Midwest Airlines Midwest Miles - Jan. 4 sale

Any ideas of what the new sale will be on Jan. 4. It came in my email yesterday but with no details.

Hasn't been announced yet. Based on recent fare sales, though, this one will likely be nothing to write home about.

They do need to stimulate demand for travel as the economy slows, however. Perhaps they will do what they did a year ago, when they offered a free companion pass in exchange for booking a trip in January, which is the slowest travel month of the year.

Here are the details:

http://www.midwestairlines.com/TravelDeals/Air/FareSale010409.aspx

Radio ad campaign started today, promoting the sale.

Looks pretty standard...$89 for close-in destinations, $99 for the east coast and Florida. $124-139 to the west. Cheaper (in most cases) than what you'd typically find in non-sale periods, but nothing too exciting.

Given the economy I'm a little surprised fares are not lower, however it might indicate that their existing capacity so far seems to be right in line with demand.

:confused:yawn, I waited about a week for this sale?

:confused:yawn, I waited about a week for this sale?

Agreed. Their sale prices are a joke. Just my 2 cents

Yeah, not that impressive. That might have been better off not even spending the $$$ on the full-page newspaper ad and the radio spots.

Looks pretty standard...$89 for close-in destinations, $99 for the east coast and Florida. $124-139 to the west. Cheaper (in most cases) than what you'd typically find in non-sale periods, but nothing too exciting.

Fares seem to match up with November "sale" pricing. When searches are done for actual itineraries, using their sale perameters, some fares actually price out lower than fares listed in their promo info.

When compared against other carriers, the fares are very competitive, and sometimes lower than the competition.

Of course it would have been nicer for them to roll out a promo where you get a free companion ticket if you fly X, yet I don't think this fare sale is exactly a bomb:

--These fares are "good" as in they beat or at least match what the competition has out there, and they are generally $20-$60 less roundtrip than non-sale Midwest fare levels.

--Leisure travelers are largely groomed to watch for sales, and even though the savings are not $100's of dollars, they need to have these sale events to periodically trigger that business. Having leisure customers largely groomed to wait for sales means you can manage the timing of that business to periods when the call center is less busy.

--The January fare sale dovetails with people coming back to work after the holidays with a clean slate of unscheduled vacation days available for the new year. This is the perfect time to get people thinking and coax them to buy with a fare sale.


Sure, I would like to pay less for my 2009 trips as well, but if this fare sale had something like $69 to the east coast or $89 to the west coast (big fare cuts) it would be derided as a desperate gasp to raise cash and fill seats at any cost. These fares are very ordinary sale fares...and this is a sale. But it's important for them to have and promote these periodically, especially the January fare sale. Far more meaningful than simply lowering fares periodically.

But it's important for them to have and promote these periodically, especially the January fare sale. Far more meaningful than simply lowering fares periodically.

And more meaninglful than the Kohl's strategy, when there is a "sale" every single day of the year.:)

Of course it would have been nicer for them to roll out a promo where you get a free companion ticket if you fly X, yet I don't think this fare sale is exactly a bomb:

--These fares are "good" as in they beat or at least match what the competition has out there, and they are generally $20-$60 less roundtrip than non-sale Midwest fare levels.

--Leisure travelers are largely groomed to watch for sales, and even though the savings are not $100's of dollars, they need to have these sale events to periodically trigger that business. Having leisure customers largely groomed to wait for sales means you can manage the timing of that business to periods when the call center is less busy.

--The January fare sale dovetails with people coming back to work after the holidays with a clean slate of unscheduled vacation days available for the new year. This is the perfect time to get people thinking and coax them to buy with a fare sale.


Sure, I would like to pay less for my 2009 trips as well, but if this fare sale had something like $69 to the east coast or $89 to the west coast (big fare cuts) it would be derided as a desperate gasp to raise cash and fill seats at any cost. These fares are very ordinary sale fares...and this is a sale. But it's important for them to have and promote these periodically, especially the January fare sale. Far more meaningful than simply lowering fares periodically.

Adjusted for inflation, these fares aren't much higher than they were 6-7 years ago...some are probably even lower. I was just expecting something a little more creative, considering the big deal they made out of it a couple weeks ago via the MM e-mail.

I was just expecting something a little more creative, considering the big deal they made out of it a couple weeks ago via the MM e-mail.

Hoss! You mean they hyped you into thinking you would get more than you really will?? Shocking! :)

Hoss! You mean they hyped you into thinking you would get more than you really will?? Shocking! :)

I know. Too funny, right?

But I stand by my belief that, if they would actually do something different, they wouldn't have to pay for newspaper and radio ads. A more bold promotion would yield free media attention, and they could save the money they are spending on all these ads.

Actually, I think the two go together. A brief pee-rr story by the tv stations or newspaper is only one time. They then need to couple that with a concerted advertising campaign to reach all their customers. It is cumulative.

The fare sale is being promoted on an electronic billboard on I-794 in Milwaukee, with the tag line:

"You can't afford not to fly."