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Southwest Airlines Enters Hawaii - Alaska Airlines May Be the Biggest Loser

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Southwest Airlines Enters Hawaii - Alaska Airlines May Be the Biggest Loser

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Old Aug 19, 2019, 11:55 am
  #76  
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
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Originally Posted by sfozrhfco
That is only because it is summer
YOY PRASM increases - so summer flying isnt a factor.
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Old Aug 19, 2019, 12:59 pm
  #77  
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Originally Posted by AS Flyer
YOY PRASM increases - so summer flying isnt a factor.
Oh good. It is so overcast today, I couldn't tell if the sky was falling. Indeed, it is not.
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Old Aug 19, 2019, 1:24 pm
  #78  
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Originally Posted by SF1K


Yes I wish AS would be more proactive in matching F fares as well. I do notice that they tend to match the price but not at opening of schedule. So I think I’m going to try to be more patient in booking. I also booked HA for our return Thanksgiving because it was about half of AS but if I’d waited then it would have been the same. I’d rather fly AS for the miles.
When you say "proactive in match F fares", you mean effectively lowering F fares. Since there are a very limited number of F seats, perhaps AS is actually making money off of them by not matching lower fares and/or allowing "mileage" upgrades, particularly at peak times. At the end of the day, consumers should now choose the airline that works best for them and not feel "captive" to a single airline.
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Old Aug 19, 2019, 6:38 pm
  #79  
 
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Originally Posted by formeraa
When you say "proactive in match F fares", you mean effectively lowering F fares. Since there are a very limited number of F seats, perhaps AS is actually making money off of them by not matching lower fares and/or allowing "mileage" upgrades, particularly at peak times. At the end of the day, consumers should now choose the airline that works best for them and not feel "captive" to a single airline.
Well not sure if they are selling them at the high price point. Guess there is always a fool that won’t shop around and will pay twice as much for an AS F flight over another airline. In my case they lost out because I ended up not wanting to wait and risk not having the fare/flight be available so I bought on HA. And a few months later AS fares were the same price as HA - at that time seemed like zero seats sold - just judging by seat map so I know not an exact science. But AS could have had my $1000 for a few months as opposed to $0. Yes I’m just one person and one example but I’m sure there are others cases where this happens. Again I’m happy to give AS my money and they are the first place I try to buy from but I’m not willing to pay a 100% premium to fly on them.
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Old Aug 19, 2019, 9:23 pm
  #80  
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Unless west coast connections improve for those of us coming from the intermountain west, midwest, south, north, east, etc., I'll not be using WN. AS all the way. ^
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 9:56 am
  #81  
 
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I flew AS402 SEA-LAX last Saturday. On check-in, only 4F unassigned and still for sales from $549. In Y, a window and middled in 17 (17A & 17E) and 3 scattered middle behind 17. Expert Flyer showed F3, P2, I1. At ~T-8 the flight was sold out.

At boarding, 4 on the upgrade list (actually 5 because my companion wasn't listed) ans I was #1 . Nobody was upgraded. GA was willing to split on a companion certificate.

So, AS sold out the last of F from $549 on a route with 13 flights that day. Only my second time in Premium this year. Flight was good, Elite Recognition, chocolate bar provided. The roasted Quinoa & Sesame was good but a little sweet compared to dark chocolate. Excellent overall. Also, it was my first time taking advantage of the discount on the AS Credit Card for in-flight purchases.

James
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 10:05 am
  #82  
 
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Originally Posted by Flying for Fun
I flew AS402 SEA-LAX last Saturday. On check-in, only 4F unassigned and still for sales from $549. In Y, a window and middled in 17 (17A & 17E) and 3 scattered middle behind 17. Expert Flyer showed F3, P2, I1. At ~T-8 the flight was sold out.

At boarding, 4 on the upgrade list (actually 5 because my companion wasn't listed) ans I was #1 . Nobody was upgraded. GA was willing to split on a companion certificate.

