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View Full Version : Southwest $39 each way within California in March



Andrew
03-03-2004, 10:01 PM
Southwest Click-n-Save (http://www.southwest.com/jp/genmkt_california_040210.shtml?src=et030204)
We decided to fly down for MouseAdventure this time after weighing airfare vs. mileage, gas, and time to drive. The $39 each way tickets are available through midnight March 4 and must be purchased at least 14 days before departure.
Orange County (SNA) is not included, but Burbank (BUR), LAX, and Ontario (ONT) are available.

squirrel2k
03-05-2004, 02:51 PM
That's all fine and dandy, but be aware that Southwest has no rule 240 [the rule that says that if your flight is cancelled or delayed for any reason other than weather the airline must put you on the next available flight on any airline at no extra charge to you].

Southwest's prices are great, but those prices come with a hidden cost: while Southwest may get you there eventually, they can't guarantee that they'll get you there when YOU want to get there (or when they promised to get you there).

Andrew
03-05-2004, 02:58 PM
Originally posted by squirrel2k
That's all fine and dandy, but be aware that Southwest has no rule 240 [the rule that says that if your flight is cancelled or delayed for any reason other than weather the airline must put you on the next available flight on any airline at no extra charge to you].
Interesting. So that's not a regulatory requirement?

The current sale is over, anyway, but we've pretty much always had good experiences with Southwest.

Bill Catherall
03-05-2004, 03:04 PM
I was going to fly but I couldn't find a (discounted) flight back home on the date I needed to come back. Oh well.

sammy casey
03-05-2004, 04:10 PM
Originally posted by squirrel2k
That's all fine and dandy, but be aware that Southwest has no rule 240 [the rule that says that if your flight is cancelled or delayed for any reason other than weather the airline must put you on the next available flight on any airline at no extra charge to you].


Why would Southwest pay for you to fly on some other airline. How can you complain. $39 bucks is to cheap. Thats cheaper then it was in the 1970's.

Crispy
03-06-2004, 10:00 AM
I was also under the impression that rule 240 was a FAA regulatory code by which all airlines had to abide. They oftne get around it by simply not telling passengers about rule 240 and offering other perks for getting bumped. Ex, putting you up in a hotel for free and offering you free tickets. However, I believe if you claim your right to use rule 240, and don't want to use the alternates that the airline offers, then they are required to abide by rule 240.

Cris

Bruce Bergman
03-06-2004, 10:14 AM
Originally posted by Crispy
I was also under the impression that rule 240 was a FAA regulatory code by which all airlines had to abide. <snip>
Cris

"Was" is the critical word in that sentence. After deregulation, that rule is no longer federally enforced - though it isn't mandated, most airlines still follow it to some extent as a company policy.

You have to ask nicely first, and sometimes twist their arm a bit to get them to solve the problem for you.

And if they try to strand you at the airport overnight with no accomodations made at all, in a "Sorry, Charlie" move (or to paraphrase Ernestine Tomlin "We don't care. We're a major airline, and we don't have to!" :p ), remind them that you know how to get the phone numbers to every TV, Radio, Internet and Print media outlet within 100 miles...

:fez: --<< Bruce >>--

disneyfn
03-06-2004, 09:39 PM
Anyone know why Orange County airport is always excluded from all the discount fares? Does the airport have some special deal with the airlines to prohibit them?Doesn't make much sense to me.

sammy casey
03-06-2004, 10:16 PM
Because there only allowed a few flights a day out of there. The airport is real strict because of all rich people there that complain about noise. If southwest could fly as many flights as they would like out of there then the prices would be just as cheap any place else.

squirrel2k
03-18-2004, 07:45 AM
Originally posted by Crispy
I was also under the impression that rule 240 was a FAA regulatory code by which all airlines had to abide.

Nope. In fact, here is a quote from SWA's Contract of Carriage.:

90. C. Delays or involuntary cancellations - If a passenger’s scheduled transportation is cancelled, terminated, or delayed before the passenger has reached his or her final destination as a result of a flight cancellation, missed connection, flight delay, or omission of a scheduled stop, Carrier will, at the passenger’s option, either transport the passenger on another of Carrier’s flights on which space is available at no additional charge, or, upon surrender of the passenger’s unused ticket or portion thereof, refund the fare for the unused transportation or provide a credit for such amount toward the purchase of future travel.

Notice that is says nothing about having to put you on another airline or even feed/house you overnight. [If SWA bumps you because the flight is oversold, though, they do have to pay you between $200 and $400.]

But, my point remains: SWA is great if you want a cheap ticket and are willing to give up the security of a guaranteed arrival. If you are flying SWA to Florida to take a Disney cruise [which has a specific, unchangable time of departure], you do so at your peril.