Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > American Airlines | AAdvantage
Reload this Page >

How will AA respond to southwest entering Hawaii

How will AA respond to southwest entering Hawaii

Old Feb 12, 2019, 11:34 pm
  #31  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: WN F9 HA UA AA IHG HH MR
Posts: 3,305
Originally Posted by jcatman
People Express!
Awww. I miss PE. They never got to the islands though. LGW and BRU was the end of their world.
Tanic is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 3:22 am
  #32  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 3,360
Originally Posted by Tanic
Awww. I miss PE. They never got to the islands though. LGW and BRU was the end of their world.
Maybe jcatman was thinking of The Hawaii Express?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hawaii_Express
writerguyfl is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 5:34 am
  #33  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
There may be a fare war but for AA it will be BE all the way. No upgrades, 1/2 mileage and jammed into seat 32E for 8+ hours from DFW or PHX. I don't think so.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 6:38 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 4,492
I suppose it depends on what level AA wants to compete with WN for this market. If they want to go after the lowest fare segment then I suppose a race to the bottom fare war is likely. But there are a lot of WN pax who pay extra for certain perks such as early boarding. If AA lowered its premium fares instead of its coach prices those WN pax who bring in significant incremental revenue might be tempted to spend it on First Class rather sitting in WN coach.
JetAway is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 10:20 am
  #35  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,490
Originally Posted by WiscAZ
We ended up cancelling and are doing a Caribbean cruise instead.
Hawaii is a regular leisure destination for me, as there is a plethora of sub $400 RT nonstops to all islands from SAN. If I lived east of the Mississippi, or perhaps Dallas / Houston, I would go to the Caribbean instead.
diver858 is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 10:35 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,215
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
There may be a fare war but for AA it will be BE all the way. No upgrades, 1/2 mileage and jammed into seat 32E for 8+ hours from DFW or PHX. I don't think so.
Theres a lot of factors at play here and you cant look at any one single variable in a vacuum. AA wants people to pay the premium to go from BE to E, by making the spread too large, they know they will lose out on revenue and their R/Python/SAS models should price the markup accordingly.
donotblink is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 10:53 am
  #37  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,837
Count me in the bucket of people skeptical that southwest will be much of a threat.

For one thing, fares to Hawaii are usually pretty fair (given the distance) on AA metal (or anyone else's for that matter). It's a pretty competitive market. This isn't anything like those cases where Southwest busts those routes where AA's running a premium charge due to a lack of competition.

Southwests success typically lies on a couple of things that don't apply here -- The first is that it runs many direct flights from mid-continent cities to key touristy destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando. One of the main reasons that people in OKC, for example, love southwest is because they don't have to connect in DFW (or somewhere else) for their once every three year trip to these type of destinations. Same for Omaha, same for Cleveland, etc etc. A handful of CA-HI flights doesn't really play to any sort of schedule advantage. Also, I am somewhat skeptical that Southwest's core passenger group (infrequent middle-middle income passengers) will quite as easily fill planes to Hawaii as the much cheaper destinations it excels at like Orlando and Las Vegas, but maybe there is enough CA-HI demand regardless just based on population (in my part of the country, Hawaii may be a once in a lifetime destination that many never afford; all the while Las Vegas is a once a year trip for many over a long weekend with your 'buds' or 'girlfriends' to party and gamble).
MarkOK is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 10:58 am
  #38  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
WN and AA are pretty differentiated airlines and passengers.

WN coach with Rockwell Collins Meridian seats with 31-32 seat pitch (exit row seats slightly more), unassigned seats (though there seems to be possible change in the air on this), free baggage allowance, more flexible ticket changes. Snacks, no meals.

AA offers lie flat Business / First and Premium Economy seats on most widebody service, 31-32 pitch and MCE in coach. Narrow bodies will offer Business / First seats, Coach with 30 Meridian and MCE seats. Meal service, no free baggage allowance without status or credit card for Coach passengers. Changeable fares are expensive, other fares incur significant change fees.

Other than increased capacity to Hawaii, I dont predict any near major changes. Fares from some departure points may drop, others where theres no competition wont, just as now.

Ill continue to purchase premium fares based on fare price and flight convenience. Occasionally that has meant HA, more often AS; we havent flown AA to Hawaii in eons.
JDiver is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 11:17 am
  #39  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Originally Posted by skunker

I fly southwest a lot (A List Prefered) and not being in a middle seat is only guaranteed if you have status or pay for early check in. Unlike AA, status on Southwest does not transfer to the other people on the same PNR. Ive been low A and my kids were in the Bs.
Southwest hasnt announced if/when they will be flying from LAX to Hawaii, but they did announce SAN was one of the first cities.
If you can check in at T-24, there should not be a problem. I have never received a middle seat on WN, unless traveling with someone.
I have also never been on a WN plane where people weren't saving seats for people in later groups
JDiver, TSparky and tampatravel like this.
mvoight is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 12:31 pm
  #40  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Originally Posted by donotblink


Theres a lot of factors at play here and you cant look at any one single variable in a vacuum. AA wants people to pay the premium to go from BE to E, by making the spread too large, they know they will lose out on revenue and their R/Python/SAS models should price the markup accordingly.
The spread has certainly seem to have gotten large over time. It used to be maybe $50. I'm seeing differences on domestic routes of $200 or more. The bottom line AA isn't going to fly you to HNL (or whatever other HI market WN enters) for $149 OW and give you main cabin. Most of those tickets on WN will be limited and require advance purchase and flying on slower days of Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
dcmike likes this.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 12:43 pm
  #41  
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 5
I'd rather fly AA too...
tampatravel likes this.
CodyX2 is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 2:33 pm
  #42  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,215
Originally Posted by newyorkgeorge
The spread has certainly seem to have gotten large over time. It used to be maybe $50. I'm seeing differences on domestic routes of $200 or more. The bottom line AA isn't going to fly you to HNL (or whatever other HI market WN enters) for $149 OW and give you main cabin. Most of those tickets on WN will be limited and require advance purchase and flying on slower days of Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Also bear in mind that flights to and from Hawaii have a much greater amount of passengers who are leisure passengers than other routes. On other routes passengers traveling for business will be more likely to have BE blocked out in their corporate booking tools allowing for a greater spread. Your typical non-status passenger flying for leisure has an upper limit at which they would be willing to pay for a seat assignment only.
donotblink is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 2:40 pm
  #43  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: USA
Programs: Chase Sapphire Reserve, WFBF
Posts: 1,573
Originally Posted by JetAway
I suppose it depends on what level AA wants to compete with WN for this market. If they want to go after the lowest fare segment then I suppose a race to the bottom fare war is likely. But there are a lot of WN pax who pay extra for certain perks such as early boarding. If AA lowered its premium fares instead of its coach prices those WN pax who bring in significant incremental revenue might be tempted to spend it on First Class rather sitting in WN coach.
This would make sense if J/F weren't already packed to Hawaii.
railmatt likes this.
wetrat0 is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 2:43 pm
  #44  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Why certainly HI is a target destination for the high end leisure traveler. He/she/family won't be flying WN. They're be flying UA/AS/AA/DL/HA sitting in the front of the plane.
MiamiAirport Formerly NY George is offline  
Old Feb 13, 2019, 3:20 pm
  #45  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,302
Originally Posted by Nuhusky
Im east coast and for me to get to Hawaii on a non discount day is in the $800 range. If southwest gets my round trip total cost down to $400 thats a pretty big savings for me
$400 hawaii east coast flights just aren't a realistic expectation
LovePrunes is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.