Why can't you fly from the east coast (or anywhere near) to Hawaii if the times work?
#31
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,454
These sorts of discussions remind me of how amazingly lucky we are in Chicago. Most every major city from here has a non-stop with 3 different airlines and virtually any city of significance has a non-stop from at least one airline. I cannot remember the last time I transferred on a flight on any airline.
#33
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: West Coast
Programs: WN A+, AS MVP, UA 1P
Posts: 91
For what it's worth, the legroom on a Southwest MAX8 or 800 is about the same as the "Extra" legroom seats on an American MAX8.
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: MSY; 2-time FT Fantasy Football Champ, now in recovery.
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Posts: 14,508
I will say this - during the Wright Amendment years - its quite possible that someone had a "ticket" with double connections, and they were even booked in the same reservation.
However, those weren't published connections (by law) and had to be built manually with seperate fare components (again by law).
In fact prior to 911, we had to advise customers they would have to claim and recheck bags at the first connecting point. This was relaxed due to heightened security requirements.
I worked in reservations at the time - if you called and asked to fly Dallas to Chicago, I was required to say "I'm sorry we don't offer service between those two cities"
If you questioned that, I could then suggest that i could book you on separate fares, with the baggage advisory above (could be on one PNR/ticket, but the fare had to be broken).
but, it hinged on you questioning it. We were not allowed to advertise or sell (on one fare) service outside the wright amendment restrictions.
However, those weren't published connections (by law) and had to be built manually with seperate fare components (again by law).
In fact prior to 911, we had to advise customers they would have to claim and recheck bags at the first connecting point. This was relaxed due to heightened security requirements.
I worked in reservations at the time - if you called and asked to fly Dallas to Chicago, I was required to say "I'm sorry we don't offer service between those two cities"
If you questioned that, I could then suggest that i could book you on separate fares, with the baggage advisory above (could be on one PNR/ticket, but the fare had to be broken).
but, it hinged on you questioning it. We were not allowed to advertise or sell (on one fare) service outside the wright amendment restrictions.
And as I recall, when the ABQ connections weren't great, I had to be the one to ask her to also check ELP instead. She wasn't allowed to try alternate "connection" cities unless I asked.
#35
Company Representative - Southwest Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: Rapid Rewards, IHG/Kimpton, Bonvoy, AA/oneworld, British Airways
Posts: 795
I recall having that conversation with a SWA phone agent around 1989. When told that they didn't fly DAL-LAX, and I asked about booking thru ABQ to do it, her exact words to me were "Great idea, sir!", as if I was the first to invent the Texas two-step.
And as I recall, when the ABQ connections weren't great, I had to be the one to ask her to also check ELP instead. She wasn't allowed to try alternate "connection" cities unless I asked.
And as I recall, when the ABQ connections weren't great, I had to be the one to ask her to also check ELP instead. She wasn't allowed to try alternate "connection" cities unless I asked.
I'd like to fly DAL-LAX
I'm sorry we don't offer that service
huh?
although we service both DAL and LAX, due to wright amendment restrictions we cannot offer service between those two airports. I can build you an itinerary, however it will be the combination of two fares and you will have to claim and recheck any checked luggage at the connecting point.
at that point, I could do all the searching to find you any connecting point that would get you to your destination - even check multiple options to try to find you the best fare.
our network was small enough back than, that I probably already knew the best connection for most destinations
In the office, I actually still have my original new hire training packet, including a route map that didn't even show the entire country!
Fun memories!
edited to add: ah, the good ol "google" has everything:
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,502
Soon after Southwest entered MDW and it was still very much an outstation, the airline had a promotion where any 5-leg one-way (direct or plane change) was a fixed price, might have been $49. This would have been maybe 1987. One of my colleagues in graduate school used that to do something along the lines of MDW-STL-HOU-ELP-LAS-OAK over about 10-11 hours to go visit friends in the Bay Area over Spring Break.
#37
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 94
#38
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Westchester Co, NY or Rio Grande Valley, TX or ???
Programs: BAEC G, WN A-, Hyatt G, HH G, MAR T, Hz PC, was [UA2P, FL A+Elite, BD G]
Posts: 2,264
#39
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
I understand that you *can* book these as a multi-city itinerary, but I hate that I have to. I'm trying to go from Florida to Hawaii, and it's a frustrating process. I went into that labeled-as-interactive-but-isn't-interactive-map, found the cities that have nonstop flights into HNL, searched them all, and then did multi-city searches for the ones that had afternoon flights. Is there a better method?
