Originally Posted by
Cloudship
And that is it. until very recently, you wouldn't find JetBlue or Southwest on these sites. So from what was presented, what would motivate you to choose a more expensive option? Same amount of room, same service, nothing different. So of course you are going to pick the cheapest option.
As for Continental, yes they do offer a meal. I quite frankly did not even know they HAD a real IFE option. Not everyone LIKES the assigned seats, at least you have a CHANCE of getting a good seat on Southwest if you get there early. But that little sandwich, that you can pay $10 for in the airport, is not enough to justify $50-$60 difference in ticket price.
Kind of a sharp turnaround from your earlier post that "Another point - have you every TRIED to price out JetBlue? Guess what - you usually end up spending more.", wouldn't you say? An airline coach seat is perceived as an uncomfortable commodity and therefore, to use your words, "what would motivate you to choose a more expensive option"?
The premise that I have principally been responding to, and not agreeing with, is that the coach buying public would be willing to pay more for a more comfortable seat. If JetBlue really is perceived as having a superior product, as many have stated, then JetBlue would be charging a premium for this product. They are not able to do so, ergo, the public has shown itself unwilling to pay a premium. Bethune took this position when scoffing at American's more room in coach and the costly experiment by American proved him right. Argue until your face is blue about American's poor marketing (and they are arguably pretty good marketers) and not staying with the more room in coach program long enough (how long do you ride a dead horse), the fact remains the financial results did not justify sticking with that program or they would not have abandoned it. Companies do not readily make a decision to abandon an expensive and well advertised promotion unless it is a failure.
I have not flown Midwest in years, but I remember their four seats per row in a plane the legacy carriers would have had 5 seats per row. It was a great seat. If the public was really willing to pay a competitive premium for this product, they would have been expected to have had profitable results. They have had the same problems since September 11 that the legacy carriers have had and have not had as rapid a turnaround.
Southwest fills their planes, profitably, and not just from fuel hedges. They sell their product with few frills and have convinced the public to go to their booking site first, if not exclusively. It ain't because of their "services" or more comfortable seats.
I am an experienced flyer. I admit that all things being equal (no status, therefore no upgrade or preassigned exit row seating and no likelihood of international reward travel), based on the various discussions I have read about JetBlue, I would fly them in coach over Continental. However, I would not pay a premium of more than $10 to $20. I doubt the $10 or $20 would make up for the lost revenue from removing a row or two of seats. John Q public would be even less likely to pay this differential.