The Spring Break effect?
 

I m flying UA from BWI to ABQ tomorrow morning via DEN. I went to check availability and according to the UA website there is none. Nothing to DEN. Nothing to IAH. Nothing to EWR. Nothing to ORD.
Delta offered only one connection on this route.
Is it the Spring Break effect? Just curious.

Well United has very few flights from BWI, try WN :-)

IAD there are plenty of flights.

Monday morning out of BWI is packed too.

after this winter in the East, who wouldn't be fleeing to sunnier climes?

I checked Travelocity and found zero flights from BWI to ABQ.
Southwest offered one connection.
UA has no flight available for purchase from BWI to anywhere Saturday.
UA has flight to ABQ from DCA and IAD on Saturday and they are pricy.

well OP look on the bright side, i assume since you say you are going via DEN you already have a ticket -- given the tight inventory, you should have some nice VDB opportunities :)

Makes me wonder if there is a mass exodus from the DC area... Was looking at changing IAD-OKC to something leaving from DCA (due to ride issues) and connecting and noticed that all of the options were 2000+. Pretty sure OKC is not on many people's spring break plans. Then just for funsies checked the load for my flight via KVS. Everything in coach is zerod out and F1C1A1P1Z1. Maybe I should stock up on toilet paper and water??

(ps forgive me if the post is awful 1st time poster but long time lurker)

My UA flight from BWI to DEN this morning was completely full. My check in generated a solicitation for a $200 bump offer. I don't know if anyone got bumped. There were a few standbys looking very glum.

It is the Saturday on the weekend before Easter. Always a busy time. Catholic, some christian, jewish,and some public schools are all off this coming week.

UAL is probably out of seats as they forgot that Easter was in April this year, did not plan for a late rush...:D

a quick google search reveals that this week is in fact spring break for baltimore public schools. never a fun week to fly...

next week is boston marathon/boston school vacation week. i'm flying out of MHT that week to get something vaguely sane..

Spring break for Fairfax County starts Monday. So even though the Cherry Blossom Festival is at its peak this weekend, a lot of the locals have headed out of town.

Also keep in mind that this was the peak weekend for the cherry blossoms, so there's probably a huge upswing in traffic for folks coming in for the festival.

FYI...I can't think of a single school system in the DC area that is not on Spring Break this week...we are flying to CUN on Monday (6 awards...saver C was cheaper than standard E! Yeah for us!).

You managed to score 6 saver C seats!? Wow! You must have booked 330 days in advance?

Nope. September.

We had to leave on Monday, vs. Sat. though. IAD-CUN-IAH all in C with IAH-IAD in Y (wait-listed on earlier flight for C...cutting layover from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours).

Last week I scored 4 C seats one way on Avianca IAD-SAL-LIM-CUZ on the Sat prior to Christmas. Paying for 2 Y seats on Avianca. Don't have flights back yet. Looks like we will have to do standard back on 1/1/15, but waiting to see if any saver open up.

I will say we do usually plan 11 months out for our trips. Since 2008, we've traveled on Y saver awards (6) to Europe in June (twice); to London/Paris (4 awards, 2 pay) over Christmas/NY; and Thailand over Christmas/NY (4 saver, 2 standard).

This trip was a change in plans for spring break from a cruise to an AI in Riviera Maya (I hate AIs, but the kids love them).

What's the status of the non-stop IAD-ABQ --wasn't that going to be ended? Or did it get a last-minute reprieve?

Welcome to FT rohlswbell! Great first post.

Nah, they've been using it as an excuse for the past 3 months, and probably will continue to do so for the next 6!

I was in DC this past week and hotel prices were insane. (even higher than the normally merely outrageous DC prices) My outbound flight on Friday was overbooked. It was indeed a busy travel week in DC.

Spring Break In Effect at IAD - That's For Sure
 

Yesterday was a stark reminder why flying into IAD on Saturday (especially in the Spring) is such a bad idea:

1. A warning from the pilot that there were five TATL flights all arriving at the same time as us so that “if we had a connection, we’d better hurry.”
2. Nearly run over exiting the plane by a German couple who had a one hour layover.
3. 20 minute wait for a mobile lounge. Not sitting on the lounge and waiting for it to go as usual but a 20 minute wait in the boarding area for a lounge to actually arrive as hordes of people came pouring down the escalators with nowhere to go.
4. Queues for Immigration (both US and non-US) all the way back to the end of the ropes. Judging by past experience I’m guessing a 90 minute wait for US and 2+ hours for everyone else.
5. A five -minute wait for Global Entry (I am not complaining!) Best money I’ve ever spent.
6. 5 High School class trips in the walk from International Arrivals to Garage 1. Amazing how the chaperones think it's OK to mass their charges right in the middle so no one can get past.

It’s been several years since I’ve flown back from LHR on a Saturday. Now I remember why.