buckeyefanflyer

Alot of us complain about inreasing airline fares and the fact that most airlines are charging extra now for ammenidies that used to be fee. From reading posts on this board the past several days about the CO-UA merger
which would end the CO brand, most of us are against the merger for a variety of reasons. IF CO said, OK, forget the merger but we will have to raise airfares by 25 per cent across the board in order to reduce losses would you be willing pay more to keep CO flying as is.
This is a difficult question. As it is now, because fares are high now it means reduced flying for me on CO or I have been flying WN on occasion. I just would hate to see the CO brand go away.

sbm12

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/4.7.1.40 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

No. And even if the few hundred folks here were there are a few millions others out there who wouldn't.

No carrier has the ability to set fares across the board due to competition. If CO tried to jack the fares 25% and everyone else only went up 20% CO wouldn't sell many seats and the others would laugh all the way to the bank. It happens all the time, albeit with smaller percentages.

craz

I dont even think I would spend $5 more

Its just amazing to me how people get so attched to things. A person for 15 yrs will be willing to Take it outside if someone insults his Citys sports team, yet once the owner moves the team to a different city and a team comes to town, he will no longer care about those he did for the previous 15 yrs.

Well I too am attached, Im attached to my pocket not to COs, or AAs or UAs. I will go wherever I find its best for Me to be

Loyalty starts with the letter 'M' = ME

MarkXS

No, I would not pay more "to keep CO flying".

I would, and have, paid slightly more to fly one of the airlines I prefer. If the new merged UA/CO still meets my preferences, I might pay a few dollars more to fly it over an airline (and FF program) I don't prefer.

But I don't care at all whether it's "Continental", "United", or ConUniHound. Just "what have you done for me lately".

IAHtraveler

The only reason I'd pay more to fly CO is because I get 25% more miles when I fly them instead of any other *A carrier due to the Chase MC.

Also, if it were a flight that requires a connection, I might pay about $5 more to fly CO because I can sit in the Pres Club & drink Disaronno while waiting for my flight. Otherwise, it's about cash in my pocket, not theirs.

TWA Fan 1

Back when EUA's were reasonably available out of EWR I spent a lot of extra money to fly CO.

Then I went 0 for 25 on EUA's as an OP gold. This was back in 2005. I decided spending any extra money to sit in one of the most uncomfortable coach cabins in North America was completely not worth it.

Since then, I fly whichever airline provides me the best overall experience. I fly jetBlue a lot, and I regularly spend more with them than the cheapest available fare because I am getting a tangible benefit for the extra cost (more legroom, comfy seat, free DTV, free 1st checked bag).

Otherwise I fly whichever carrier can get me to my destination with the most direct routing at the best cost.

But, absent EUA's, I don't see why anyone would contemplate subjecting themselves to what is perhaps the worst coach-cabin experience in North American, Continental Airlines.

ConciergeMike

You think CO Y is worse than the old NW DC-9 30" Y or the US 737 Y that is 29" in some rows?

OutAndAboutt

25% is pretty steep - to be flat that means you have to cut out one of ever 5 flights.

In my experience CO is usually priced at a premium already

TWA Fan 1

What's worse about CO Y is that you get to fly in the same 31" seat pitch, in the same "seat of death," that rock-hard, thin monstrosity, whether you fly EWR-PHL or EWR-HKG.

Yes, the old NW DC-9's were bad, but there were only on short flights where lack of comfort is not really an issue.

On CO, the horrendous coach cabin is just as bad on the 16+ hours flight to HKG; that's just cruel and unusual punishment.

Otherwise, I found the old NW coach far more comfortable than CO Y, not that I really know that well since I only missed one upgrade on NW in all my years as a CO elite. But when I flew in a NW 757 in coach, the seat pitch and comfort were far better than CO.

But to get back to the point: I wouldn't pay a premium to fly Y on an NW DC-9 and nor would I to fly CO in Y.

There are plenty of more comfortable economy cabins in North America with better amenities (AA, AC, B6, DL, UA, VX, even WN [more comfort but not amenities, obviously]).

I put CO's Y pretty much in a tie with US as the worst. While US doesn't have IFE (they are installing WiFi, though), the seats and average seat pich are far more comforable.