Nyc-aus

[LongIsland2004]

My Father is flying from the NYC area to Austin later this week on last minute business. This is how the fares looked last night You figure out which fare he picked.

We live in nassau county so JFK, LGA or ISP are our airports of choice

Alternate/Lower-Priced Flights ??????
Itinerary Total - US$ 1491.00 Flight Fare Rules
1 adult at US$ 1491.00

6:00am Depart New York, NY (LGA)
11:00am Arrive Austin, TX (AUS) Apr. 21
US Airways flight 7140 operated by United Airlines/ 7789 operated by UNITED EXPRESS/AWAC Connection in Chicago OHare View rules

3:00pm Depart Austin, TX (AUS)
11:57pm Arrive New York, NY (LGA) Apr. 23
US Airways flight 6753 operated by United Airlines/ 6129 operated by United Airlines Connection in Denver, CO/ 7171 operated by United Airlines Connection in Chicago OHare


Southwest ISP-AUS $ 587.00. Refundable, no change fee.

USairways was just was never in the running for his business.

 

[700UW]

Then go fly WN, it seems you hate US, so why bother even checking and posting the fares?

Do you get your jollies out of this?

The rank and file employees of US have nothing to do with setting fares.

 

[LongIsland2004]

i again checked on the Usairways website. No fares under $1,000 found.

No bias here, i just dont see why Usiarways charges so much more SWA. Is getting a assigned seat worth $ 500.00.

 

[FlyOnWall]

Being a nonemployee that actually pays attention, I would have to say that the major airlines are much more consistant when it comes to quality service. No gimics or "flare". Just plain, classy service. Granted, with budget cuts and such, these have slipped a bit but flying on a LCC is surely different from travelling on a major. The majors ARE indeed worth more money with assigned seating and a more "classy" approach to customer service.

I'll admit that LCCs will change the face of American (and International for that matter) commercial aviation. I just, as a consumer, hope it's for the best. <_<

 

[TomBascom]

Being a nonemployee that actually pays attention, I would have to say that the major airlines are much more consistant when it comes to quality service. No gimics or "flare". Just plain, classy service. Granted, with budget cuts and such, these have slipped a bit but flying on a LCC is surely different from travelling on a major. The majors ARE indeed worth more money with assigned seating and a more "classy" approach to customer service.

I'll admit that LCCs will change the face of American (and International for that matter) commercial aviation. I just, as a consumer, hope it's for the best. <_<

Sorry but if you're in coach the LCC's clearly have a better product.

The U F product has improved a smidgeon from it's nadir but it's got a long ways to go and the main things that are consistent about it are the size of the seats and the pen marks on their backs.

I think that there is hope but it's going to be a long tough road.

 

[oldiebutgoody]

One more thing. How many stops and/or plane changes are involved on SW?

 

[ClueByFour]

One more thing. How many stops and/or plane changes are involved on SW?

As little as 1, depending upon the routing. Same as US/UA.

 

[jimntx]

Seems to me that you are all trying to compare apples and oranges. Every single one of you are experienced enough to know that yield management software can and does change available fares from one minute to the next. I've found $1000 fares 3 weeks out before and a $195 fare on the same route 24 hours before departure if a bunch of people double booked then cancelled the flight they didn't want at the last minute. Just depends when and where you check.

The hurtful truth is that on any given day for any given route, the legacy carriers are probably going to have higher fares than the LCCs. And, sometimes those fares seem to be unconscionably high. I think that they put "sucker" fares out there just to see if someone might be dumb or desparate enough to actually pay it.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

It's not bad, or at least it wasn't when my wife & daughter did it before we moved out here to El Paso.

They went AUS-BWI on a nonstop, changed planes, and then on into Long Island.

Coming back they went Long Island to Nashville nonstop, changed planes, then Nashville to Austin on a nonstop.

I doubt that is any worse than what anybody else is going to have.....and Nashville was a picnic to change planes at with a then-10 yr old daughter in tow.

 

[N628AU]

USairways was just was never in the running for his business.

You are correct, but for the wrong reason. They never had a shot at his business because these are all UA or UAX flights. US would get a whopping nothing off this fare. The airline that carrys the passenger gets all the revenue.

 

[ClueByFour]

You are correct, but for the wrong reason. They never had a shot at his business because these are all UA or UAX flights. US would get a whopping nothing off this fare. The airline that carrys the passenger gets all the revenue.

Then why even bother touting the codeshare as a way to "expand the network's reach?"

It strikes me that part of the hype around the codeshare is to get US loyal flyers to places that US does not fly.

 

[N628AU]

Correct, and there may be a gripe if part of the segments where on US metal. This is an all UA itinerary.

 

[GadgetFreak]

PineyBob, I think you demonstrated the problem. The major's fare structure is too complex. What good is a $600 fare if the customer sees over $1000 when they look. Yield management is a disaster because while it may tend to maximize per flight revenue, what it does long term is nothing less then create the best ad campaign the LCCs could imagine. Also, I will agree with TomBascom, everything I have heard, whether informally from customers or from surveys is that Southwest has a superior coach product to US. Couple that with a first glance fare of over $1000 and you have a WN passenger. You simply cant expect to keep running an airline where in the customers mind, you are asking them to spend their time to find competative fare in order to fly on an airline with lesser service. It isnt going to happen.

 

[Winglet]

Piney Bob wrote:

Then you don't know how to look.


Well, that in itself is a problem too. As a customer, I'm going to do a little comparison shopping. If I pull up a fare from U's site and it says $1000, then I'll take 'em at their word. You're going to probably get one shot at telling me what thr price is. This is not some sort of oriental rug shop where you sit for an hour and haggle on the price over tea.

The major airlines have the fare structure so screwed up and esoteric that NOBODY understands it.

Like I said, you're going to get one shot to sell me a ticket. After that it's "CLICK" and I'm gone.

 

[LongIsland2004]

The problem is that what is the passenger getting for the $ 1,000 fare besides assigned seats, what else am i getting. ?? what is the US plan to fix these problems - what are they waiting for ??? There may not be much time left.