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May 5, 2015, 8:23 am
#106
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Seed credits will die after May 14, 2015!
May 14, 2015 is your final chance to create standard awards by combining, for example, 18900 points with a 0.25 credit "seed". On May 15 Southwest will convert your seed credit to points, at 1200 points per credit.
Standard awards are useful primarily for last-minute travel such as family emergencies. In those cases fares are high yet some flights are lightly loaded. Southwest is often willing to give you a standard award seat on one of those off-peak flights, even across the country.
Any flight with a cash price of $175 or more each way is a good candidate for using a standard award. If you buy such flights regularly, you should consider creating standard awards using your seed credit(s) if you and your family members have them.
For more discussion, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...14-2015-a.html
I continue to believe that Southwest would benefit from offering flat rate last-minute redemption on lightly loaded flights. For one thing, Southwest's new floating redemption rate policy would accommodate this easily. For another, this capability exists in competitors' programs, albeit carrying a late booking fee for non-elites.
Standard awards are useful primarily for last-minute travel such as family emergencies. In those cases fares are high yet some flights are lightly loaded. Southwest is often willing to give you a standard award seat on one of those off-peak flights, even across the country.
Any flight with a cash price of $175 or more each way is a good candidate for using a standard award. If you buy such flights regularly, you should consider creating standard awards using your seed credit(s) if you and your family members have them.
For more discussion, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...14-2015-a.html
I continue to believe that Southwest would benefit from offering flat rate last-minute redemption on lightly loaded flights. For one thing, Southwest's new floating redemption rate policy would accommodate this easily. For another, this capability exists in competitors' programs, albeit carrying a late booking fee for non-elites.
May 13, 2015, 5:27 pm
#107
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Schedule opens to January 4, 2016 at 6AM Thursday; Last day to create Standard Awards
On Thursday May 14, 2015 (tomorrow morning), Southwest's schedule should open for sale through January 4, 2016. Recent extensions have been happening between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM Central Time.
This is the big one, covering Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Expect the new dates to show up between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM Central Time Thursday May 14.
In the past I have found low fares available for some Thanksgiving Wednesday and Monday flights at schedule opening, and that those fares often never return. Christmas fares may decrease later in the game. If you book with points you can re-fare to a lower points price later, with the excess points returning to your account.
This year you may not benefit from booking holiday travel at schedule opening. Two days ago Southwest surprised me with the largest fare increase I have ever seen, focusing on peak travel dates:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-tomorrow.html
I expect peak holiday travel dates to have very high fares in this schedule release, as Southwest protects itself from possible increases in fuel cost between now and the end of the year. For non-peak fall travel you may want to gamble that Southwest will offer an anniversary sale starting June 9 or June 16. That's what I'm doing.
Be aware that the schedule opening may not activate on all Southwest's servers at the same time. Reloading the web page may put you on a different server, opening or perhaps even closing the schedule extension. Patience is required. Note: it is best not to log in first.
In some past schedule extensions, Standard Award seats did not become available immediately: They appeared later the same day.
Speaking of Standard Awards, Thursday May 14 is also the very last day for you to create a Standard Award from any seed credits you have. On May 15 Southwest will convert your seed credit to points, at 1200 points per credit. It's decision time.
Standard awards are useful primarily for last-minute travel such as family emergencies. In those cases fares are high yet some flights are lightly loaded. Southwest is often willing to give you a Standard Award seat on one of those off-peak flights, even across the country. Any flight with a cash price of $150 or more each way is a candidate for using a Standard Award, but 80% or more of those flights will not have Standard Award availability. The important exception is flights past the deadline for purchase of Wanna Get Away fares. Almost all of those cost more than $150 and many of them have availability for Standard Awards. If you buy last-minute tickets regularly, you should consider creating Standard Awards using your seed credit(s) if you and your family members have them.
For more discussion, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...14-2015-a.html
For information on future schedule extensions, see the travel tools page at www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
This is the big one, covering Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Expect the new dates to show up between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM Central Time Thursday May 14.
In the past I have found low fares available for some Thanksgiving Wednesday and Monday flights at schedule opening, and that those fares often never return. Christmas fares may decrease later in the game. If you book with points you can re-fare to a lower points price later, with the excess points returning to your account.
This year you may not benefit from booking holiday travel at schedule opening. Two days ago Southwest surprised me with the largest fare increase I have ever seen, focusing on peak travel dates:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-tomorrow.html
I expect peak holiday travel dates to have very high fares in this schedule release, as Southwest protects itself from possible increases in fuel cost between now and the end of the year. For non-peak fall travel you may want to gamble that Southwest will offer an anniversary sale starting June 9 or June 16. That's what I'm doing.
