Southwest Fares

mscard88

mscard88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Mark
Looking at fares and I think it's called 'business select' which is double what 'Wanna Get Away' fares are. Business Select boards first and Wanna Get Away last appears to be the only major difference. Anyone with suggestions, advantages, disadvantages, etc on what fare they'd purchase? Thanks.

Never been a paying pax on SW. I jump seated a few times when I flew and they were always very accommodating.
 
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wanna get away? You will be sitting next to the screaming baby...prepare accordingly...
 
Business Select and Anytime are refundable. Also you don't have to cancel before boarding time. Wanna-get-away requires you cancel before boarding time(or you get nothing) and the fare is only reusable not refundable. For flights where I may fly myself I get Business Select. For work I get Wanna Get Away and pay for the auto-checkin($20 or so) so I have a chance at a decent seat.
 
Unless they've changed, none of they are refundable. But all tickets can be exchanged at full value to buy a different ticket, including an upgraded ticket on the same flight.

If getting on board early is really important to you, buy the cheap ticket and you can pay $40 to upgrade your boarding.
 
chartbundle said:
Business Select and ARead about thenytime are refundable. Also you don't have to cancel before boarding time. Wanna-get-away requires you cancel before boarding time(or you get nothing) and the fare is only reusable not refundable. For flights where I may fly myself I get Business Select. For work I get Wanna Get Away and pay for the auto-checkin($20 or so) so I have a chance at a decent seat.
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Read about the upgrade, think it said you do that at the gate? I was thinking a direct flight BHM-LAS, but I might go for a one-stopper as wife will be going too. Won't be able to "what happens in ALS stays in LAS" take advantage of that lol.
 
mscard88 said:
They still around? Never see them on the road it seems. Trailways neither.
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Sure are. Was at Newark Penn Station this last weekend and they have a Greyhound corridor. Would be the uttermost worst way to travel. I can’t even imagine. :confused:
 
Ryanb said:
Sure are. Was at Newark Penn Station this last weekend and they have a Greyhound corridor. Would be the uttermost worst way to travel. I can’t even imagine. :confused:
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Yup, that or Amtrak maybe.
 
mscard88 said:
Yup, that or Amtrack maybe.
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That’s big up that way too. New York’s Penn Station does Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Railroad with a Subway connection. I was taken back to see how busy it was.
 
mscard88 said:
Read about the upgrade, think it said you do that at the gate?
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There's two different ways(besides Business Select) to get better seats. One is Early-Bird Check-In you pay $15 (one-way) and they check you in at 36 hours before flight time usually you end up with an A, sometimes a B, basically you can always get at least a window or aisle seat. The normal checkin opens at 24 hours before flight time and if you check in later than about 23 hours and 50 minutes before the flight you're likely to get a C boarding card and end up in a middle seat.

The second is that if they don't get enough business select customers they'll offer to upgrade you at the airport for a fee and you'll end up in A1-A15, (The interwebs say $30 or $40) but only if those spots are available.
 
chartbundle said:
There's two different ways(besides Business Select) to get better seats. One is Early-Bird Check-In you pay $15 (one-way) and they check you in at 36 hours before flight time usually you end up with an A, sometimes a B, basically you can always get at least a window or aisle seat. The normal checkin opens at 24 hours before flight time and if you check in later than about 23 hours and 50 minutes before the flight you're likely to get a C boarding card and end up in a middle seat.

The second is that if they don't get enough business select customers they'll offer to upgrade you at the airport for a fee and you'll end up in A1-A15, (The interwebs say $30 or $40) but only if those spots are available.
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You may get an aisle or window seat assuming you're boarding the first leg of the flight. My (limited) experience with Southwest is that the airline's name is derived from a Pima word meaning "middle seat".

I hate, hate, hate Southwest's boarding policy. Flying Southwest has as much appeal to me as trying to give myself a haircut using a string trimmer.
 
FormerHangie said:
You may get an aisle or window seat assuming you're boarding the first leg of the flight. My (limited) experience with Southwest is that the airline's name is derived from a Pima word meaning "middle seat".

