Originally Posted by
sbagdon
If there's that many DM's, then I can understand why DL would just keep jacking up the requirements, to become the 1st-of-4 tier levels. As a consumer, it stinks. Yet as a realist, I can see why DL does this. And if DL is charging more for direct/non-stop, and leaving with full planes, more power to them.
I dropped off someone at the airport this morning, and parked off-site rather then in short-term (less cash, and shorter walk from the shuttle-area then short-term parking). If the airport operator were to raise the parking rates for short-term parking by $1/day until there were a few empty spots, that would really be setting the market rates. And I don't park in short-term any longer, also because it's gotten so expensive.
Yet it also works the other way... airport (not off-site) outer-lot parking was always empty, as the airport wanted too much, and offered terrible shuttle service. The airport was forced to lower prices, and improve service, and the lot started filling back up again.
The problem is that not only are there too many DM's and PM's out there, but also that with FCM DL has finally found a way to actually sell seats up front for a reasonable premium over the Economy Class fare. Weeding out the pseudo Elites next year may help, but the real culprit is that people are actually buying FC now, where they would not even think about it before.
On another issue, I once posted on this Forum a year or two ago that anyone who lived in a hub city should never fly the dominant airline, because of how they shaft you for non-stop flights and lock you out of targeted promos. I was soundly chewed out at the time....perhaps by the same ones who are complaining now about being hub captives.
The fares for MSP-ORD and MSP-DEN are ridiculously cheap due to competion on those routes. Fares onward are also low due to the large amount of competition out of those two cities. Consider connecting if you want to save the bucks, or fly Sun Country to JFK for a reasonable fare.
Lastly, those of you with good memories will recall that MSP has had it's share of ultra-low fares over the years. Maybe you remember when AA tried to add 3 flights a day MSP-LGA and NW responded by not only adding a flight or two each day, but making EVERY ONE of them a 757, and cut the fares to a level where AA could never make any money in that market! AA dropped out fairly quickly. I'm sure others could come up with similar examples of great deals they got on trips out of MSP over the years, but that was then and this is now.