I'm looking to book a flight from SLC (Salt Lake City) to SAN (San Diego), and the lowest rates I can find are on Southwest airlines. This is convenient, because Southwest seems to have a major hub in Phoenix - I happen to have a good friend in Phoenix with whom I'd like to spend some time.

On the return flight, I see flights (with 1 stop, plane change) from SAN->PHX->SLC, and I'm wondering if there's any way to mix/match these - for instance, take a 9AM flight from SAN->PHX, and then take a later (7PM) flight from PHX->SLC. Otherwise I end up with like, 1 hour layover, and that's not really enough time to catch up with my friend.

Does this question make any sense? I called the airline, and the representatives I talked to (I tried two) tried to convince me to book two 1-way flights to work this out, but that costs ($114+69=$183) instead of the $118 I'd be paying for a "SAN-SLC" ticket (even though there are no non-stop flights).

Would appreciate some direction. Thanks!

Snipeye Welcome to FT

We have a Southwest forum, where this thread will get moved to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...d-rewards-501/

Does vary by airline, but often any more than 4 hours on a domestic itninary is a stop over if you choose flights that way, or seperate tickets.
If Southwest will not change your flight without payment, thats the way it will be.

Southwest does not offer stop-overs (stop over 4 hours) so it's not an option on the fare you bought. Although some suggest pretending you felt ill/got lost in airport etc and hope they let you take the later flight for no extra charge. Otherwise, the price is SLC-PHX & PHX-SLC. It works this way with most if not all airlines as stop-overs on discount fares are not very commonly offered on domestic itineraries.