Why do all these airlines charge so many fees except Soutwest?

[ICRS]

Southwest has been able to avoid the ticket change fee forever, while the other airlines have been doing it for probably over 10 years now. Hell I remember Jet Blue telling me if I wanted to change my flight time (a day after I booked my flight) their would be a fee of $50 each way. When I book my flight with Jet Blue I remember being warned that any mispelling of the passanger name would be a $50 fee each way. Want to cancel your ticket for credit, $50 to $100 fee each way. Southwest charges $0 fee to cancel for credit.

So how is Southwest able to keep its low low fares and avoid fee city? I mean really these fees seem so outlandish to me.

 

[pstylesss]

If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

They hedged their fuel costs some time ago, though over the next 5 years or so their exposure to market rate fuel will drastically increase as the hedges expire.

 

[ElFenix]

that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

Yeah, SOuthwest is designed for people who do not need to get their in a hurry. Overbooked flight? Who cares, you will still get there.

 

[ICRS]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

Yeah, SOuthwest is designed for people who do not need to get their in a hurry. Overbooked flight? Who cares, you will still get there.

I know two people who actually were on overbooked fights, they had to take the next flight which was 30 min for one and an hour for the other. They each recieved a free unrestricted roundtrip ticket to any where they wanted (any where southwest flew).

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

Yep, they haven't experienced the pain of increased fuel prices yet. Wait until the current contracts expire.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: ICRS

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

Yeah, SOuthwest is designed for people who do not need to get their in a hurry. Overbooked flight? Who cares, you will still get there.

I know two people who actually were on overbooked fights, they had to take the next flight which was 30 min for one and an hour for the other. They each recieved a free unrestricted roundtrip ticket to any where they wanted (any where southwest flew).

The only reason they do that is because the competition does it also and I think that there is actually a law that states an airline has to compenstate for overbooking. You ar eover booked on JetBlue? Guess what, you get a voucher for the price of the ticket that was over booked, and you get to sit on the next flight out. Southwest, though, is pretty big on overbooking, unless you go out during the holidays.

 

[AmpedSilence]

i fly southwest three or four times a year. It's a pretty decent airline.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

They are paying $51 per barrel instead of $135 like the other airlines. They were laughed at when they locked in on that price...but now who is doing the laughing?

 

[ICRS]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: ICRS

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

Yeah, SOuthwest is designed for people who do not need to get their in a hurry. Overbooked flight? Who cares, you will still get there.

I know two people who actually were on overbooked fights, they had to take the next flight which was 30 min for one and an hour for the other. They each recieved a free unrestricted roundtrip ticket to any where they wanted (any where southwest flew).

The only reason they do that is because the competition does it also and I think that there is actually a law that states an airline has to compenstate for overbooking. You ar eover booked on JetBlue? Guess what, you get a voucher for the price of the ticket that was over booked, and you get to sit on the next flight out. Southwest, though, is pretty big on overbooking, unless you go out during the holidays.

Their ticket was to fly anywhere, the value of it was over twice the ticket they purchased. The ticket they purchased was under $100 (fly with in the state). The voucher they got could have been used to fly accross the U.S with no advance notice (as long as seat is available).

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's just southwest's business model. it was developed on a commuter flight between dallas and houston. everything they do is based on lining people up and telling them to just get on the next plane (there is one every 30 minutes).

Yeah, SOuthwest is designed for people who do not need to get their in a hurry. Overbooked flight? Who cares, you will still get there.

well, not only that, but you can get on the flight earlier than yours as well.

like i said, line em up and put em on the next plane. security didn't take as long as you thought? go ahead and get on the next flight (though now you lose your boarding order position, which sucks if you had a good number. you can just stay on your flight if you want, too)

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

They are paying $51 per barrel instead of $135 like the other airlines. They were laughed at when they locked in on that price...but now who is doing the laughing?

Isn't their fleet generally newer than other airlines? Newer planes are generally more fuel efficient, but many of the other major airlines don't have the funds to upgrade their fleet.

 

[Epic Fail]

Southwest saves on garbage disposal, it gets its passengers to collect garbage for them.

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
If I remember right, Southwest locked in their price for a barrel.

They hedged their fuel costs some time ago, though over the next 5 years or so their exposure to market rate fuel will drastically increase as the hedges expire.

The CEO was on the news and that was his explanation.