Ravenboy2001

What an absolute joke.. I currently have 4 Standard Awards. The wife and I are considering a trip out west over the summer.

I have been checking flights from BWI to SEA/OAK/LAX, etc... and the entire summer is basically BLACKED OUT to Standard Award travel.

What a freaking joke SWA has become. Why not just make it 32 credits and make all awards "Freedom Award".

Idiots.

*stepping off soapbox*

indyscott

Did you use the seatfinder tool?

I just did a quick search myself and found availability BWI-LAX every day in July except 1,2,3,5,11, and 18 and every day in august except the 8th; found availability LAX-BWI every day except 1,2,3,5,and 18 July and every day in August except the 8th.

Six or seven days out of 61 doesn't quite seem to equal "BLACKED OUT"?

nsx

Finding 4 seats can be a little tougher than finding 1 seat. You need to avoid Fridays and Sundays.

Try building a custom connection as described in the Wiki.

Firewind

If it's any reassurance to the OP, if nsx had said, "Finding two seats can be a lot tougher than finding one seat..." I would agree completely. I've nearly always encountered this problem that brings the OP here. (I believe that the system is programmed to resist booking multi-award-seats because the risk to the airline - of the impact of cancellation - grows by some multiplier as we add incrementally. It must be part of their algorithm.)

Reassuring? Bear with me: I believe the seats are there. Just hidden. One can go ahead and work through what the wiki says, or just book the four as individual seats, and I predict, "Voila!" This has always worked for me for two award seats, but I realize that the risk is higher that seat four might be another story. Still, I'm at 100% doing awards one seat at a time. On one occasion, up to three. Finally, what's the advantage of staying online? You can then change them online. Once done by telephone, you have to stay with the phone. Which, for four might actually be the better idea, after all.

**********************
Now, foot in the door, I'll add my usual rant, a propos of the thread title: "THE SAVER" airline's Standard Awards always should have been called "SAVER AWARDS" as several other airlines call their lowest level.

JerryFF

I assume that you open up multiple windows to ensure that there really are the number of seats available that you want before you actually book them. Otherwise, you could end up repeatedly having to book and cancel the reservations.

judolphin

Everyone's suggestions here are good. I also feel, whenever I see one of these threads, that an adjustment of expectations are in order:

You're looking to Southwest for a trans-continental award. WN is not really a trans-con airline, so you're going to have a much harder time finding those than finding BWI-PIT or BWI-MDW, for example.

lougord99

I do not understand your point. If they fly there, why wouldn't an award be available?

wuds

i doubt the difficulties you are having with using awards to travel are related to blackout dates since there are only a few of those during the summer, and the blackout dates do not affect standard awards.

2010 BLACKOUT DATES (FREEDOM AWARDS ONLY)
JANUARY 3
MARCH 21, 26, 28
APRIL 2, 5
MAY 28
JULY 2, 5
NOVEMBER 24, 28, 29
DECEMBER 23, 24, 26, 30

most likely you are running into this, and i quote from the website:

"Rapid Rewards Standard Awards are subject to seat restrictions, and seats will not be available for Standard Award travel on all flights on all days. It may be particularly difficult to secure a seat to popular destinations around holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, President’s Day, some weekends during Spring Break, Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day to popular destinations."

one thing i might add to the above, and it often goes unrealized by many, but transcontinental flights at any time tend to book fast. just like holiday travel, these are popular flights to use award tickets on due to the fact that they are expensive. i'd book transcontinental award travel the day the schedule opens, same as if i was going to book something for christmas or thanksgiving.

you also have 2 options for departing airports in the washington dc area, 3 arrival options in the bay area, 4 in los angeles, and as for seattle, perhaps portland or spokane could be checked. i made an "f" in school the day they were teaching permutations in algebra, so i don't know how many possible combos that is but i'm guessing a few.

judolphin

My point is that trans-con awards usually require 1-2 stops, and all 2-3 legs have to have availability in order to use a standard award. That makes it much more difficult to book.

You'll have much more success book non-stop and direct flights than you will on a route like OAK-BAL.

For example, I'm based in JAX. I have an easy time booking even trans-con award travel to LAS, SNA, PHX, MSY, PHL, BNA, etc. because we have non-stop or direct flights there. SFO? OAK? PDX? Almost not worth it to try.

I'm not really "excusing" WN for poor award availability on these routes, just explaining it. Also, I would suggest if you are saving credits/miles for a trans-con award, and your home airport does not have a direct flight there, you will probably only end up frustrated; I'd suggest *gasp* using a (non-Delta) legacy if you're going trans-con to an airport with limited WN service from your home airport. There are, however, exceptions and you can get lucky. Just don't expect it to happen (it has happened to me on occasion).

But I will refer to the local expert, nsx... you agree with my armchair analysis, Mr. Mod?

EDIT: Wow, OAK-BAL has direct flights and plenty of 1-stops... strange.

Wingrider

Depending on the amount of awards you have, you could burn some hopping to a less popular airport then catching the trans-con from there....or do the drive thing. I'm driving to SAC to hop one I can't get direct from SJC, SFO, or OAK.

irabk

Where to begin??

Here it is late April trying to book 4 award tickets for July/August. Gee, why didn't you just wait until June 25th?

And the window for July/August travel opened up when? Travel through August 16th opened up December 16. December, January, February, March, April. Gee, 4 seats, nothing available.

I booked 4 award tickets for travel BDL-LAS late June, no problem. Got the days I needed (Wednesday to Wednesday). When did I book them? December 26th.

Blacked out? No, sold out. Like any other commodity, first come, first served. You snooze, you lose. Airfare goes up closer in, due to demand. The cheaper seats go first. I believe that is called capacity control. One of those newfangled inventions.

The joke is that you waited 5 months after availability opened to book 4 award tickets and had ANY expectation of getting them. Idiots? Well.....

meecal

I'd like to nominate this post for the Most Pompous, Condescending, Worthless Post award.

judolphin

OK, but it won't win... Stick around, you'll find much worse.

The OP's post was a tad over the top for what actually happened, to the point of calling the people who run RR "idiots" for not having 4 Standard trans-continental awards available on the same plane on an exact date on a mostly short-haul airline. Frustration is understandable, but don't blame the airline for THIS.

meecal

LOL. I hope not!

The OP was ambiguous. He stated he has four awards but indicated he's trying to book a trip for his wife and himself. So he may be having these issues trying to book 2 seats, not 4.

I think his point is valid - if you have to sit by the computer to book award tickets the second the schedule is extended then the award shouldn't be called a standard award. Just because traveling gurus on here have this game figured out doesn't make it reasonable. Now I haven't had quite as bad luck as him finding an award seat but have had some issues. I couldn't get a single award seat for BWI-OMA, not exactly what I'd consider the hottest route.

judolphin

Check out the DL board sometime. Finding an award on WN is child's play in comparison.