Is there a way to check how many seats left on Southwest flight?

[disneygal55]

My family of six are planning a trip to WDW in October. We were able to book return flights at good prices when the flights were first available but decided to wait and see if the very high prices of the initial flights would come down. They actually went up in price and after waiting many weeks to see if they would come down, my DH (who was nervous about seats selling out) and I purchased ours. My 2 sons and their wives checked the same afternoon and the price went up again!! From $238 to $251 (which the 2 of us paid) to $321 one way from Hartford, CT to MCO!!!
We are nervous about seat availabilty for the 4 of them and we can't find a way to check seat availability for SW. I realize that the seats are not reserved but just the number of seats left is what we're looking for as they're hoping to see the rates come down. We were all traveling to the airport together so want to take same flight out.
Is there a way to check this?

 

[Fangorn]

The only way to check (sort of) is to start a new reservation and enter the number of passengers as 8 (that's the max you can book online). It won't tell you how many seats are really available, but you will know if there are at least 8 seats available on the plane.

Steve

 

[disneygal55]

Thank you! We'll try that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The only way to check (sort of) is to start a new reservation and enter the number of passengers as 8 (that's the max you can book online). It won't tell you how many seats are really available, but you will know if there are at least 8 seats available on the plane.

Steve

Just an FYI this doesn't actually tell you how many physical seats are left on the plane. It only tells you how many seats are left at that price.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My family of six are planning a trip to WDW in October. We were able to book return flights at good prices when the flights were first available but decided to wait and see if the very high prices of the initial flights would come down. They actually went up in price and after waiting many weeks to see if they would come down, my DH (who was nervous about seats selling out) and I purchased ours. My 2 sons and their wives checked the same afternoon and the price went up again!! From $238 to $251 (which the 2 of us paid) to $321 one way from Hartford, CT to MCO!!!
We are nervous about seat availabilty for the 4 of them and we can't find a way to check seat availability for SW. I realize that the seats are not reserved but just the number of seats left is what we're looking for as they're hoping to see the rates come down. We were all traveling to the airport together so want to take same flight out.
Is there a way to check this?

SWA operates on having X number of seats available at Y price.

Business Select is set at max 15 passengers/tickets sold as they are assigned Boarding Positions A1-A15 (you can also pay for Upgraded Boarding at the gate should there be availability and that would also be in the Boarding Positions A1-A15--this becomes available when not all Business Selects seats were sold for a given flight)

When you see the price go up it just means SWA has adjusted the pricing on the Fare category as tickets are purchased. It all depends on how many seats SWA has determined to sell at Y price--sales also come along and can drop the price.

A 737-700 series plane has 143 seats while a 737-800 series plane has 175 seats so depending on the plane assigned it will determine how many overall seats are even available and plane adjustments happen (more common at the moment with the 737-MAX issues) so that can adjust how many overall seats are even available even after you've booked your tickets.

Are you flying on Columbus Day weekend? I could see that being more expensive just due to that.

FWIW while logically searching for a new reservation for 8 people will at least let you know there's seemingly 8 seats left on the plane, which would be true, it may cause false results in terms of fare class available which could make you panic and think the flight is very very close to being selling out. Truth is you won't know that. It's a gamble unfortunately waiting on the price to drop when you don't at least have an initial ticket purchased.

To give an example here's me searching for 8 people for Friday October 11th:




Change that to only 2 passengers and you get these results:




When I search for 8 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for 5 flights. When I search for 2 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for only 4 flights. Same flights; same number of actualy physical seats available. You can see how pricing can vary depending on the number of passengers you're searching for. Also notice how when I search for 2 passengers you can see where on certain flights it tells you how many seats are left and I stress at that price.

Sorry for the long post--I hope that at least helps a tiny bit

 

[kaytieeldr]

When I search for 8 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for 5 flights. When I search for 2 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for only 4 flights. Same flights; same number of actualy physical seats available

also interesting from this research is the pricing. On that last listed flight, eight tickets are $321 each, but two tickets are $251 each. Since the IT's sons are getting the $321 larger quote, there are either two or three seats left at the lower fare.