I hate, hate, hate Southwest's boarding policy. Flying Southwest has as much appeal to me as trying to give myself a haircut using a string trimmer.
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I have never tried a string trimmer haircut...
 
I think, due to reputation, they own a lot of different bus lines with better branding. At least a lot of the buses I see on the street say they're owned by Greyhound.

Also, I do not know how to spell busses or grayhound.
 
mscard88 said:
Read about the upgrade, think it said you do that at the gate? I was thinking a direct flight BHM-LAS, but I might go for a one-stopper as wife will be going too. Won't be able to "what happens in ALS stays in LAS" take advantage of that lol.
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By the time you get back the whole experience might have put you in the mood to write a check for that C-170. With a smile on your face. ;)
 
Leisure travel unlikely to change? Definitely wanna get away.

Sit by the computer 24 hrs and 5 min before your scheduled departure. Go to one of the official time sites like NIST or USNO, watch the clock, and exactly 24 hrs before your first leg check in. Then if you don't like where you end up, pay to upgrade for early boarding. Remember there are over 100 window and aisle seats, so as long as you are B30 or less you can avoid a middle seat. (Assuming few or no through passengers staying on the plane)

Business select pax also get more miles, but sounds like you are not a SW FF, so that's not a reason to pay the premium.
 
FormerHangie said:
You may get an aisle or window seat assuming you're boarding the first leg of the flight. My (limited) experience with Southwest is that the airline's name is derived from a Pima word meaning "middle seat".
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Absolutely, if you have a connection and your connection is too short and they've already started boarding then you're getting whatever seat is available when you make it to your gate no matter if you paid for A1.

As a general rule, I simply don't fly Southwest when there's a connection involved. My usual reason for flying Southwest is I plan to fly myself somewhere on the west coast and I simply want a fully refundable backup ticket if I can't make the flight for some reason. And generally those cities can be a direct flight on Southwest.
 
Justin M said:
I think, due to reputation, they own a lot of different bus lines with better branding. At least a lot of the buses I see on the street say they're owned by Greyhound.

Also, I do not know how to spell busses or grayhound.
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If you're travelling between downtown DC and New York City (Manhattan), the bus lines really aren't too bad. Bolt Bus (owned by Greyhound, I think) and Megabus, at least as of about 6 years ago, ran a very busy service between the two almost hourly. I used it a few dozen times when I lived out there. Easy ride, clean bus, usually decent clientel (lots of college students and young professional types). Amtrak is also a great way to travel if you're on the east coast (DC to say Boston).
 
Ryanb said:
That’s big up that way too. New York’s Penn Station does Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Railroad with a Subway connection. I was taken back to see how busy it was.
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Traveled to NYC this spring. Had a hotel near NY Penn Station. Flew into EWR and took NJ Transit train into the city. And the reverse when I went home. Train was very pleasant way to go, and less expensive than Uber.
 
I get on Southwest and pick the middle seat. If someone sits next to me it's usually the aisle, then I move to window which is what I want. Gettin an aisle or window seat is for amateurs. Getting the whole row is for the pro's. The planes usually full enough that it doesn't work but it did once.
 
Van Johnston said:
Leisure travel unlikely to change? Definitely wanna get away.

Sit by the computer 24 hrs and 5 min before your scheduled departure. Go to one of the official time sites like NIST or USNO, watch the clock, and exactly 24 hrs before your first leg check in. Then if you don't like where you end up, pay to upgrade for early boarding. Remember there are over 100 window and aisle seats, so as long as you are B30 or less you can avoid a middle seat. (Assuming few or no through passengers staying on the plane)

Business select pax also get more miles, but sounds like you are not a SW FF, so that's not a reason to pay the premium.
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Yeah, I'm retired from a regional airline and had Delta to nonrev on but that's ending soon. May become a SW FF, but are the points w/ Bus Select worth double the fare amount? Also, anyone ever use or familiar with senior fares. Thanks all so far. Sounds like the boarding upgrade is worth the $$$ if using wanna get away fares.
 
