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On 9/5/2002 9
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13 PM geo1004 wrote:
.... you cannot expect everyone to match everyone to the letter..not only would that be unrealistic, its insane.
If that's true (and I agree with you) then perhaps Ben Baldanza and his comments about US being able to still offer the low fares that leisure travelers expect
and the flexibility and service the full-fare business traveler needs should be re-addressed.
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I believe regardless of a gap in pricing( which from what I have seen is in very few markets comparable to LUV, maybe 20 pct tops??) that there exists a marked difference between leisure and business, both service wise, and between no frills and frills. I'm not talking meals and linens. Any idea what a pleasure it is to have a preferred call up and ask me for access to Q SEATS like exit rows where the leisure non prefered has no access?And I can access Q seats for nonpref members trvling on a separate record than the preferred but the same flight... with one nice computer entry!..tell me that's not looking out for the top flyers.Can you put a monetary price on that feature..5,10,100 per flt?/I sure can't.. I wouldn't know how or what number..over a years worth of time anyway of requests for such seats.Not to mention a dedicated desk of (hopefully) experienced agts on the chpr and pref desk and shorter chk in lines at ato.And 800 nbr access to DM center in Winston as opposed to long distance for non PREF.
Any idea how nice and easy (and pleasing) it is to upgrade a Y or B right into I class for a preferred on a biz fare..and at the same time have the 20k award non elite MA and Pa Kettles and their toothless kids [img src='http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif'] who paid 200 r/t not have immediate hogging access to these(G) unless flight is really really empty?
The markets where its 600 rt versus 2000 rt or 300 vs 1000 in the map of the entire companys route structure, as I said above, is relatively small..I can pull up 10 random markets in 10 random calls and pull up LUV fares as well to compare and more often than not they are quite similar, maybe not the change rules, but overall pricing.And I can state that confidently because I deal with 100's of fare quote displays a day.
As I have said, each airline has its highs and lows..even MR ART of ISP wont fly the cattle car,perhaps he's not qualified to make that statement(not having flown them) but I assume he is not alone in his sentiment.Thank GOD![img src='http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/images/smilies/16.gif']