Originally Posted by
mke9499
Yes, you are correct; thanks for pointing out. There is a difference, however, if you want two free checked bags and no fee for canceling/changing reservation. In that case, you need to compare to Classic pricing.
Yeah, that's all very true and it makes it harder than every to really compare costs.
If I ran the world (ha ha) there would be a standard way that pricing had to be displayed on the website
without having to click to subsequent screens
$217.90 Total Fare (must include all unavoidable fees and taxes)
$00.00 Carry-on bag fee
$20.00 First Checked Bag ($5 discount if purchased online)
$20.00 Second Checked Bag ($5 discount if purchased online)
$00.00 Advance seat assignment (or replace with "no assigned seating")
--Any fee which cannot be avoided must be listed in the base price. That includes things like booking fees and fuel surcharges, too.
--Any generally-customary service which can be avoided but is part of the typical experience should be itemized clearly but separately.
--Any less-common or added service can be listed
separately and promoted however desired, but must be shown separately. Things like premium seat assignments, change fees, free drinks, standby, entertainment, etc can be promoted as you'd like, but none of those are necessary nor customary.
Originally Posted by
mke9499
The thing about WN is that their lowest fares (WGA) have a range; at the upper end, for what they charge, you can usually book F9's Classic Plus. But at the low end, the fare is competitive, especially when including the free bags and no cancel fee policy.
It's an interesting question to wonder how Southwest's different tactics benefit or harm their bottom line. Obviously they are generally the most consistantly profitable major carrier, but do their decisions on pricing, fees, and distribution (no GDS participation) enhance or curtail their level of profit? They could be consistantly profitable for various other reasons but might be more profitable with bag fees, or by listing on Orbitz/Travelocity/Expedia, etc. Or not. I don't think it's an easy question to answer accurately.