Be aware that the schedule opening may not activate on all Southwest's servers at the same time. Reloading the web page may put you on a different server, opening or perhaps even closing the schedule extension. Patience is required. Note: it is best not to log in first.
In some past schedule extensions, Standard Award seats did not become available immediately: They appeared later the same day.
Speaking of Standard Awards, Thursday May 14 is also the very last day for you to create a Standard Award from any seed credits you have. On May 15 Southwest will convert your seed credit to points, at 1200 points per credit. It's decision time.
Standard awards are useful primarily for last-minute travel such as family emergencies. In those cases fares are high yet some flights are lightly loaded. Southwest is often willing to give you a Standard Award seat on one of those off-peak flights, even across the country. Any flight with a cash price of $150 or more each way is a candidate for using a Standard Award, but 80% or more of those flights will not have Standard Award availability. The important exception is flights past the deadline for purchase of Wanna Get Away fares. Almost all of those cost more than $150 and many of them have availability for Standard Awards. If you buy last-minute tickets regularly, you should consider creating Standard Awards using your seed credit(s) if you and your family members have them.
For more discussion, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...14-2015-a.html
For information on future schedule extensions, see the travel tools page at www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
Jun 2, 2015, 10:40 am
#108
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Big Anniversary Sale June 2 through June 4 for fall travel: $49/99/129/149
https://www.southwest.com/html/promo...le-150602.html
Purchase from June 2 through June 4, 2015, 11:59 p.m. for the respective time zone of the originating city.
Travel August 24 through December 16, 2015.
Blackout Dates Apply: September 3-5, September 7, and November 20 - December 1, 2015.
Travel not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to/from Florida or Nevada is valid only on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid only Mondays through Thursdays.
Fares valid on nonstop service only.
(not distance based anymore. this doubles most of my flight costs compared to other sales years.)
Fares not available to/from Portland, ME.
Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
Purchase from June 2 through June 4, 2015, 11:59 p.m. for the respective time zone of the originating city.
Travel August 24 through December 16, 2015.
Blackout Dates Apply: September 3-5, September 7, and November 20 - December 1, 2015.
Travel not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to/from Florida or Nevada is valid only on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid only Mondays through Thursdays.
Fares valid on nonstop service only.
(not distance based anymore. this doubles most of my flight costs compared to other sales years.)Fares not available to/from Portland, ME.
Seats and days are limited. Fares may vary by destination, flight, and day of week and won't be available on some flights that operate during very busy travel times and holiday periods.
Aug 11, 2015, 11:52 am
#109
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,039
On Tuesday August 11, 2015 (this morning), Southwest extended the booking horizon through April 11, 2016. The previous last bookable date had been March 8, 2016. If you had previously booked only an outbound flight for a Spring Break trip, you can start exploring return options.
According to the soutwest.com travel tools page the next schedule extension should happen on September 29, 2015 (subject to change).
If you have more than one flight under a single "Trip Name," be extremely careful when you go to change or cancel one reservation. With the new version of the web site, clicking on any PNR always takes you to the details page for the *first* flight of a group. If you don't notice the small text that reads "Flight #1 of [n]", you could end up changing or canceling the wrong flight!
If you haven't poked around the site to explore fares in a long time, you might be surprised how low non-sale fares can be on some routes. MDW to/from PHL, DEN, and AUS were all seen at $50 (OW) for quite a few weeks about a month ago. (In some cases the lowest fares have been available only on the first and last flights of the day, so be sure to click from the calendar to the details page if you are interested in a specific date. The fare difference to the "next best" fare can be quite dramatic.) In the right circumstances extreme savings can be had by booking a connecting flight as two separate PNRs. Don't forget the 100% penalty rule for no-shows, however. The multiple PNR trick is best utilized on points bookings.
If you still need to check for Standard Awards availability in an account with no unused Awards, you'll need to remember to use this link, because the latest face lift on the web site removed the link for Award availability searches.
According to the soutwest.com travel tools page the next schedule extension should happen on September 29, 2015 (subject to change).
If you have more than one flight under a single "Trip Name," be extremely careful when you go to change or cancel one reservation. With the new version of the web site, clicking on any PNR always takes you to the details page for the *first* flight of a group. If you don't notice the small text that reads "Flight #1 of [n]", you could end up changing or canceling the wrong flight!
