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Old Sep 29, 2009 | 11:23 am
  #40  
bocastephen
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Originally Posted by featheroleather
The leisure traveler (80%) is all about price.
Yes and no. Even infrequent leisure travelers are becoming price savvy and are starting to figure out that A->B on major airline 1 is not the same total cost as A->B on major airline 2.

Southwest is really pumping this differentiation in their recent marketing campaigns.

WN rightfully points out that their price of $200 might be $35 more than a sample major airline, but after checking a couple bags, ordering lunch onboard and watching a movie in both directions, the total cost on that major airline suddenly becomes $75 more than Southwest.

This is the Achilles heal of a low base price + a la carte service model. Once the savvy consumer calculates their spend on bags, meals and a movie, they'll likely decide to spend slightly more in base airfare on an airline that doesn't nickel and dime.
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