Sodas $3 Pillows and Blankets $5 apiece

[cooper43]

i havent read every entry on this thread but, instead of making customers mad doesnt it seem easier to just add $3 to each ticket price and then passengers dont feel like they are being nickled and dimed to death, but you get the same result. The idea is to make passengers feel like they are getting good service for what they pay. Now I totally agree that the airlines always get beat up for raising prices but it is proposterous (SP, sorry) to expect a buisness to not charge the cost of what they produce. It is time for people to pay for what the get. They expect to be pampered but pay the price of greyhound. The average price of coach fairs now is the same it was in the 70's and that is not right. If we charge what it cost with a little profit, we may be flying less but at least we will be profitable. And when the economy is not in the toilet like it is now, i believe people will still travel and pay what it cost. Families in this country are scattered all over the place unlike in the past so people will travel to see each other. It may take more airlines going out of business in order to get the right ratio of capacity vs demand but in the end those that are left will be profitable and not going in and out of bankruptcy. Just my opinion.

 

[Chicken or Beef??]

i havent read every entry on this thread but, instead of making customers mad doesnt it seem easier to just add $3 to each ticket price and then passengers dont feel like they are being nickled and dimed to death, but you get the same result. The idea is to make passengers feel like they are getting good service for what they pay. Now I totally agree that the airlines always get beat up for raising prices but it is proposterous (SP, sorry) to expect a buisness to not charge the cost of what they produce. It is time for people to pay for what the get. They expect to be pampered but pay the price of greyhound. The average price of coach fairs now is the same it was in the 70's and that is not right. If we charge what it cost with a little profit, we may be flying less but at least we will be profitable. And when the economy is not in the toilet like it is now, i believe people will still travel and pay what it cost. Families in this country are scattered all over the place unlike in the past so people will travel to see each other. It may take more airlines going out of business in order to get the right ratio of capacity vs demand but in the end those that are left will be profitable and not going in and out of bankruptcy. Just my opinion.

I just posted the answer to this question-

http://www.usaviation.com/forums/index.php...st&p=613255

If all the airlines could get together and raise prices by a fixed amount it would work. But, I believe that's called Pricefixing and that is illegal!

 

[N965VJ]

Here's Tempe's chance:

Airlines raise nonstop fares sharply for summer
Wednesday June 4, 3:00 pm ET
By David Koenig, AP Business Writer

Airlines raise nonstop fares sharply for summer vacation season

DALLAS (AP) -- If you're taking a nonstop flight to summer vacation, better pony up a lot more money or start unpacking.
In many cases, major carriers have more than doubled or even tripled their cheapest U.S. fares from last summer's fares. That's on top of the new fees for checking luggage and other services.

Linik to the rest

 

[cooper43]

I just posted the answer to this question-

http://www.usaviation.com/forums/index.php...st&p=613255

If all the airlines could get together and raise prices by a fixed amount it would work. But, I believe that's called Pricefixing and that is illegal!

I get your point but in the long run I'm not sure which is worse creating a reputation of being a legacy carrier that nikels and dimes you for the same price as sw. Or creating a product that is comparably priced (maybe $2 or $3 more) and gives you better service. Airlines have to find a way to balance between nickle and diming those who only fly once a year and choose on price alone and rewarding those loyal flyers who fly every week or month with great service and not nickling and diming them to death. In this market finding and keeping corporate accounts is very important. Just my thoughts.

 

[Chicken or Beef??]

I get your point but in the long run I'm not sure which is worse creating a reputation of being a legacy carrier that nikels and dimes you for the same price as sw. Or creating a product that is comparably priced (maybe $2 or $3 more) and gives you better service. Airlines have to find a way to balance between nickle and diming those who only fly once a year and choose on price alone and rewarding those loyal flyers who fly every week or month with great service and not nickling and diming them to death. In this market finding and keeping corporate accounts is very important. Just my thoughts.

As you probably have noticed by now, the NEW US Airways has no allegiance to loyal flyers. Talk to most of our most coveted Chairman’s preferred and see how this loyalty has taken care of them. The company doesn’t care how they nickel and dime anyone as long as we have a positive cash flow in the bank.