If you haven't poked around the site to explore fares in a long time, you might be surprised how low non-sale fares can be on some routes. MDW to/from PHL, DEN, and AUS were all seen at $50 (OW) for quite a few weeks about a month ago. (In some cases the lowest fares have been available only on the first and last flights of the day, so be sure to click from the calendar to the details page if you are interested in a specific date. The fare difference to the "next best" fare can be quite dramatic.) In the right circumstances extreme savings can be had by booking a connecting flight as two separate PNRs. Don't forget the 100% penalty rule for no-shows, however. The multiple PNR trick is best utilized on points bookings.
If you still need to check for Standard Awards availability in an account with no unused Awards, you'll need to remember to use this link, because the latest face lift on the web site removed the link for Award availability searches.
Last edited by ftnoob; Oct 26, 2015 at 11:53 pm Reason: typo
Sep 21, 2015, 9:48 am
#110
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
eBay recently appeared as a partner on rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com at 0.5 points per dollar. Today there is a promotion at 3 points per dollar, which is an excellent rebate. A morning email indicates that this rate will persist through September 27.
See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...purchases.html
Use this new feature to keep alive the points earned by your infrequently traveling members.
See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...purchases.html
Use this new feature to keep alive the points earned by your infrequently traveling members.
Oct 1, 2015, 2:07 pm
#111
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
$31 jetBlue fares for October 31, today only
OK, it's not exactly Southwest news, but jetBlue has a smokin' fare sale today only for travel on Saturday October 31 only. For $31 you have a wide choice of city pairs, including JFK to SFO if you can believe it.
I don't expect Southwest to match this, but we can hope.
http://www2.jetblue.com/deals/halloween-jetsetter/
I don't expect Southwest to match this, but we can hope.
http://www2.jetblue.com/deals/halloween-jetsetter/
Oct 13, 2015, 9:07 am
#112
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Dec-early Feb nationwide sale $49/99/129/149
The fall sale is here. Travel dates are limited Book now through Thursday. It's not the best sale ever, but it's much better than a kick in the teeth. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...129-149-a.html
https://www.southwest.com/html/promo...le-151013.html
Purchase from October 13 through October 15, 2015, 11:59 p.m. for the respective time zone of the originating city.
Travel December 2 through December 16, 2015, and January 5 through February 10, 2016. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid December 2 through December 10, 2015, and January 19 through February 10, 2016.
Travel not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to/from Florida or Nevada is valid only on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid only Mondays through Thursdays.
https://www.southwest.com/html/promo...le-151013.html
Purchase from October 13 through October 15, 2015, 11:59 p.m. for the respective time zone of the originating city.
Travel December 2 through December 16, 2015, and January 5 through February 10, 2016. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid December 2 through December 10, 2015, and January 19 through February 10, 2016.
Travel not valid on Fridays and Sundays. Travel to/from Florida or Nevada is valid only on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Travel to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico is valid only Mondays through Thursdays.
Oct 27, 2015, 12:56 am
#113
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,039
Historic SWA Schedule extension
On Tuesday October 27, 2015 (this morning), Southwest is expected to extend their booking horizon through June 03, 2016. That makes this an historic schedule extension: it's the last time a schedule extension will open up new dates for potential "Transition Award" bookings (formerly known as "Standard Award" bookings)
The previous last bookable date had been April 11, 2016.
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Whether you love it or hate it, you will likely be hearing the latest SWA marketing catch phrase ("Transfarency)" for a very long time to come. Voice your opinion about the freshly minted lingo at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...nsfarency.html.
As previously noted: If you need to check for Standard Awards availability in an account with no unused Awards, you'll need to remember to use this link, because the latest face lift on the web site removed the link for Award availability searches.[/QUOTE]
The previous last bookable date had been April 11, 2016.
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Whether you love it or hate it, you will likely be hearing the latest SWA marketing catch phrase ("Transfarency)" for a very long time to come. Voice your opinion about the freshly minted lingo at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...nsfarency.html.
As previously noted: If you need to check for Standard Awards availability in an account with no unused Awards, you'll need to remember to use this link, because the latest face lift on the web site removed the link for Award availability searches.[/QUOTE]
Nov 20, 2015, 9:32 am
#114
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,039
One Day Only "Pre-Black FlyDay" Sale
Southwest's "Pre-Black FlyDay" sale, while not one of their most exciting sales ever, does have some isolated scorchers. The key to finding the gems amidst the noise seems to be to pull up the sale page and search for $59 and $69 using your browser's [Find in page] feature.
Another tip: don't be too scared off by the "Tu We" only clause. In at least one market with a scorching $59 offer, many additional days have $69 fares, and the $59 fare also appears on several Saturdays (in one direction).
You can also go straight to the fare calendar page if you just need to check one or a few specific routes.
