kjwalker01

A lot of times when booking, especially WGA flights, I see something showing 1 or 2 seats available. At what point does it pull that seat from availability? We experimented a little here in the office and it seems to show available even after selecting it but not paying for it.

That being said, I fly a lot and I've never had the system suddenly tell me that a WGA fare is no longer available. I would have though that sooner or later, I would have been a bit too slow on booking.

rsteinmetz70112

I believe it only pulls it when it's paid for. I've had instances where after selecting a flight and fare the system has told me it's not available. Sometimes that's an error. It wouldn't surprise me that's there's a delay before the website updated.

NoStressHere

Meanwhile, there could be someone else that is

* in the process of booking that seat
* Just booked that seat
* Just cancelled that seat
* Revenue mgmt at WN might add more WGA fares
* Revenue mgmt at WN might reduce the number of WGA fares

Bottom line.... things change fast in the world of airline reservations. Hard to say what is happening.

joshua362

* Could be marketing "puffery" designed to intimidate you to make an immediate purchase. Who could prove it either right, wrong, ethical, accurate or the purchase of "the last one" doesn't trigger the release of more seats a few minutes later if programmed conditions are right?

Your bottom line is correct for all reasons.

willywilkes

Generally my understanding is that it is usually the number available in that price bucket. So you typically still seats available in WGA, just at a slightly higher price. However, I presume there will be no changes until the transaction is completed - there is no countdown timer on your "cart" so I see no reason they would hold a price for you while you are entering details.

Cledaybuck

NoStressHere

That would be interesting.

Alert - if you had entered 2 seats up front, then it would have shown WGA not available at all, even for one person, if in fact there was only one WGA left.

synergistic

I have actually done this any number of times, on many airlines - bought the remaining seats at the current price, then booked the rest of passengers in the higher fare bucket. Can't recall a time when the old fare bucket immediately became available, but there could well be be a process like you describe with a delay - either programed or just slow updating.
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rsteinmetz70112

It would also show if there were only 1 seat left in that WGA bucket, since both seats would be priced at the next highest available bucket. I wonder if you took two seats if it would empty the lower bucket or remove two seats from the higher bucket and leave the lower bucket alone?

pgh234

In my personal experience, the "puffery" is true. Every single time I purchase a "One Seat Remaining" WGA fare, another seat (or multiple seats) immediately open up at the exact same fare. YMMV of course.

rdh0924

I know this is a Southwest thread, but I recently tried something pertinent to this topic while booking flights on United.

There was only "one seat available" for a Business Saver Award in IN class. I was booking for my honeymoon and needed two seats. I thought, what if I booked that seat on separate devices at the exact same time? So I booked it with my laptop and through the iPhone app simultaneously. Each step, I clicked at the exact same time.

Ultimately, one worked and one didn't. I got an error message with the one that didn't work.

(Obviously I called in and explained how the fare was available and I would be in the doghouse if I had myself booked in business class and my fiancee in economy for our honeymoon. They somehow worked their magic and made another seat available, but I believe this was the exception to the rule as it pertains to getting another seat to open up in that fare class.)

dblumenhoff

Interestingly, I had the opposite happen when booking a recent flight with AS. I searched for 1, and got the lower price, searched for 2 and got the higher price. So I went ahead and booked one at the lower price. Once that was fully booked, I searched for the flight again in order to buy the second at the higher price, and lo and behold, I was able to book the second seat at the lower price.

rdh0924

flyer4512

I have seen 1 seat available, bought that one seat, added my companion and it was still showing one seat available hours later...........Now could you purchase at that price, no idea.

Peoriaman1

I tend to agree too. I'm usually flying to the same two or three destinations, and am always checking prices even if no trip is planned. I'll see "One Seat Remaining" all the time regardless if its for a flight next week, next month, or three months from now. The message is obvious: Buy now so you don't miss it!!.