Fall Travel Sale - $49 $ 99 $139 OW - 72 Hours Only!
Jun 12, 2012, 4:56 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 635
Fall Travel Sale - $49 $ 99 $139 OW - 72 Hours Only!
Jun 12, 2012, 5:15 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,462
Thanks. Is the distance for the low fare bucket longer than usual? I thought MDW-MCI is usually in the second bucket, but this time it is in the low fare bucket.
Jun 12, 2012, 6:28 am
#5
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
I did change one flight (out of ten scheduled) for a quick $20.
Gotta reschedule my CP now that it made me cancel. Arrrgh!
Jun 12, 2012, 7:44 am
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
Fridays and Sundays are out. 
Even on the few valid days for the promo, it doesn't appear that the legacies have matched it. I'm pretty sure they've matched at least some of these types of promos in the past...
Even on the few valid days for the promo, it doesn't appear that the legacies have matched it. I'm pretty sure they've matched at least some of these types of promos in the past...
Jun 12, 2012, 7:49 am
#7
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Programs: DL, WN
Posts: 57
Jun 12, 2012, 8:51 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 84
I got a second email from WN today, too. There is another promotion with fall discounts that aren't quite as much as the 49/99/139 sale but still considerable.
Among them, surprising to me, was Philly to Pittsburgh for $60. Before getting all excited that the route was returning, I disocvered that the flight runs once or twice a day and only 5+ hours, via MDW, which means it is faster to drive it (or megabus, even).
Not sure why any customer would pay $60 one way to fly 5 hours (with a stopover in Chicago) when the bus to downtown costs half that or less, runs at least 3 times a day, and goes point to point instead of between airports. Pittsburgh's airport is in the middle of nowhere, nearly 45 minutes from the city. Surprised that southwest still offers this pairing at all, let alone puts it on sale below the price of a PHL-MDW ticket (has the potential for cannibalizing revenue on the more lucrative MDW seats). Are they trying a ploy to see how much they can get the legacies to drop their fares - even though no one in their right mind ought to take these flights? Unless maybe you have unlimited rapid rewards points to burn through, or live/work AT the airport, who would ever sign up for such a flight?
Among them, surprising to me, was Philly to Pittsburgh for $60. Before getting all excited that the route was returning, I disocvered that the flight runs once or twice a day and only 5+ hours, via MDW, which means it is faster to drive it (or megabus, even).
Not sure why any customer would pay $60 one way to fly 5 hours (with a stopover in Chicago) when the bus to downtown costs half that or less, runs at least 3 times a day, and goes point to point instead of between airports. Pittsburgh's airport is in the middle of nowhere, nearly 45 minutes from the city. Surprised that southwest still offers this pairing at all, let alone puts it on sale below the price of a PHL-MDW ticket (has the potential for cannibalizing revenue on the more lucrative MDW seats). Are they trying a ploy to see how much they can get the legacies to drop their fares - even though no one in their right mind ought to take these flights? Unless maybe you have unlimited rapid rewards points to burn through, or live/work AT the airport, who would ever sign up for such a flight?
Jun 12, 2012, 10:21 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,192
If you intend to fly PHL-MDW (many of which flights are $138 for some unknown reason), just buy PHL-PIT and get off in the middle.
Of course, it doesn't work going back.
Jun 12, 2012, 10:30 am
#10
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,038
I didn't read closely, but I didn't see any mention of "anniversary" on the sale page. Is that sale still to come?
Jun 12, 2012, 10:35 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,475
How often are these distance based sales and is it held at around the same time generally each year? I ask as for the past 2 years I have noticed a similar sale just before or after Halloween.
Jun 12, 2012, 2:00 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: BWI, DCA, IAD
Programs: SWA A-List Preferred & CP, Delta Diamond, HH Diamond Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 553
Jun 12, 2012, 3:07 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 84
Yes, because now even southwest, which always before offered standard pricing per segment and not made up price gouging on the fly, has become susceptible to the same hidden cities game. I don't know why but that doesn't please me one bit. They have started to mimmic everything I don't enjoy about failing airlines.
Jun 12, 2012, 4:15 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,507
A lot of Thursday evenings are not included to some cities, which makes the sale rather problematic for me. I booked my late August vacation, but I had to fly back from IAD instead of BWI due to capacity issues.
Not having the $69 tier for the 450-700 mile flights makes the sale less interesting to me, as I would pick up a lot of flights if that was in there.
Not having the $69 tier for the 450-700 mile flights makes the sale less interesting to me, as I would pick up a lot of flights if that was in there.