JSlo

I rarely find WN fares out of DEN that match with UA fares, to the destinations I need. Personally I find WN's advertising misleading. I have seen their ads many times, only to goto their website and find out that taxes and fees are not included, and- oops sorry- that special fare bucket got sold out. The actual fare ends up being more than UA, and usually to a less convenient airport.

At the end of the day, people are loyal to programs where they are invested. I pay no baggage fees on UA. The average person who searches expedia, picks the lowest fare/best timeframe flight, and checks one bag at the airport...doesn't care about the $25 bucks- it is most likely factored in against travel incidentals- for example needing to be on the NW side of Chicago...and having to fly in to MDW. In the larger economic travel picture, the $25 just doesn't matter compared to the cost of a taxi from an inconvenient airport. Wait! I just checked UA website...it's only $15 for the first bag! That's nothing. Here is a good article on domestic discount airlines.
http://www.independenttraveler.com/r...egory=1&page=1

irabk

I couldn't agree more... with one sentence of the above. "At the end of the day, people are loyal to programs where they are invested."

Beckles

So UA advertises their fares including all taxes and fees and does not have capacity controls on their cheapest fares?

What is a less convenient airport? Of course an airport is less convenient if it's not where you're going ... WN doesn't serve every city ... of course, neither does UA. Is OAK less convenient if you're traveling to Oakland? Is DAL less convenient if you're traveling to Dallas? Is FLL less convenient if you're traveling to Ft. Lauderdale? Is PBI less convenient if you're traveling to Palm Beach? On the other hand, if you're going to ATL, then certainly WN is less convenient than many other airlines since they don't fly there.

Ahh ... Chicago ... my hometown ... I think it's inarguable MDW is more convenient for much of Chicago proper since it is somewhat in the middle of the City, unlike ORD which is the far Northwest edge of the City. Same goes for Houston, I don't know if IAH is in Houston proper or not, but certainly HOU is more conveniently located for many travelers to the City.

dwebb

In some cases, yes, people do care about the bag fees. When my family flies down to Florida this May for a cruise, we will probably have to pay an extra $200 in bag fees r/t. Not using the bag fees to compare isn't the best idea.

ClueByFour

I hope Southwest did not put this panel together. I know ya'll are too smart to insinuate that Terry Trippler is an "expert."

nsx

I've been predicting that loyalty to legacy FF programs will continue to diminish as those programs increasingly fail to deliver the goods: domestic upgrades and saver seats for international travel.

JSlo

Really? MDW more convenient than ORD? Maybe just in the sense of crowding and traffic. One is sw of the city, one is nw. Almost equidistant from downtown. Generally speaking, more business is on the NW corridor than on the SW. It's a personal issue for each individual, where they need to go.

lougord99

Actually, no. If you are going downtown, which a whole lot of people do, you will get there significantly faster from Midway than O'hare regardless of your means of travel, at almost any time of the day.

toomanybooks

Only if 30 Orange minutes downtown is more convenient to you than 60+ Blue minutes downtown, with the bonus of an unexpected bus transfer near Rosemont for the latter.

And that's after the easier baggage claim and walk at MDW.

And of course the winter storm/summer storm delays, which are invariably worse at ORD.

And the other delays inherent at ORD.

Other than that, they are equivalent, sure.

Beckles

Don't forget that all of the facilities at Midway are less than ten years old.

MikeMpls

MDW's advantage to me is that my real destination usually is south on I55. Two miles up Cicero, hang a Louie & I'm on my way out of town. Try that from ORD.

I can deal with either airport & I like the lounges at ORD, but MDW is not an issue for us.

JSlo

I lived in Chicago for 17 years, I just moved west (Colorado) this summer. I am quite familiar with the city actually, lived downtown for years, Wheaton for a few, Arlington Heights, St. Charles. So as you can see...my path is NW. Most of my former colleagues disliked driving to MDW. As you know, the freeways are laid out like spokes and webs...as I stated before...if you have business NW, and I believe GENERALLY more business is N and NW than S and SW. GENERALLY. I realize it won't apply to everyone. Think Schaumburg for example. Last time I flew WN out of MDW the fare was 250 dollars cheaper on WN than AA, and we had 4 traveling for business. Half the people wanted to do ORD anyway! "too much of a hassle to get to MDW in traffic, lets just do ORD" this from Schaumburg. I had to get a limo so that everyone would agree...if I limo'd everyone, and no one had to park or drive they agreed to MDW and WN. Look, the airport was decent and I would give the flight decent marks.

Point is at the end of the day...I fly too many international legs to fly WN regularly. If WN becomes international...then legacy elite loyalists may consider. But heaven forbid. WN boosters...you want to compete with SQ? Talk about frills...and happy employees...and amenities....and brand new planes...which are spotless. Anyway, different thread. WN is great for some domestic hops and to certain markets. But for me to fly them, I need to have a fantastic fare difference and be going someplace UA doesn't. I need the EQM.

nsx

WN is miles away from offering international service that can compete with legacy carriers for any elites who get international upgrades. Merely achieving reasonably convenient connections to international flights is quite a hurdle. If your flights are mostly international, legacy elite status is where you are now and where you will stay for many years to come.

Beckles

And what about Downtown? I've heard that's a popular business destination.

chuckworth

A little google maps research gives the nod to MDW by 7 miles. YMMV.

Distance from MDW to State & Madison = 11.2 miles

Distance from ORD to State & Madison = 18.1 miles

Maybe it's just me, but I'd take the drive on the Stevenson over the Kennedy any day of the week. From the Western Suburbs, I find MDW more convenient but that may be just me.

How about the almost standard 2 hour minimum WX delays at ORD anytime so much as a drop of rain falls? While at the same time, MDW is almost always in better shape running on-time or near on-time. Extreme Chicago winter weather aside.