FlyerTalk discussion: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-day-only.html
Another tip: don't be too scared off by the "Tu We" only clause. In at least one market with a scorching $59 offer, many additional days have $69 fares, and the $59 fare also appears on several Saturdays (in one direction).
You can also go straight to the fare calendar page if you just need to check one or a few specific routes.
FlyerTalk discussion: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-day-only.html
Dec 5, 2015, 12:33 pm
#115
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Super Bowl week fares to and from SF Bay area are finally down to normal
This is the first time fares have fallen from the stratosphere for Thursday through Monday (Feb 4 through 8). $68 Monday morning departures may not last long. Those flights were $366 yesterday.
See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post25818332
See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...l#post25818332
Dec 7, 2015, 8:29 pm
#116
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,039
On Tuesday December 8, 2015 (this morning), Southwest is expected to extend their booking horizon through August 05, 2016. The last bookable date is currently June 03, 2016. According to http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...08-2015-a.html there could be some station or route additions or deletions along with this extension, but no other drama is anticipated.
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page in the next few days if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Southwest gave many of us a scare in late October when the web site started restricting Transition Award usage to >7 day advance purchase. See discussion. The problem was identified and remedied, but perhaps too late for those who had Awards expiring the last few days of October. Note, however, that there was a workaround (calling Dallas), at least for those with status.
The Ultimate Gel Seat Cushion discussed last year at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...lve-seats.html is back at Costco and currently on special ($4 off the normal $18.99) through December 24. It is not available online, only in the warehouses (stores). Item #615905.
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page in the next few days if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Southwest gave many of us a scare in late October when the web site started restricting Transition Award usage to >7 day advance purchase. See discussion. The problem was identified and remedied, but perhaps too late for those who had Awards expiring the last few days of October. Note, however, that there was a workaround (calling Dallas), at least for those with status.
The Ultimate Gel Seat Cushion discussed last year at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...lve-seats.html is back at Costco and currently on special ($4 off the normal $18.99) through December 24. It is not available online, only in the warehouses (stores). Item #615905.
Feb 17, 2016, 10:33 pm
#117
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Schedule extension to November 4, 2016
On Thursday February 18, 2015 (this morning), Southwest is expected to extend their booking horizon through November 4, 2016. The last bookable date is currently August 5, 2016. If you don't like the fares you see, keep in mind that many of the newly available fall dates are likely to be included in Southwest's anniversary sale in early June.
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page in the next few days if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Southwest is making a move on Long Beach, California. Southwest has been awarded 4 of the 9 slots it requested. It's not clear whether Southwest will decide to open a new station with only 4 slots. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...slots-lgb.html
Chase Bank, issuer of the Rapid Rewards Visa cards, is reportedly planning to tighten its approval criteria, adding a requirement that the applicant not have opened more than 4 credit cards of any kind in the preceding 24 months. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-near-you.html
Family boarding, after A60 and A-listers, has been relaxed to include children ages 6 and under. See discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...ge-change.html
Southwest is one of several airlines being sued for price fixing by means of limiting capacity. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...xing-case.html
Refer to the soutwest.com travel tools page in the next few days if you'd like to know when the next schedule extension should happen.
Southwest is making a move on Long Beach, California. Southwest has been awarded 4 of the 9 slots it requested. It's not clear whether Southwest will decide to open a new station with only 4 slots. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...slots-lgb.html
Chase Bank, issuer of the Rapid Rewards Visa cards, is reportedly planning to tighten its approval criteria, adding a requirement that the applicant not have opened more than 4 credit cards of any kind in the preceding 24 months. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-near-you.html
Family boarding, after A60 and A-listers, has been relaxed to include children ages 6 and under. See discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...ge-change.html
Southwest is one of several airlines being sued for price fixing by means of limiting capacity. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...xing-case.html
Apr 13, 2016, 9:52 pm
#118
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
$36 to $54 fares both coasts to DAL probably ending Thursday night
Southwest has some crazy fares for a few Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays in May. This appears to be a match to Virgin America's sale which ends Thursday night. Southwest tends to stop matching shortly before midnight Central Time.
Example fares: $36 SAN to DAL or DAL to ATL. With 2 free bags that's like paying the other guys' bag fees and a $1 fare.
OAK/SFO to DAL and DAL to MCO are $54. DAL to FLL is $41.
Discuss at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...coast-dal.html
By the way, if you have any Standard Awards lying around, they expire within the next month. Use them or lose them!
Example fares: $36 SAN to DAL or DAL to ATL. With 2 free bags that's like paying the other guys' bag fees and a $1 fare.
OAK/SFO to DAL and DAL to MCO are $54. DAL to FLL is $41.