 

[Bear96]

Hope that clears up things for you.

Thanks, I think so. If I may try to sum up:

For you, LCC offers the best value proposition overall.

 

[fazio31987]

you guys need to chill. this will not drive away customers at all. people will fly . this something that has to be done inorder to survive. in the past. the employees made the sacrifice. now it's time for the customers to unfortunately pay the price. i have no problem with that. remember this will only be implemented i am sure on domestic economy only .you guys wanted to know what plan B was ? where here it is . find anyway to create revenue , get these contracts together , cut capacity,get this airline back on track.
thse are tough decisions that need to made. but if it means the survival of this airline. then so be it.it will make news for only a little bit but people will get use to it. if it doesen't work, then we try something else. but we just can't sit there and do nothing about the situation we are in. oh , and about charging nonrevs to fly.... absolutely,completely.NOT TRUE. it won't happen. the company knows they will have a revolt if this were done.

I don't understand why the management just doesn't run the ship like Southwest. Southwest has been making a quarterly profit for how long now? Yet management at all these other airlines can't seem to figure it out. Is charging $3 really going to help the bottom line that much. I doubt it. They key is to run the operation more efficient and copy Southwest on the fuel hedging so they don't get so much of a cost advantage there.

 

[phlrez]

I don't understand why the management just doesn't run the ship like Southwest. Southwest has been making a quarterly profit for how long now? Yet management at all these other airlines can't seem to figure it out. Is charging $3 really going to help the bottom line that much. I doubt it. They key is to run the operation more efficient and copy Southwest on the fuel hedging so they don't get so much of a cost advantage there.

I hear an echo. Something I've been saying all along. The transition had to have started 3 years ago though.

WN is built upon efficiency. Henry Ford would have been proud. They've found a niche that will get them through this tough time.
The only hope for US at this point is that oil doesn't top $150 a barrel. Otherwise it's doom and gloom.

 

[CynicalResAgent]

flyderrie-air.com

I thought this applied to my comment about could an airline charge based on weight.....this is funny. not as funny as the joke airline site made by Alaska but pretty witty.

 

[UPNAWAY]

Have you noticed that no one has successfully copied SW. It is not possible. What they having going for them is their culture and it is not reproducible elsewhere.
In a very large part they are a product of the time and place of their childhood. You certianly cannot get legecy employees to produce like SW. And I doubt even a new carrier like Jet Blue starting from scratch can get SW like productivity from their people.

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> You certianly cannot get legecy employees to produce like SW.

Sure you can!

The WN operational model is a bit trickier to copy, though.

 

[Travelpro72]

How many flight attendants at WN are from other airlines? Hmmm I know a good 10 that were US and now WN so they MUST have that "southwest spirit".

 

[Dog Wonder]

Have you noticed that no one has successfully copied SW. It is not possible. What they having going for them is their culture and it is not reproducible elsewhere.
In a very large part they are a product of the time and place of their childhood. You certianly cannot get legecy employees to produce like SW. And I doubt even a new carrier like Jet Blue starting from scratch can get SW like productivity from their people.

Southwset cannot be copied by LCC in any shape or form as long as LCC management disrespects their own employees.

 

[sharktooth]

Have you noticed that no one has successfully copied SW. It is not possible. What they having going for them is their culture and it is not reproducible elsewhere.
In a very large part they are a product of the time and place of their childhood. You certianly cannot get legecy employees to produce like SW. And I doubt even a new carrier like Jet Blue starting from scratch can get SW like productivity from their people.

I must say, you are an expert at making excuses for failure. I imagine with the "gnu" US, practice makes perfect.

 

[sharktooth]

Southwest cannot be copied by LCC in any shape or form as long as LCC management disrespects their own employees.

Likely the most profound comment posted in years. A corollary would include customers, but, we all know what happens when a corporate entity disrespects their customers. All of those entities are past tense, or in the process of attaining a similar place in history.