Airlines And Service

[bookmdano]

"US $465 via ATL"?
Not sure what page you were looking at. US does not go "via ATL" that I've ever heard of in 25yrs? Would love to see the link on that one? Mostly, only DL connects thru ATL.

 

[KCFlyer]

The company has the option to buy an F fare. There's no "responsibility" here.
The airline has the option to dangle F upgrades in order to influence customer behavior.

[post="256823"][/post]​

THat's true, they do. But when a company tries to tweak the program, the cockroach club is formed. Back in the mid 80's, when I travelled all the time, my company gave me the freedom to select a 'preferred' carrier, with a couple of caveats. I lived in Dallas, and I travelled extensively to the Southeast. I had a shitload of miles and status on Delta, so they were my 'preferred carrier'. But if competing airlines had a fare within $50 of Delta's fare, no problem. But if there was a $100 difference, then I wasn't flying Delta. Company rule. FF program status be damned - the company's bottom line ruled the day. And back then, I guess I just wasn't a prima donna traveller who was on at least two flights every week...I didn't expect anything in return from Delta other than a seat on a plane and a smile. If they said they were going to get rid of their FF program, life would have gone on.

 

[whlinder]

"US $465 via ATL"?
Not sure what page you were looking at. US does not go "via ATL" that I've ever heard of in 25yrs? Would love to see the link on that one? Mostly, only DL connects thru ATL.

[post="256828"][/post]​

Sounds to me like an end to end fare combination.

 

[JS]

Sounds to me like an end to end fare combination.

[post="256863"][/post]​

You got it!

 

[JS]

I took the GoFare Specifically to prove a point as they monitor this board and to point out how they leave money on the table. My employer would pay the $1,016.00 no questions. But I try to spend the companies money as if it were my own. I just spent nearly $600 to go to Buffalo for 2 days so don't try to tell me my travel patterns or what I spend. I only point out the silly fares.

[post="256827"][/post]​

OK, now I'm confused. You said that your employer would pay the $1,016 no questions asked, but then you said that US is leaving money on the table. I think it's you who is "leaving" (more like taking) money off that table.

If your travel policy allows you to buy a $1,016 ticket, and you want to do your part to help US Airways survive, what are you waiting for? Buy the non-stop ticket!

I understand not wanting to waste money; I feel the same way. However, IMHO, what that means is that if two airlines were serving the same route, either both non-stop or both connecting, leaving around the same time, etc., and airline A is $500 while airline B is $1,000, then you should fly airline A.

But in the case where there is only one non-stop carrier in the market, when your time is worth $250 an hour, there's not even a decision to make other than window or aisle on that non-stop flight.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

The pricing model at SWA is far superior, BUT US swears that they HAVE to match the lowest fares or else bookings dry up. I'm not buying it.

[post="256787"][/post]​

Wern't you one of the ones, when USAirways was coming for paycuts, that was saying that fares were set by the market? My how the tune changes in waffle/hypocritical land.

 

[BoeingBoy]

This is one reason SWA withdrew from all of the public travel sites and travel agents. You can't compare SWA to others without 2 browsers open or a phone call.

[post="256909"][/post]​

I could very well be wrong, but I don't WN ever subscribed to the GDS's and I'm pretty sure they never used travel agents (in the sense that the travel agent had computer access to WN res and got a commission). But I'll admit that I didn't follow them much when they were just in the Southwest.

Jim

 

[whlinder]

There is no market for a $1,016 R/T fare PHL to CLT. At least not with me there isn't.

And since everything is all about Bob, if there is not a market for Bob, there can't be a market for anyone else.

You can't compare SWA to others without 2 browsers open or a phone call.

[post="256909"][/post]​

I'm not sure if this is still true or not since I haven't used it in a while, but Sidestep would pull WN flights for me, making it easy to compare fares.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

BUT US swears that they HAVE to match the lowest fares or else bookings dry up. I'm not buying it.

[post="256787"][/post]​

Fares are set by the market,

[post="256909"][/post]​

Which is it Piney?

 

[whlinder]

I could very well be wrong, but I don't WN ever subscribed to the GDS's and I'm pretty sure they never used travel agents (in the sense that the travel agent had computer access to WN res and got a commission). But I'll admit that I didn't follow them much when they were just in the Southwest.

[post="256913"][/post]​

In their 2003 annual report, WN mentions how they stopped paying commission to travel agents in Dec 03, thus saving 40 mil a year. I'm not sure what the setup was though. They used to be in the traditional GDS's, they were on Travelocity and all the other guys AFAIK.

 

[mweiss]

And since everything is all about Bob, if there is not a market for Bob, there can't be a market for anyone else.

[post="256915"][/post]​

I was thinking the very same thing as I read his comment. It amused me to no end to see your response only seconds later.

 

[mweiss]

I also seem to remember that there was some public furor when they pulled their fares from the various travel sites to their own web sites.

[post="256921"][/post]​

They didn't pull the fares. They were kicked off of the networks.

 

[mweiss]

My memory is fuzzy on this as well. What I seem to recall was that they were unwilling to continue to pay the CRS fees. When they stopped paying, they got kicked off.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

They didn't pull the fares. They were kicked off of the networks.

[post="256928"][/post]​

Southwest Airlines Pulls Flight Information to Hinder Orbitz
Analysts say move may hurt airline

STORY


SW Courts Corp. Clients: Swabiz Portal Pushes Channel Segmentation
By David Jonas
APRIL 26, 2004

Meanwhile, Southwest continues litigation to prevent what it describes as unauthorized access to its Web site by third parties. Nevertheless, Galileo and Expedia have developed methods to access Southwest fares and flight information as part of their service offerings for corporate clients.

Story

 

[mweiss]

UVN, thanks for digging those up. Looks like my recollection was wrong there.

Bob, I find it puzzling how you can have such a strong preference for or against a product that you have never sampled.

Speaking of which, I will be completely forthright regarding my own choice of airline. (UVN, please forgive the plethora of "I's" that are to follow...)

I have a strong preference for flying in F, and look to spend as little as possible to get there. I used to fly mostly on business, but now it's mostly leisure. I'm willing to pay more for F; how much more depends on the length of the flight. I also know of many tricks to improve my odds of sitting in F on coach tickets. I feel for the plight of airline employees, but I'm not inclined to pay more than the minimum necessary for my desired service.

I have flown WN, though no other LCCs (unless you count HP and AS), mostly because the other LCCs are concentrated on the East Coast and my travel is mostly on the West Coast. I have nothing against WN, but I'm happier flying someone else in F rather than WN in coach.

I am well aware that my behavior is a net drain on some businesses. It's the same behavior that keeps me from carrying a balance on credit cards, and refusing to pay annual fees for them. It's the same behavior that leads me to take advantage of no-interest financing when buying appliances or furniture. My goal is to get the most value out of each dollar I spend. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm grateful that I am in the minority, because otherwise I wouldn't have these wonderful opportunities.