Why do people fly WN when the fares are not competitive?
Mar 28, 2018, 3:25 pm
#61
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 2
Ability to reschedule or cancel without penalty. I have very ill family members in Fort Worth and Southwest is the sole reason I have been able to be there frequently and when they need me most.
Companion Pass.
A List and the Exit Row.
Free Bags.
Friendly Flight Attendants.
I'm in Detroit and I despise Delta and miss Northwest.
Companion Pass.
A List and the Exit Row.
Free Bags.
Friendly Flight Attendants.
I'm in Detroit and I despise Delta and miss Northwest.
Mar 28, 2018, 5:03 pm
#62
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Dallas, TX, AA 3MM EXP, WN
Posts: 1,808
T
As for people in general, on most days and on most routes, the majority of travelers are going to be infrequent flyers, either leisure travelers or the person making the occasional business trip. Southwest has done a really good job creating loyalty among these kind of travelers, partly through their reputation as a LCC and offering free checked bags and no change fees, as well as offering more options out of mid-sized airports. I would guess that a lot of these travelers may not spend much time researching fares on other airlines once they find something on WN that they like for their trip.
As for people in general, on most days and on most routes, the majority of travelers are going to be infrequent flyers, either leisure travelers or the person making the occasional business trip. Southwest has done a really good job creating loyalty among these kind of travelers, partly through their reputation as a LCC and offering free checked bags and no change fees, as well as offering more options out of mid-sized airports. I would guess that a lot of these travelers may not spend much time researching fares on other airlines once they find something on WN that they like for their trip.
Mar 28, 2018, 5:49 pm
#63
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Tahoe
Programs: Delta DM for now
Posts: 474
I specifically included "on most days and on most routes" in that sentence to recognize the fact that there are exceptions. Monday morning at any airport with any airline is going to have more business travelers. Airports like Love, Hobby, and MDW are always going to do well for WN with all types of flyers trying to avoid the nearby hubs in each of those cities.
Mar 29, 2018, 1:24 am
#64
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 4,963
... and while I get what you mean @TuxTom, FWIW, I figure 50% of all commuters on WN at SJC ("Silicon Valley's Airport"), regardless of time of day save weekends are business travelers.
Mar 30, 2018, 10:29 am
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,717
WN from OAK is usually in the same ballpark as comparable options from SFO but I'll gladly pay a $20-30 premium to avoid the extra time to get to SFO and the increased risk of long delays (plus no lounge access for me in T1 or T2 at SFO; Escape Lounge at OAK saves me $10-30 in food and drink).
Your analysis may be backward. You assume that WN has excess capacity to dump. You should be asking yourself if other carriers made Revenue Management mistakes leading up to your short-term purchase, such that they have excess seats to dump. Selling last-minute seats at high fares is one of the primary goals of RM. Southwest might be the carrier doing it right in that market on that day.
As for the value proposition, I get WN's model but getting value out of it requires checking bags (I rarely do) and/or changing tickets (I don't, unless spending other people's money, those people who control my scheduling). If it doesn't work for you, don't fly WN - but reflect on why it works for others instead of questioning their logic.
As for the value proposition, I get WN's model but getting value out of it requires checking bags (I rarely do) and/or changing tickets (I don't, unless spending other people's money, those people who control my scheduling). If it doesn't work for you, don't fly WN - but reflect on why it works for others instead of questioning their logic.
WN works great for me on short haul flights and IMO even worth a small premium due to convenience at OAK. But there is a significant fortress hub premium - and curious if that is the case at MDW, BWI and other metros with alternative airports.
Mar 30, 2018, 2:02 pm
#66
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,638
i'd agree the convenience of OAK is worth $20-30 (both for WN and AS) even without the overpriced Escape (which is not convenient to T2). But I'm seeing $100-200 differential, and not just on the Intra-CA routes. And I'm not going to pay $600 (same as UA) to fly 4 hours to Houston when UA has 4x more nonstops, more comfortable seats, food, etc. But I guess some people do.
Mar 31, 2018, 5:32 am
#67
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: SQ Gold, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, DL Silver, AS MVP, B6 Mosaic, QR, EY, KE, CX, PR
Posts: 317
I flew WN for 49USD SAN-LAS Monday after Thanksgiving. Could have chose DL or AS since my bag is also free with silver status but WN is 50% lower than those two. I always search for the lowest fare and add up the bag fee before making a decision. This coming from an individual not based in the US with flight experience on DL, AA, AS, VX and WN. If the price is lower on UA, I'd choose them even without any experience with them.
Apr 3, 2018, 7:50 am
#68
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: BWI
Programs: Marriott LTT, WN A, Hertz PC
Posts: 575
To answer OP's question, my number 1 driving factor are number of available non-stops. Living 15 minutes away from a hub airport (BWI) offers lots of options. I hate layovers with a passion. Sure it's nice to not worry about change fees, have CP, and all the other perks. But for me availability of non-stop destinations is #1 .
Pricing-wise, I've noticed when multiple airlines offer the same city pairs (BWI to ORD/MDW or HOU/IAH on different airlines), the prices are almost always the same down to the dollar.
Pricing-wise, I've noticed when multiple airlines offer the same city pairs (BWI to ORD/MDW or HOU/IAH on different airlines), the prices are almost always the same down to the dollar.
Apr 3, 2018, 4:23 pm
#69
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,459
Apr 4, 2018, 7:39 am
#70
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
That has been my experience as well. I fly to the same small handful of destinations and I check prices all the time. I am certain that the destination plays a role. I might find a better price elsewhere on the odd times I fly to some other place but if it requires a change of planes to a regional jet or some crazy out-of-the-way itinerary (like changing planes in Seattle on Alaska, a thousand miles out of my way), I'll probably say no thanks.
Apr 4, 2018, 7:46 am
#71
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Apr 4, 2018, 7:59 am
#72
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
I'll pay a premium to fly WN RDU-BWI over DL if I'm going to Baltimore or DC. WN has far more flights and I'm much more comfortable on a WN 737 than a DL CRJ-200.
Also for MSY-RDU the airlines with a nonstop are WN, F9 and G4. I recently paid 2.5x to fly WN ($109 vs. $39) over G4 because it means not flying Allegiant.
Also for MSY-RDU the airlines with a nonstop are WN, F9 and G4. I recently paid 2.5x to fly WN ($109 vs. $39) over G4 because it means not flying Allegiant.
Apr 4, 2018, 8:51 am
#73
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Many people have recommended I give Frontier a try. But when I tried, I found they didn't have any nonstops, and they didn't fly on all days of the week. And coming home, there was an overnight 6+ hour layover in Denver. Sure, it was cheap. This was to ONT by the way. But I had to say, no thanks!
Apr 4, 2018, 12:18 pm
#74
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: WN A-List Pref, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 460
Many people have recommended I give Frontier a try. But when I tried, I found they didn't have any nonstops, and they didn't fly on all days of the week. And coming home, there was an overnight 6+ hour layover in Denver. Sure, it was cheap. This was to ONT by the way. But I had to say, no thanks!
Apr 4, 2018, 12:49 pm
#75
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: West Coast
Programs: WN A+, AS MVP, UA 1P
Posts: 92
Many people have recommended I give Frontier a try. But when I tried, I found they didn't have any nonstops, and they didn't fly on all days of the week. And coming home, there was an overnight 6+ hour layover in Denver. Sure, it was cheap. This was to ONT by the way. But I had to say, no thanks!
