Originally Posted by RobotDoctor
Ok, here is a post that adresses the issue of the effect which FF schemes and benefits have on purchasing decisions and behavior.
I am an elite flyer for UA. I always book UA because of 2 primary reasons. 1) UA is the major carrier in Denver and 2) I am a 1K/MM/UGS flyer with them. To continue discussion on item 2, because of my travel pattern (a lot of last minute changes of return time/dates) my status literally guarantees me a seat on a flight to either a new destination or home. The benefits of the frequent flyer program keeps me loyal to UA. If there were no FF programs, I would fly anyone and everyone that benefits my travel. I would not be loyal.
I hear ya...but....to play devil's advocate a little, even without the 1K perks, wouldn't you still be pretty much locked in to United? Assuming you fly to a reasonably diverse set of destinations out of Denver, Frontier probably can't support you...or could they?
There are some big cities where airlines have to compete intensely for O&D business - Chicago, LA area, etc. But there are other cities - like DEN, PIT, CLT, DFW, etc. - where one carrier has the city locked down. If you're a frequent traveler, they've gotcha with or without the FF programs.
Maybe I'm getting off-track a bit, but I've noticed recently that airlines have stopped competing really hard for MCI business. It's been gradual over the past year or so...perhaps because WN has been so successful here, they aren't doing as many battles over O&D customers as they used to. And if WN develops such a stronghold that others don't compete, that isn't much better than being in a place where 1 legacy carrier runs the show.