted $214 one-way and 9 AA flights for a slightly less discounted $253 one-way. SW cheapest fare right now for BOS to MDW is a $400 Anytime fare.
I expect fares on 11/29 to be higher than other days but I also expect more fare buckets will be opened once SW feels they got all the people who are not price sensitive and want to book right away and won't keep on top of it.
Anytime and business fares are fully refundable. So anyone who books can simply re-book once this nonsense is over.
Honestly, I think this is stupid and ill conceived if this really is a system wide strategy. They would be better off with higher bucket non-refundable WGF fares. Of course I am going to use points making them quite refundable but many buyers wouldn't and would be locked into spending dollars with SW once they pull the trigger.
Am I missing something here? I sure doubt SW is going to wait until AA sells out before selling non-refundable seats in the Boston to Chicago market at or close to the Anytime/Business prices. It just isn't going to happen.
#17
#18
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 58
Sorry to play stat boy here but when it comes to air travel this is not even close to the busiest travel day of the year.
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Delta Platinum & MM, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, National Car Executive
Posts: 400
I just checked and see I actually did buy my son a business ticket on May 8 last year for 12/1 (i.e. the Sunday flight). Of course I cancelled it once the WGA opened and then booked him on points.
I don't have the records for 2013 but I am nearly certain I was able to book a WGA fare a couple of days after the schedule opened. It was not a great flight as the non-stops were not yet open but they opened soon enough.
I still don't understand why they would only offer refundable tickets. Why not have some at 80% the cost of Anytime or something like that which are non-refundable?
Obviously this is a real pain for me booking on points as the value for Anytime/Business on points is so bad. Of course in the end it will work out fine as I have 100% confidence there will be plenty of WGF availability on that date so they can sell non-refundable tickets. On the other hand maybe the point value will be a nasty surprise given the new dynamic pricing.
I don't have the records for 2013 but I am nearly certain I was able to book a WGA fare a couple of days after the schedule opened. It was not a great flight as the non-stops were not yet open but they opened soon enough.
I still don't understand why they would only offer refundable tickets. Why not have some at 80% the cost of Anytime or something like that which are non-refundable?
Obviously this is a real pain for me booking on points as the value for Anytime/Business on points is so bad. Of course in the end it will work out fine as I have 100% confidence there will be plenty of WGF availability on that date so they can sell non-refundable tickets. On the other hand maybe the point value will be a nasty surprise given the new dynamic pricing.
#21
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 120
The WGA fares for 11/29 will be released in the near future. I fly to MCO every thanksgiving, and this is a very typical pattern. Last year there were no WGA's on the first day. A few weeks later they popped up at around $350+. Over the months, they trended down in price. The day before my trip it fell to around $280, the lowest of the entire time.
#23
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
It turns out that it's a myth that the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year; summer weekends win that distinction. AAA's Troy Green told NPR, "There are about five to 10 days during the summer that are busier than Thanksgiving." Nor are there significantly more flight delays around Thanksgiving than any other time of the year. But this holiday definitely earns a spot in the top ten. It's high-traffic enough to be one of the holidays that some airlines add a surcharge for.
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
Which proves that WN's revenue management and marketing folks have a good strategy. People are willing to truant their kids and miss school in order to buy cheaper tickets.
#25
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,921
I'm really a pit befuddled as to what SWA's thought process is with their fares. I have several destinations that I searched for a return on November 29th, and in each case fares are anywhere from $150 to $300 higher than on AA/USAir. In addition, some of SWA's business fares are less than their other fares, with not a single WGA fare available on the 29th.
It will be a sorry day in heck when I pay more for a SWA flight than for a flight on AA/USAir. I'm not sure what they are thinking. Certainly one could book a business fare on SWA now, and then cancel it when fares drop, but why bother when you can book a lower fare now on a legacy carrier. This is very strange, IMO.
With that said, I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to see what fares do before booking anything.
It will be a sorry day in heck when I pay more for a SWA flight than for a flight on AA/USAir. I'm not sure what they are thinking. Certainly one could book a business fare on SWA now, and then cancel it when fares drop, but why bother when you can book a lower fare now on a legacy carrier. This is very strange, IMO.
With that said, I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to see what fares do before booking anything.
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA MM Plat; AA MM Gold; HHonors Diamond
Posts: 15,866
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving didnt even make the Top 10 busiest airline travel days of 2013, the Transportation Security Administration found. The Sunday after Thanksgiving was No. 1, with 2.2 million airline passengers. The Friday before Memorial Day was next on the list, at 2.1 million.
#27
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,921
Well, I decided to stop fooling around with the perplexing challenges of Southwest flights on November 29th and booked on AA, as AA fares dropped to the point where I was looking at $925 on Southwest versus $515 on AA.
I'd love to know what Southwest's theory is with high fares on the 29th. Unless you are a huge Southwest fan for some crazy reason, why would anyone pay more to fly on Southwest? In all honesty, I tend to avoid Southwest unless fares and flight times are significantly more favorable than the legacy carriers.
I'd love to know what Southwest's theory is with high fares on the 29th. Unless you are a huge Southwest fan for some crazy reason, why would anyone pay more to fly on Southwest? In all honesty, I tend to avoid Southwest unless fares and flight times are significantly more favorable than the legacy carriers.
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Delta Platinum & MM, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, National Car Executive
Posts: 400
I have been checking everyday since the schedule opened for the route I am interested in and have finally found 2 WGA options this morning. The rest are "sold out" today. But, the good news is the WN revenue management has started releasing some WGA fares for 11/29. I will be waiting for more desirable flights but I am glad to see some seats released.
#29
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: at 35,000 feet
Programs: WN A-List; Hyatt Glob: CC/HH Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 1,473
I have been checking everyday since the schedule opened for the route I am interested in and have finally found 2 WGA options this morning. The rest are "sold out" today. But, the good news is the WN revenue management has started releasing some WGA fares for 11/29. I will be waiting for more desirable flights but I am glad to see some seats released.
#30
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Houston (HOU/IAH)
Programs: WN, UA, DL, AA, Chase UR, Amex MR
Posts: 2,267