So, AS sold out the last of F from $549 on a route with 13 flights that day. Only my second time in Premium this year. Flight was good, Elite Recognition, chocolate bar provided. The roasted Quinoa & Sesame was good but a little sweet compared to dark chocolate. Excellent overall. Also, it was my first time taking advantage of the discount on the AS Credit Card for in-flight purchases.

James
I also notice on a few of my recent flights that there are a lot of day of travel F class purchase taking all remaining F seats. AS definitely knows what they're doing.
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 10:06 am
  #83  
 
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With school starting this month for most Western states, I suspect loads will be light. My flight in three weeks is full in the non-elite main seats. But PC, exit row and F are pretty open. But I've learned that seat maps don't matter much since there are a lot of Y tickets without seat assignments that will be placed in elite or PC seats on the day of.
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 10:31 am
  #84  
 
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Originally Posted by flyingstudent
I also notice on a few of my recent flights that there are a lot of day of travel F class purchase taking all remaining F seats. AS definitely knows what they're doing.
I have been very happy with my recent midcon and transcon experiences in AS F. Even on flights where I don’t get the white leather seats, the new seats are still better than other carriers domestic F non lie-flat products (particularly in terms of legroom...DL, UA and AA have poor legroom up front on many narrow bodies). I also really enjoy the current AS catering on these longer flights.

Southwest to me is the “Blah Airlines” VX used to mention in their ads. The customer service is good but the overall experience is pretty lackluster. I never look forward to flying them like I do with AS. I just miss when AS first started flying to Hawaii and the meals still had Hawaiian flair etc. Since AS only flies it’s 738 and 739ER to Hawaii they could bring back hot BOB meals on these flights, for example, since all these planes have ovens in Y. Would just be a simple and easy way for AS to slightly up its game and probably still pull in more inflight revenue as well.
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Last edited by sltlyamusd; Aug 20, 2019 at 10:39 am
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 7:20 pm
  #85  
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Agree, moving to cold onboard meals was a bit short sighted... especially ex-Hawaii.
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 7:52 pm
  #86  
 
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Originally Posted by beckoa
Agree, moving to cold onboard meals was a bit short sighted... especially ex-Hawaii.
Personally, I find the quality and variety of the cold meals (sandwich, salad, plus protein platter) to be far superior to the one hot item.
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Old Aug 20, 2019, 8:47 pm
  #87  
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Originally Posted by flyingstudent
I also notice on a few of my recent flights that there are a lot of day of travel F class purchase taking all remaining F seats. AS definitely knows what they're doing.
let’s not forget about SDCs ... just sayin’ ...
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Old Aug 21, 2019, 10:21 am
  #88  
 
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Originally Posted by jrl767

let’s not forget about SDCs ... just sayin’ ...
Agreed. Plus, as a 75k, I find 90% of my upgrades that happen within the check-in window are not reflected on the waitlist. I simply disappear from the waitlist. That would make it appear as if I was a last-minute F buyer.
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Old Aug 21, 2019, 12:24 pm
  #89  
 
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Originally Posted by jjmadison
Agreed. Plus, as a 75k, I find 90% of my upgrades that happen within the check-in window are not reflected on the waitlist. I simply disappear from the waitlist. That would make it appear as if I was a last-minute F buyer.
In my case, I didn't think to check the awaiting seats list. I have seen upgrades to F from there before while the F waitlist was processed afterwards.

James
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Old Aug 21, 2019, 1:12 pm
  #90  
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Originally Posted by SF1K


Yes I wish AS would be more proactive in matching F fares as well. I do notice that they tend to match the price but not at opening of schedule. So I think I’m going to try to be more patient in booking. I also booked HA for our return Thanksgiving because it was about half of AS but if I’d waited then it would have been the same. I’d rather fly AS for the miles.
From a business perspective, it is not to AS's advantage to sell F seats too cheaply, particularly on Hawaii flights where some will actually purchase First Class. One revenue management strategy is to price high at first, then lower as needed later on to fill seats, and then sell them at checkin/gate if necessary. Arguably, people book way in advance in Hawaii flights (as opposed to regular domestic flights) so the demand patterns are different.
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