Originally Posted by
sbm12
As to the fares, they aren't low because CO wants to keep them there. It is a cross between a glut of capacity and the need for JetBlue to appear as a low-fare carrier to get a significant chunk of their revenue, just like WN does.
Good point. WN's fares are typically very similar to other carriers' fares for advance purchase. Walk-up fares on WN are still a relative bargain. That's where WN shines, and that's where they make their money. However if the other airlines all copied WN's strategy of setting full fare at roughly 3x the minimum fare, everyone would lose money, including WN (due to reduction in its current full fare market share).
It looks to me as if B6 is taking a more direct route than WN towards legacy carrier strategies. Staying with the herd is safer if you want to avoid premature death, but you won't have any new pastures to yourself that way either. Just ruminating...