ksucats

I travel a lot and always book my own travel as well as book travel for my family and even extended family. (I hate using travel agents)

I have been asked by my wife to help plan a trip for a high school group to go to Arizona next March. Southwest flies direct from ICT to Phoenix, so I know it will make the most sense to use them. I also think they will want to be able to book right when fares become available. There will be around 15-20 people going.

My question is, will I know in advance the exact date fares will be available for purchase for next March? Will there be any flexibility if somebody drops out after the tickets are purchased and somebody else wants to join in their place? She wants to have a meeting and let everybody know now what the date is they have to make a commitment to go is.

I am guessing this may be a situation where I recommend a travel agent, but I would prefer not to.

steved5480

Presumably the question was actually "when" will you know schedules (and fares) for next March. The answer is nobody here can tell you exactly when, although late this fall is likely.

Southwest group reservations are billed to each individual flier, so a single (or more) no-show is billed/refunded (to a voucher or whatever) per-flyer with zero impact on the rest of you. Southwest will @Email you (or your wife) a form/spreadsheet into which you add the name, pedigree and payment information for each flyer. It's simple (well not as simple as telling your wife to tell these people to DIY, but it's not complicated).

These people can answer the rest of your questions: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/b...up-travel.html

ksucats

Great. Thank you.

ursine1

I'd definitely recommend calling Groups for details, as I believe the info posted by steved5480 is incorrect.

Unless something has changed recently, group reservations are not charged to each individual flyer. The group coordinator makes a $50/person deposit in order to make the reservation. The fare is quoted by Groups, and is independent of any fare shown online. (Basically, all group members will have the same fare, unlike booking thru the website which often limits a particular fare to only 6-8 passengers.) Then a final payment is made for the full amount and names submitted. A week or so after that the deposit is refunded.

Groups bookings allow you to make name changes up to 72 hours prior to departure, and may (or may not) offer a small discount off the WGA fare (most likely it will be higher than the lowest but lower than the "average.") The trade-offs however are very, very long hold times when contacting the very, very understaffed Groups department (especially around schedule openings), and oddities like inability to add EarlyBird Check-In.

It's been a while since I've utilized Groups so please do contact them for the most current info. Good luck!

Cledaybuck

I would say late summer.

rsteinmetz70112

That will take them through the holidays. If you wait until May 31 you will probably get your answer on when the next schedule will open up. I think it will probably be September or October.

Toan

i can’t answer your question but I can give you this advice, even though it sounds like a PITA. Book all tickets individually. Not only will it be less of a hassle to cancel somebody’s ticket but it’s also cheaper. If you try to buy qty 15 from one destination to another it will most likely be more expensive per seat than if you buy them individually. This happened to me last year. As the inventory of seats goes down, the price increase per seat (makes sense) and if you cross that magical threshold all seats are priced at the higher level.

If you don’t believe me, open two web browser and try buying 1 seat versus 15 and look at the price per seat.

ursine1

I think you may be confused about how Group Travel works.

Group tickets are all at a preset fare that is the same for all members of the group. As I mentioned earlier, that fare is usually slightly higher than the lowest WGA fare available but lower than the "average" WGA fare for that city pair. The Group Travel department sets this fare when you call to set up the booking.

The group commits to buying a set quantity of seats at a set price, and names are changeable, without fee, up to 72 hours prior to departure.

FYI: Southwest's website won't let you purchase more than 8 seats at a single time.

NoStressHere

And, if you just book online - keep in mind that the LOW priced seats might run out.

It is common for people to book a family of 4 and ALL seats are booked at higher rate. But, if they booked just 1, 2, or 3 people they could get 1,2 or 3 seats at the lower price and the 4th at the higher. You never know this unless you start with the lower number and work your way up.

If folks are paying for their own flights, you could notify everyone when they are available and how to book them. YOU get to stay out of the mess and let THEM do it.

Often1

If you are paying for the tickets from your own personal funds or from something such as a team booster club or the like, this is the way to go. However, if each passenger is paying for their own ticket, make certain that you are not stuck in the middle handling anybody's funds and that everyone knows exactly what happens if they drop out.

Depending on the group, even if there are small savings, it may be a lot easier to find the flights and then let everyone know that they need to go online and book their seat. That way, you are not the guy getting calls when someone gets sick or the reservation gets screwed up.

Group bookings are the end to a lot of good friendships.

ursine1

Just to check, people do understand the difference between group travel and Group Travel, right?

ksucats

Bringing this back up because I have another question. We did book the group travel for the class (I was on hold over 2 hours, but it was worth it for what we got). Now I am filling out the spreadsheet. I had my wife get me everybody's full name and birth date. My question is how picky are they about the full name vs what is on the ID. For example, my ID only has my middle initial. Should I enter my middle name or just middle initial on the spreadsheet? Should I have my wife check all of their ID's instead of just entering their middle name? Over half going won't be 18 yet, but some will.

rsteinmetz70112

I'd make sure the names match the IDs. Southwest probably won't care (except for KRNs and RR credit)but TSA might. My wife has had trouble with TSA because her Passport and drivers license have different middle initials. Also if any of the group have KTNs or RR numbers those should also be included.

ksucats

The spreadsheet doesn't have a place for KTN or RR. I asked about RR when I booked and they said I would have to call and request credit after the fact.

steved5480

Thanks for returning and sharing!

Exactly what rsteinmetz70112 said.

Not so much of a deal if the names are 100% "as given" or not. Right or wrong, they just all need to be right or wrong the same way on your reservation(s) and ID. Have a pre-meeting meeting with the kids/family that are traveling and make sure they understand the drill -- show your papers when requested, smile and carry-on. Don't offer a lot of extraneous "additional explanation" when none was requested. Understandably, this sort of thing often creates unnecessary issues for infrequent fliers.

Please let us know how it goes.