bedelman
Jan 1, 02, 4:13 pm
Some folks may already be familiar with a discount program (not widely publicized?) in which folks 24 (or 25?) or younger may fly US Airways Shuttle for reasonably low fares -- buying 4 or 8-packs of tickets in advance, but retaining full Shuttle flexibility on weekends and some flexibility (basically, can fly midday or late evening, but not morning or afternoon) on weekdays. (Corrections to this are welcome. I don't have the fare rules in front of me, nor any easy way to access them!)
When I tried to buy a fresh 8-pack of BOS-DCA tickets today, having used up my last pack, I was shocked to be quoted a price of ~$820. Previously this 8-pack on this same route was $640. Of course, that was when there was competition from DL Shuttle (no longer flying BOS-DCA).
Even more incredibly, the 4-pack was $422 -- hardly any savings over four $106.50 youth one-way walk-up fares.
Any thoughts on this? Perhaps it's to be expected in a near-monopoly situation (AA flying RJs in non-Shuttle service; BWI and IAD far away from DCA and for that reason inferior in the eyes of many). Still, it strikes me as quite aggressive, since it may well send quite a few students (maybe myself included...) to AA (which is suddenly cheaper, in general?), to US Air (at cheaper fares) or some other carrier at IAD/BWI , or even to Airtran (which of course flies to BWI).
When I tried to buy a fresh 8-pack of BOS-DCA tickets today, having used up my last pack, I was shocked to be quoted a price of ~$820. Previously this 8-pack on this same route was $640. Of course, that was when there was competition from DL Shuttle (no longer flying BOS-DCA).
Even more incredibly, the 4-pack was $422 -- hardly any savings over four $106.50 youth one-way walk-up fares.
Any thoughts on this? Perhaps it's to be expected in a near-monopoly situation (AA flying RJs in non-Shuttle service; BWI and IAD far away from DCA and for that reason inferior in the eyes of many). Still, it strikes me as quite aggressive, since it may well send quite a few students (maybe myself included...) to AA (which is suddenly cheaper, in general?), to US Air (at cheaper fares) or some other carrier at IAD/BWI , or even to Airtran (which of course flies to BWI).