Discuss at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...coast-dal.html
By the way, if you have any Standard Awards lying around, they expire within the next month. Use them or lose them!
May 18, 2016, 12:15 pm
#119
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
The big one: Schedule will open to January 4, 2017 at 6 AM Thursday, May 19
On Thursday May 19, 2016 (tomorrow morning), Southwest's schedule should open for sale through January 4, 2017. This is the big one, covering Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Recent extensions have been happening between 5:30 AM and 6:15 AM Central Time.
In past years I have found low fares available for some Thanksgiving peak hour Wednesday and Monday flights at schedule opening, and that those fares often never return. Christmas fares may decrease later in the game. If you book with points you can re-fare to a lower points price later, with the excess points returning to your account.
I expect peak holiday travel dates to have very high fares in this schedule release. Southwest has established a pattern of rarely offering its deepest discounts more than about 2 months ahead of travel. For non-peak fall travel you may want to gamble that Southwest will offer an anniversary sale starting June 7 or June 14. That's what I'm doing.
For information on future schedule extensions, see the travel tools page at www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
In other news:
1. Early Bird Check In increased to $15.00 on March 14, 2016, with 2 weeks' advance notice:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...arge-15-a.html
2. Standard Awards are extinct as of May 14, 2016:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...rd-awards.html
3. On or before April 19, 2016, Southwest stealthily increased the 70-point rate to 72 points for the five lowest fare classes. None of the other fare classes changed in rate.
We now have a pattern: another devaluation every April, following Freddie voting and ahead of the June anniversary fare sale.
2014: 60->70 announced in advance
2015: 70->(70-80) announced in advance
2016: (70-80)->(72-80?) zero notice
I believe we can expect more of this treatment. In 2017, I recommend that you book your points reservations early, before the end of March! See
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...es-72-pts.html
and
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...tios-here.html
4. Watch for the anniversary fare sale which normally runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in mid-June for fall travel. Look for it about 6 AM Central Time on June 7 or 14. Book your flights on Tuesday before the media tells everyone about the sale and they crush the website.
In recent years many FTers have been underwhelmed by the anniversary sale offerings. Be prepared to be disappointed.
In past years I have found low fares available for some Thanksgiving peak hour Wednesday and Monday flights at schedule opening, and that those fares often never return. Christmas fares may decrease later in the game. If you book with points you can re-fare to a lower points price later, with the excess points returning to your account.
I expect peak holiday travel dates to have very high fares in this schedule release. Southwest has established a pattern of rarely offering its deepest discounts more than about 2 months ahead of travel. For non-peak fall travel you may want to gamble that Southwest will offer an anniversary sale starting June 7 or June 14. That's what I'm doing.
For information on future schedule extensions, see the travel tools page at www.southwest.com/html/travel-tools/index.html
In other news:
1. Early Bird Check In increased to $15.00 on March 14, 2016, with 2 weeks' advance notice:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...arge-15-a.html
2. Standard Awards are extinct as of May 14, 2016:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...rd-awards.html
3. On or before April 19, 2016, Southwest stealthily increased the 70-point rate to 72 points for the five lowest fare classes. None of the other fare classes changed in rate.
We now have a pattern: another devaluation every April, following Freddie voting and ahead of the June anniversary fare sale.
2014: 60->70 announced in advance
2015: 70->(70-80) announced in advance
2016: (70-80)->(72-80?) zero notice
I believe we can expect more of this treatment. In 2017, I recommend that you book your points reservations early, before the end of March! See
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...es-72-pts.html
and
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...tios-here.html
4. Watch for the anniversary fare sale which normally runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in mid-June for fall travel. Look for it about 6 AM Central Time on June 7 or 14. Book your flights on Tuesday before the media tells everyone about the sale and they crush the website.
In recent years many FTers have been underwhelmed by the anniversary sale offerings. Be prepared to be disappointed.
Jun 6, 2016, 8:14 pm
#120
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,625
Watch for the anniversary fare sale which normally runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in mid-June for fall travel. Look for it about 6 AM Central Time on June 7 or 14. Book your flights on Tuesday before the media tells everyone about the sale and they crush the website. .
The sale terms have not been posted at southwest.com, but the Fall fare deals are live and bookable. Book early to avoid website crashes. Expect the sale prices to stop working around 10 PM Pacific Time Thursday even if the official terms say midnight.
In other news, Southwest last Friday (June 3) began offering reasonable Summer fares in several markets for the first time this year. See the discussion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south...-june-3-a.html
I would not be surprised to see the low Summer fares end Thursday evening at the same time the Fall sale ends.