mscard88 said:
Yeah, I'm retired from a regional airline and had Delta to nonrev on but that's ending soon. May become a SW FF, but are the points w/ Bus Select worth double the fare amount? Also, anyone ever use or familiar with senior fares. Thanks all so far. Sounds like the boarding upgrade is worth the $$$ if using wanna get away fares.
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Business Select gets you 12 points per dollar spent. Wanna Get Away gets you 6 points per dollar spent. Business Select Fares, both cash and points needed, are always more than double the fare of Wanna Get Away. So no, it's not worth it. I did the Upgrade thing once when I f'd up and forgot to get my boarding pass at the stroke of 24 hours ahead and had a lousy number. I did some quick math in my head and thought it was close to a push, but I doubt it.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Traveled to NYC this spring. Had a hotel near NY Penn Station. Flew into EWR and took NJ Transit train into the city. And the reverse when I went home. Train was very pleasant way to go, and less expensive than Uber.
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Yup, that’s what we did too. Stayed at the Hampton Riverwalk in Newark and they shuttled us to and from Penn Station. Not a bad way to go at all.
 
chartbundle said:
Absolutely, if you have a connection and your connection is too short and they've already started boarding then you're getting whatever seat is available when you make it to your gate no matter if you paid for A1.

As a general rule, I simply don't fly Southwest when there's a connection involved. My usual reason for flying Southwest is I plan to fly myself somewhere on the west coast and I simply want a fully refundable backup ticket if I can't make the flight for some reason. And generally those cities can be a direct flight on Southwest.
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I had to fly from Atlanta to Virginia Beach, which requires a stop at BWI. The flight from Atlanta originated in Florida, which means I got a middle seat as the airplane was around half full when boarding started and was three quarters full by the time I got on board. The flight from BWI to Virginia Beach originated somewhere in the Northeast, which means it was mostly full when I got to board, so another middle seat. You can be there on time and have a decent spot in line and still wind up with a middle seat. Since I was by myself, it's really no big deal, but I usually travel with the rest of my family and we'd like to sit together.

I live in the Atlanta area and usually fly Delta. I refuse to fly Spirit, and try to avoid Southwest.
 
Ah so, gotcha. Not a gambler, not in that sense anyway. :D
 
mscard88 said:
Yeah, I'm retired from a regional airline and had Delta to nonrev on but that's ending soon. May become a SW FF, but are the points w/ Bus Select worth double the fare amount? Also, anyone ever use or familiar with senior fares. Thanks all so far. Sounds like the boarding upgrade is worth the $$$ if using wanna get away fares.
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I got a targeted offer from Southwest wherein they would give me A-list through early 2018 for flying 2 round-trip business select flights by Oct 1, and through early 2019 for flying an additional 2 BS round trips by Dec 31.
 
As I understand it, the more expensive fares allow you refundable options and sometimes can get you a better boarding position. Since Southwest doesn't have first class or assigned seating, early boarding can help you get a better seat. Really this is only a problem if the flight is full and you get a crappy boarding number, or really want to be towards the front to get off the plane 30 seconds faster. Last week I have to go to Orlando for work, and flew Southwest. Both times I had crappy boarding positions - B52 and C05. Neither flight was packed, so I moseyed on towards the back. Flight south I got a window seat with nobody in the middle (but someone on the aisle seat), flight back north I got a window seat with that whole row to myself. I believe they give you the option when you check in of buying a better boarding position, but you really don't know how booked it is until everyone starts getting on the plane.
 
Yup that's how I understand it Ted. Wanna Get Away fare is no refund but a credit for another flight. IOW they got your $$$ and ain't giving it back lol. The other fares are refundable as you mentioned.
 
luvflyin said:
I get on Southwest and pick the middle seat. If someone sits next to me it's usually the aisle, then I move to window which is what I want. Gettin an aisle or window seat is for amateurs. Getting the whole row is for the pro's. The planes usually full enough that it doesn't work but it did once.
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Interesting strategy. I'll have to see if I am brave enough to try it next time.
 