#40
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DCA, lived MCI, SEA/PDX,BUF (born/raised)
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Posts: 8,629
I understand that you *can* book these as a multi-city itinerary, but I hate that I have to. I'm trying to go from Florida to Hawaii, and it's a frustrating process. I went into that labeled-as-interactive-but-isn't-interactive-map, found the cities that have nonstop flights into HNL, searched them all, and then did multi-city searches for the ones that had afternoon flights. Is there a better method?
1. 2 stops and no plane change
2. 1 stop and 1 plane cgange
3. 1 plane change
look at instead doing a PM afternoon/ evening booking to city A, then next day book an A-Hawaii flight. Return flight is similar. An afternoon departure to west coast city, night stay, thrn fly the same day.
the only way you can book hawaii on one ticket is if you can find a one stop and 1 plane change route.
the one stop routes can be very random, while others are consistent.
if you try to get to hawaii on one ticket youare likely going to have high fare. Usually the lowest one way fare is you cant use one of their hubs ( oakland, Phoenix) as a transfer point to hawaii because thise are common routes. Instead look at flying to lax, San Diego, Long Beach, San Jose, etc and find a cheaper $129 or less fare to hawaii.
#41
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
I don't think I follow how searching for a multi-city over two days is any quicker than searching for one that's all one day - am I missing something?
Regardless, I am just looking for legal connections that get me where I want to go when I want to go there - fare is a lesser concern, though I'll check the prices of all the acceptable flights until departure to get the price as low as I can. What I'm trying to find out is how to find these valid routings more efficiently - it's a time consuming process the way I'm doing it. I really believed I'd be able to get Google/ITA to find them (without prices, of course) but the flights that populate on the Southwest site are not the same flights that are published to Google.
For example, on 23 Sep, the Southwest site gives me ten flights from FLL-OAK, two of which arrive early enough for to catch the 3p flight to HNL. Google only sees five routings from FLL-OAK, none of which arrive early enough to connect to the HNL flight - and two of them don't actually show up on the Southwest site!
I seriously don't mind paying for the flights at the higher cost of a multi-city booking - schedule >>price for me - but I'm finding myself incredibly frustrated just trying to find the routes at all. I was hoping someone might have thought of a clever workaround.
Regardless, I am just looking for legal connections that get me where I want to go when I want to go there - fare is a lesser concern, though I'll check the prices of all the acceptable flights until departure to get the price as low as I can. What I'm trying to find out is how to find these valid routings more efficiently - it's a time consuming process the way I'm doing it. I really believed I'd be able to get Google/ITA to find them (without prices, of course) but the flights that populate on the Southwest site are not the same flights that are published to Google.
For example, on 23 Sep, the Southwest site gives me ten flights from FLL-OAK, two of which arrive early enough for to catch the 3p flight to HNL. Google only sees five routings from FLL-OAK, none of which arrive early enough to connect to the HNL flight - and two of them don't actually show up on the Southwest site!
I seriously don't mind paying for the flights at the higher cost of a multi-city booking - schedule >>price for me - but I'm finding myself incredibly frustrated just trying to find the routes at all. I was hoping someone might have thought of a clever workaround.
#42
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PIT, BWI, or IPT
Programs: Dividend Miles, WorldPerks
Posts: 1,302
Mind you that all of this work you are attempting to do will prove fruitless for flights that far off. There WILL be significant schedule changes between now and September that will change anything that you find.
#43
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,855
Which is exactly why I'm hoping someone has figured out how to search for these more efficiently. I'm not just looking for the flights I've already identified to go down in price, I'm also looking for newly available combinations. If all of their flights were published to google, I could search for ten connecting cities from the airports I'm willing to fly from all at once and then only have to search on the Southwest site for routes I already know exist. If the Southwest site could show these 'too many stop' flights, I wouldn't even have to do that. Not being able to do either is driving me batty!
#44
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 61
Did you check Phoenix, LAX, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, and San Diego? Look for when their direct flight is to your preferred island. I work backwards once I find a later direct flight. I found the best price using LAS as my midpoint city (MSP-LAS, then LAS-KOA).
No clever workaround that I know of.
No clever workaround that I know of.
#45
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 511
I remember when Southwest used to run 3 ISP-MDW daily non-stop flights. It was great to access the West via MDW. Unfortunately, WN is a shell of itself at ISP. I think Frontier now runs more flights daily than WN out of the airport.