Increase in fares

[NOLA85]

I fly Southwest from Houston to New Orleans and have noticed a significant increase in prices this year.  Also when sales are announced the cheapest flights are the last flight out or the first flight in the morning, when they use to be scattered throughout the day.  I'm a long time Southwest customer and was wondering why the drastic increase?  I use to be able to fly round trip for $125-$150 but now it is close to $300 for a one hour flight each way.  Ridiculous!  And yes I do look to book months in advance.  Any info would be appreciated!

[ashromi]

Agreed, I've noticed a high increase in cost of fare as well. I could fly Tampa to Chicago this year for the entire month of February for just over $100 RT. I've been watching the flights in 2018 for February and they're no less than $250 RT. I realize there are some perks to flying SW, but for the bottom dollar i can travel much cheaper via other airlines. There are just too many other cheaper options for frequently traveled cities like Tampa and Chicago. It's disappointing, I love Southwest.