Warning on refundable tix on SW. I've been waiting 6 weeks for a refund on a flight I canceled. They say it could take 2 months.
 
I fly Southwest a lot. They are, by far, my airline of choice. I do have A-List. Nearly all my trips are 1-2.5 hours, so I don't mind the lack of Business/First Class and larger seats.

IMO, their company policies allow their employees to be human beings, which is not the case at other airlines. To me, it feels like this empowerment for all levels of staff give them better attitudes.

Probably half my flights are full, so I grab a window and ten minutes later start making eye contact with skinny, small passengers who look like they recently bathed and won't talk politics. As an early boarder, I like the ability to have some control over my seat destiny compared to the random chance of other airlines.

[Added after reading FormerHangies comment: Yes, this seating style would be much more burdensome if traveling with a family.]
 
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FormerHangie said:
I had to fly from Atlanta to Virginia Beach, which requires a stop at BWI. The flight from Atlanta originated in Florida, which means I got a middle seat as the airplane was around half full when boarding started and was three quarters full by the time I got on board. The flight from BWI to Virginia Beach originated somewhere in the Northeast, which means it was mostly full when I got to board, so another middle seat. You can be there on time and have a decent spot in line and still wind up with a middle seat. Since I was by myself, it's really no big deal, but I usually travel with the rest of my family and we'd like to sit together.
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Why stop? Just make them go to the bathroom before you take-off and go. It's under 3 hrs, even going around Charlotte's Class B space. :D




Yeah, yeah, I get it, you were flying commercial. o_O :p
 
Ted DuPuis said:
As I understand it, the more expensive fares allow you refundable options and sometimes can get you a better boarding position. Since Southwest doesn't have first class or assigned seating, early boarding can help you get a better seat. Really this is only a problem if the flight is full and you get a crappy boarding number, or really want to be towards the front to get off the plane 30 seconds faster. Last week I have to go to Orlando for work, and flew Southwest. Both times I had crappy boarding positions - B52 and C05. Neither flight was packed, so I moseyed on towards the back. Flight south I got a window seat with nobody in the middle (but someone on the aisle seat), flight back north I got a window seat with that whole row to myself. I believe they give you the option when you check in of buying a better boarding position, but you really don't know how booked it is until everyone starts getting on the plane.
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The thing I don't like about spending extra money for a boarding priority is that it may or may not get you a better seat. On that same flight pair I mentioned earlier, if all four of us were traveling, we could have been close to the front of the line and we wouldn't have found any pairs of adjacent seats. The first flight my daughters were on, they were 8 and 10 years old, and asking them to sit by themselves would not have been an option. Then we'd have been stuck begging for pairs of seats together. No thanks. Four round trips to a not all that distant of a city would be $800 or more, and I think we deserve better treatment. On that first flight, we flew Airtran, and gladly paid the extra money to pick seats ahead of time. The other thing is that Southwest is not a discount carrier any more. I just looked up the price on a flight from ATL to MDW, and the price on Southwest is very similar to what I would pay for Delta's main cabin service, which includes a seat selection at reservation time.
 
G-Man said:
I fly Southwest a lot. They are, by far, my airline of choice. I do have A-List. Nearly all my trips are 1-2.5 hours, so I don't mind the lack of Business/First Class and larger seats.

IMO, their company policies allow their employees to be human beings, which is not the case at other airlines. To me, it feels like this empowerment for all levels of staff give them better attitudes.

Probably half my flights are full, so I grab a window and ten minutes later start making eye contact with skinny, small passengers who look like they recently bathed and won't talk politics. As an early boarder, I like the ability to have some control over my seat destiny compared to the random chance of other airlines.

[Added after reading FormerHangies comment: Yes, this seating style would be much more burdensome if traveling with a family.]
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I definitely like the empowerment that lets the employees act like human beings. The unconventional safety briefings and announcements from the flight attendants are a real treat, something that I look forward to. And the employees do tend to seem quite happy.

As to flying with kids, well, we stick to GA for that. :)
 
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