Two reasons:

1. The current VILs are month to month. It’s only enough time to take a break from work. SWA is offering up to five years I think. If a VIL of something longer than a couple months comes out it gets people to really think about long term life decisions like starting a business without going to zero income and healthcare, or going back to school, or living in an RV for a year and showing your kids the country’s natural wonders. Something that could completely change the the person they become.

2. For those happy with the month to month VIL they took some time off perhaps already and based on July the company had kind of telegraphed that things were coming back so by the time the deadline for August VILs happened they probably figured the break was enough and time to get back to work. Now that path seems a bit more rocky so those folks may be more likely to bid VIL again especially since fall is typically the slowest period of the year anyway. Not to mention school being in question in many states.