What day are you flying? Dramatic shows fares as low as $49. Not on Southwest, which doesn't allow other sites to display its fares, but Frontier, Spirit...even JetBlue has fares as low as $84. Do they have to fly Southwest?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

also interesting from this research is the pricing. On that last listed flight, eight tickets are $321 each, but two tickets are $251 each. Since the IT's sons are getting the $321 larger quote, there are either two or three seats left at the lower fare.

It's different pricing for multiple flights not just the last one but yes the overall point is what I was mentioning before.

You don't have to guess that there are 2 OR 3 seats left at the lower fare---it's just 2 seats. My prior screenshot reflects this I was using 8 as a search as the PP mentioned plugging in 8 passengers.

Search for 2 passengers:

I've pointed to the "2 left" to make it easier to see.

Search for 3 passengers:


The 6:10 and 6:15 flights also list 2 seats left in my original screen shot at their respective pricing amounts. A search for more than 2 passengers would yield a higher price. I've seen flights before list 1 left, 2 left, 3 left, etc

To be fair it's not necessarily automatic for people to think to play around with searching the number of passengers.

We've had to break up reservations before so we can at least get some tickets at a lower fare but it is something I've learned over time. I think one of the first times I discovered it was when we bought tickets months in advance for a May 2015 trip to Austin, TX but it could have happened before that and I just didn't realize that could happen.

 

[disneygal55]

SWA operates on having X number of seats available at Y price.

Business Select is set at max 15 passengers/tickets sold as they are assigned Boarding Positions A1-A15 (you can also pay for Upgraded Boarding at the gate should there be availability and that would also be in the Boarding Positions A1-A15--this becomes available when not all Business Selects seats were sold for a given flight)

When you see the price go up it just means SWA has adjusted the pricing on the Fare category as tickets are purchased. It all depends on how many seats SWA has determined to sell at Y price--sales also come along and can drop the price.

A 737-700 series plane has 143 seats while a 737-800 series plane has 175 seats so depending on the plane assigned it will determine how many overall seats are even available and plane adjustments happen (more common at the moment with the 737-MAX issues) so that can adjust how many overall seats are even available even after you've booked your tickets.

Are you flying on Columbus Day weekend? I could see that being more expensive just due to that.

FWIW while logically searching for a new reservation for 8 people will at least let you know there's seemingly 8 seats left on the plane, which would be true, it may cause false results in terms of fare class available which could make you panic and think the flight is very very close to being selling out. Truth is you won't know that. It's a gamble unfortunately waiting on the price to drop when you don't at least have an initial ticket purchased.

To give an example here's me searching for 8 people for Friday October 11th:
View attachment 413132
View attachment 413133
View attachment 413134

Change that to only 2 passengers and you get these results:
View attachment 413135
View attachment 413136
View attachment 413137

When I search for 8 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for 5 flights. When I search for 2 passengers you can see WGA Fare is sold out for only 4 flights. Same flights; same number of actualy physical seats available. You can see how pricing can vary depending on the number of passengers you're searching for. Also notice how when I search for 2 passengers you can see where on certain flights it tells you how many seats are left and I stress at that price.

Sorry for the long post--I hope that at least helps a tiny bit

Wow! Thank you for your time and effort. I guess that SW just doesn't make it easy for us.

 

[disneygal55]

also interesting from this research is the pricing. On that last listed flight, eight tickets are $321 each, but two tickets are $251 each. Since the IT's sons are getting the $321 larger quote, there are either two or three seats left at the lower fare.

What day are you flying? Dramatic shows fares as low as $49. Not on Southwest, which doesn't allow other sites to display its fares, but Frontier, Spirit...even JetBlue has fares as low as $84. Do they have to fly Southwest?

Unfortunately we are flying out on a Saturday morning which I know tends to run higher in price.
We are driving to the airport in one van so the same flight down would be ideal for us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wow! Thank you for your time and effort. I guess that SW just doesn't make it easy for us.

