kennycrudup

I found $49 segments SJC-LAX-SJC, but I just realized I'm going to have gained 220lbs that day and will need to buy an extra seat

I just buy two identical tickets in my own name, right? (I'll be sure to diet once I get back off the plane in SJC!)

Also, suppose I gain 440lbs- where will WN draw the line?

pinniped

What am I missing? What's the purpose of the 2nd seat?

kennycrudup

I guess I should ask a followup question: do COS tickets gain EQS?

(IIRC, @InkUnderNails flies as a COS regularly?)

willyt25

No, the extra seat does not earn points. Even if thy give them to you mistakenly they will be clawed back after an audit.

kennycrudup

UGH ... OK ... it was worth a try! (It should have been obvious what I was trying to do by now)

kennycrudup

... and so's I'm clear, neither segments (which is what I really care about)?

willyt25

That is correct. They only give points (segments) on a per butt basis, no matter how big that butt is. ;-)

kennycrudup

Got it. I lucked out and SJC-BUR was also $49 that day. I switched the 2nd pair to that, so I'll be doing SJC-LAX-SJC-BUR-SJC instead now. Luckily there's a lot of flights each way that day so if there's a delay on any one segment I'll be covered. They're all individually booked so I do have to worry about no-shows if I get any serious delays, but I suspect I can handle that between the app and the gate agents (plus delays tend to be rare on those routes).

I'll end up with 94 planned segments this year, so I'd decided to go for CP if I could do it cheaply enough.

nsx

Cheeky...

nsx

Note that if you book it as a RT with < 4 hour connecting time the price is several dollars less.

LAX-SFO tends to have the very lowest fares when fare wars occur. I have booked round trips as low as $56 (on the day when PFCs were not being collected due to computer error). $39 fare sales will net you a $72 round trip.

kennycrudup

Still available, too- $98 vs. $93. that's due to taxes and such, huh?

I'll keep my existing segments out of "safety", but good to know for the future. Is there any other advantage I should know about? Any disadvantage?

nsx

One possible advantage: If the outbound flight is canceled, you might be eligible for a refund on the round trip under the "trip in vain" rules.

Arguably, a segment run is the epitome of a "trip in vain", but I've found Southwest's employees to be understanding and amused when I explain that this is my path to Companion Pass.

When I do a segment run I choose the most lightly loaded flights possible: mid-week, off-hours, on high-frequency routes. These flights are canceled than full flights more often when Southwest is short an aircraft or crew. If they are canceled, Southwest might compensate you and pay for your next couple of segment runs. That's one reason to schedule your runs earlier in the year rather than very late in the year.

Gig103

So I'm curious if you're going to try to get the refund on the COS seat after the flight? Are you going to ask for the pre-boarding?
And no you don't buy tickets in the identical name. Your fake butt needs the middle name "XS".

kennycrudup

Ha- it's a completely moot point 'cause I don't get EQS on the COS ticket, but for completeness' sake : No, No, OK, Thanks!

nsx

For what it's worth, if you pick a very lightly loaded flight, which typically offer the lowest fares, you will probably have 2 or 3 seats for the price of 1. Midweek very early in the day works for me.