We anticipate birth of a grandchild in San Diego, but of course the date is uncertain. Also, as I'm retired, I am buying my own tickets and watching every dime. I do have a companion pass from the privilege pack.

My original plan was to buy H fare tickets. I read the conditions on changing the tickets and basically it said there is no charge unless the current fare is higher (if its lower, they apparently give a refund of the difference). Not a bad deal for $598 if I use the pass. I thought the problem was solved, but I wanted to check whether the fare goes up as you get closer to the date of the flight. I plugged in some dates to leave Thursday of this week, and got only two flights available, and the only tickets Y fares for $798, still not a bad deal if the upgrades are available.

The money is a secondary problem; now I am very concerned about being able to get a flight on short notice.

What are some good techniques for getting seats on short notice, and of course, saving money in doing it?