No problem!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yup, everything @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said @

I've pointed to the "2 left" to make it easier to see.

Thank you!!!!!!

Unfortunately we are flying out on a Saturday morning which I know tends to run higher in price.
We are driving to the airport in one van so the same flight down would be ideal for us.

Still, a couple of options:
Each couple buys one of the two lower priced tickets and one at the next higher fare; or,
Search for kother, less expensive flights that leave around the same time as yours; or,
Combination: one couple flies with you at the lower fare, other couple takes a lower cost flight on a different airline with a similar schedule.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Unfortunately we are flying out on a Saturday morning which I know tends to run higher in price.
We are driving to the airport in one van so the same flight down would be ideal for us.

Saturday mornings don't have to be pricy. As PPs suggested, check other airlines like Jet Blue and the legacies before assuming the SW prices are the best you can do.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm not as computer literate as Me Click-Mickelson, so apologies for the lack of screen shots.

October 19, JetBlue has two morningish flights:

154

JetBlue 7:00 am 9:54 am 2h 54m BDL to MCO --

Details ▼

$154	JetBlue 12:30 pm 3:24 pm 2hz 54m BDL to MCO

 

[sethschroeder]

Wow! Thank you for your time and effort. I guess that SW just doesn't make it easy for us.

Well it is "easy" just call in and split the fare among the group. Or one person expenses it and everyone pays them.

What airlines show the exact number left? Even airlines that show seat assignments don't account for those passengers who don't pick or get a seat assignment at time of purchase.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yup, everything @Mackenzie Click-Mickelson said @


Thank you!!!!!!

Still, a couple of options:
Each couple buys one of the two lower priced tickets and one at the next higher fare; or,
Search for kother, less expensive flights that leave around the same time as yours; or,
Combination: one couple flies with you at the lower fare, other couple takes a lower cost flight on a different airline with a similar schedule.

No problem

 

[kaytieeldr]

What airlines show the exact number left?

Typically, airlines don't show how many seats are left. Like Southwest, they may show how many seats are left at the low fare.

----

If I'm right that they're departing 10/9 (lowest fare now $321 even for two people), it's on one of these flights:

• # 5174
  Nonstop
  6:40AM
  9:40AM
  Duration3h 0m
  $321minutes
• 
  
• # 471
  Nonstop
  10:40AM
  1:45PM
  Duration3h 5m
  $321

So the early flight meshes better with the early JetBlue flight, The sons families would need to hang around the airport about an hour. If they're on the 10:40 flight, the wait for JetBlue is more like two. Even adding $27 per person on JetBlue to bump up from the base ((no bags ) fare, that's $150 per person saved at the "cost" of two hours.

 

[sethschroeder]

Even adding $27 per person on JetBlue to bump up from the base ((no bags ) fare

I would suggest "packing" your sons bags and checking them with Southwest for free. That way you can save the $27 and put it towards a turkey leg or two.

 

[disneygal55]

Thanks to all for your valuable advice!

 

[anonymousegirl]

It is rare for flight pricing to go down. For Southwest, typically the cheapest fares are found on release day. A fare could go down if a plane isn't filling up as fast as Southwest predicted. Or if the company is embroiled in a bad new scenario like a fatal crash. Or if a competitor stops running a particular route and Southwest puts another plane on that route to grab those customers. But mostly, fares go up.

 

[georgina]

It is rare for flight pricing to go down. For Southwest, typically the cheapest fares are found on release day. A fare could go down if a plane isn't filling up as fast as Southwest predicted. Or if the company is embroiled in a bad new scenario like a fatal crash. Or if a competitor stops running a particular route and Southwest puts another plane on that route to grab those customers. But mostly, fares go up.

i disagree, except during really busy times. I have had many fares go down with time (I check every few days) or when they have fare sales. Thanksgiving week never went down, busy spring breaks and holidays also, but regular weeks I have had many drops over the years. I can travel any day of the week and seek out the lowest fares.