Originally Posted by
mooper
No, I am not kidding.
I am not suggesting it is your job to make US profitable; I am suggesting that complaining about what they are doing wrong while you have no idea what would be better is in bad faith. Imagine complaining that a steak isn't cooked the right amount of time and then when asked if you'd like it cooked more or cooked less, you replied "I don't know, I'm just complaining that you should do it better!"
Alienating the only group of people with less elasticity in their travel plans is stupid when fares are,as you point out, going to have to go up (and thus drive out the people with elasticity in their travel plans).
There is zero compelling reason (absent residence in PHX or CLT) for loyalty to US. None. Everyone else offers a better product, more perks, or less nickel and dime crap.
The key to all of this, as has been mentioned for years, is fares that are reasonable (and yes, that in adjusted for the cost of fuel). HP apparently did this right before the merger, and lost their mind thereafter.