yyckerr

Error? I don't make spelling errors

canadiancow

Some people like it rough. I don't know anyone who likes rouge

A non FF friend of mine sent me a message this morning after YVR-SFO: "Pretty soon they will be giving no legroom at all"

maniac78

Some people called it being rouged, other's call it flying rough. Either way it's an important reason to not book AC EVER.

winnipegrev

No, I suppose Rouge's 299% growth in 2014 from a fleet seat capacity of 1696 to 5080 is entirely from people being tricked into booking it.

As to not book AC ever because of the perhaps couple 1000 passengers 'Rouged' and offered refunds out of the 35+ million annually carried by AC, well that is clearly some sound decision making.

SparseFlyer

+1

When I tell people what rouge is all about, and suggest that they should probably consider finding alternate routes, they all answer the same thing:

"I don't really care. It was the cheapest flight anyways."

superangrypenguin

There we have it. Proof that customers are the ones who are cheapening the product. If price is king, then it's no surprise that Rouge will continue to grow YoY. People are too price sensitive, IMO. What someone will go through to save a few dollars is beyond me.

yyckerr

Here's how the average consumer buys airfare:

Expedia search: origin -> destination + dates
Sort by price low to high.
Purchase lowest priced ticket.

Rouge caters to this crowd. And it's working.

PLeblond

The irony is that its only taken 4,237 posts for people to figure this out.

(Not directed at you yyckerr, I'm pretty sure you figured this out a long time ago)

yyckerr

I don't understand how this thread is still going!! Does everyone on this board all come from families of SE100Ks, with all SE100K friends, who have SE100K babies, and SE100K dogs and cats?

PLeblond - correct, I have known this for a lonnnng time. It was easy. One day about a hundred years ago I asked my friend (who travels by air maybe once every year or two) why he chose to fly WS. "Because they were cheapest". Then I asked my other friend why he flew WS to PSP for Coachella from YYC. "Because they were cheapest and fly direct"

Here's a thought for the ~4,000 people on FT who can't figure out why Rouge exists and how it is successful... Log out and actually talk to a human who doesn't have a corporate Amex.

PLeblond

Wow. I know its early, but I nominate this to post of the year!! You made my evening.

Calliopeflyer

I don't have a corporate AmEx. I have no status with anyone. I fly Y class almost everywhere. And I will never fly Rouge again.

I don't think anyone wonders how or why it is successful, only that they don't like it, don't agree that it's a good thing for anyone other than shareholders of the company, and wish it weren't so. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, and no one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the consumer. But that' don't make me happy about it.

superangrypenguin

This is why most of us are waiting 5 or so years before we see if this is yet another failed corporate strategy. You've flown it once, you'll never fly it again. Fair comment, but since Rouge is relatively new, one could argue most customers don't know how bad it is, will fly it once and then say never again. Then Rouge will fail. If they simply go "I know it's going to suck but i'm saving $0.01, and i'll fly it again"....well...

gglave

I think what many corporate-Amex-wielding Flex and Latitude-buying FlyerTalkers fail to realize is that's how a lot of business travel is booked too...

Want proof? All the 'business' AC routes out of YVR (save one - EWR) have been Rouged.

FlyerJ

I gotta disagree on this point.

If Rouge were routinely (or even occasionally) the cheapest, I'd concur. But they're not. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Rouge the cheapest option on any of my flight searches over recent history. I fly out of YYC, and - whether for business or leisure trips - AC (for Rouged destinations) is typically priced at a premium over the competition. (And I'm comparing vs WS and mainstream US carriers, not charter operators.)

On nonstop comparisons to the US (and some sun destinations), WS is usually either identical to or slightly less expensive than Rouge ex YYC. I don't think I've ever seen Rouge cheaper than WS.

For cross-border flights (at least to my most common destinations), DL is almost always the least expensive option (which is nice, given that I get quasi-status with them through Starwood Preferred Guest). And often, AS and UA are the least expensive -- and they'll almost always beat Rouge's prices. (My most recent flight searches were YYC-MIA and YYC-MCO. In both cases, UA connecting in IAH was far, far cheaper than an AC/ACr connection in YYZ. For MCO, non-stop on WS was also quite a bit less expensive than Rouge over Toronto, but more than UA. My choices: MIA on UA, and MCO on WS. Easy call. Rouge lost on both trips based solely on price, without even having to factor in the passenger torture attributes.)

I don't think I've ever seen Rouge the cheapest. (I'm sure there are instances where they are lower. But I sure haven't seen it.)

It's not price.

Rather, for leisure and infrequent travelers, I think it's the choice between non-stop versus connecting flights. I've chatted with many infrequent travelers who are reluctant to even try connecting at a hub airport -- some are downright fearful of it. And they won't try a connection unless it offers a significant $ savings. They perceive more pain in navigating a connection and in taking a big longer to get from A to B than in sitting in a nasty Rouge seat that doesn't fit a grown adult, so they choose Rouge. (I disagree wholeheartedly. But everyone chooses what works for them.)

The other factor playing to Rouge's benefit, I think, is frequency. For flights to leisure destinations, AC/ACr typically offer a higher frequency of flights vs the competition. When comparing non-stops to leisure destinations, they typically win in the frequency column ... so it's a whole lot easier for a vacationer to create his/her own trip with ease.

My theory -- Rouge is attracting customers based primarily on those two benefits: non-stop flights and frequency of flights.

It ain't price. And it sure ain't comfort or customer experience.

AA_EXP09

no, only *A Gold since AE/Altitude became nearly useless for me.
Rogue is actually useful for those people as they get rogue+ for free.