Originally Posted by
channa
I don't follow this logic. The flights are not exactly the same -- CO-coded vs. HA-coded with different prices. The CO-coded flights price identically at third-party sites, so what's the issue?
You're kidding, right? It's the same plane, operated by the same airline, using the same gates, with the same seats, same service, same amenities, etc. etc.
Originally Posted by
channa
This is no different than Safeway charging a different price for a house brand item vs. a national brand item, when in reality, the national brand made the Safeway brand, so it's the same stuff inside the box. Usually the Safeway brand is cheaper, but sometimes the national brand is on sale and Safeway brand is more expensive. Buyer beware.
If I pay for a brand name item at the store, the package doesn't say "Safeway," it says the name of the brand. If I paid a huge premium for a brand item and ended up with some package labeled "Safeway" which ordinarily costs far less, you'd better believe I'd demand my money back. When you show up for a 30-minute flight that CO charged you $1600 for, the plane says Hawaiian Air, the gates say Hawaiian Air, the ticket counter says Hawaiian Air, the employees wear Hawaiian Air uniforms, the seating and amenities are all Hawaiian Air, and lo and behold, the other passengers on the plane paid less than $100 for the same flight.
Which brings me to my next point. In how many instances is the price difference between a Safeway house brand and a brand-name item
hundreds of dollars?
And here's another question for you: how many of the passengers who paid hundreds extra for the CO codeshare realize that they could have saved so much by booking the HA leg separately? If they found out, do you think they would still be satisfied with the value received for the money paid? Or do you think the majority of them would be p*ssed? Most people choosing between a Safeway house brand and a brand-name item know what they are paying for, and they can easily see the difference in price and labeling. The CO scam on Maui flights is far less transparent to ordinary travelers.