JonnyKnoxville
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 20, 2004
- Posts
- 439
Southwest's lowest advance-purchase fares drop to $29 on 10 routes
Southwest Airlines has dropped its lowest regular base fare to $29 each way (plus taxes and fees) on 10 routes, the carrier announced this week. The move to drop its lowest advance-purchase fares comes despite soaring jet-fuel bills and an effort by airlines to push fares higher to offset the spike in fuel costs. As you might expect, the 10 routes where Southwest's lowest 21-day advance purchase fare drops to $29 are all short-haul, with Houston (3), Birmingham (2) and Spokane (2) getting the most $29 options. The 10 routes are: Houston Hobby-Austin; Houston Hobby-Corpus Christi; Houston Hobby-San Antonio; Dallas Love-Tulsa; Chicago Midway-Indianapolis; Birmingham-New Orleans; Birmingham-Nashville; Seattle-Spokane; Boise-Spokane; and Jacksonville-Tampa Bay.
"Southwest Airlines tested these $29 one-way fares between Houston Hobby and Austin in 2007 to stimulate traffic and offer customers the chance to take a quick trip inexpensively, even for the day," Kevin Krone, Southwest's vice president of marketing, sales and distribution, says in a press release. He called customers' response to the test "impressive." With taxes and fees included, round-trip fares on the routes come out to be roughly $80.
But Southwest's lower advance-purchase fares –- albeit on a limited number of routes –- comes amid what The Dallas Morning News' (free registration) Airline Biz blog calls "a flurry of airfare sales announcements" this week. Those sales included other cheap fares, including $39 one-ways (plus taxes and fees) on two other low-cost carriers, Air Tran and JetBlue. That has the folks at the Airline Biz blog asking "is this the usual efforts to fill up the planes during winter sluggishness? Or are things weaker than usual?"
Southwest Airlines has dropped its lowest regular base fare to $29 each way (plus taxes and fees) on 10 routes, the carrier announced this week. The move to drop its lowest advance-purchase fares comes despite soaring jet-fuel bills and an effort by airlines to push fares higher to offset the spike in fuel costs. As you might expect, the 10 routes where Southwest's lowest 21-day advance purchase fare drops to $29 are all short-haul, with Houston (3), Birmingham (2) and Spokane (2) getting the most $29 options. The 10 routes are: Houston Hobby-Austin; Houston Hobby-Corpus Christi; Houston Hobby-San Antonio; Dallas Love-Tulsa; Chicago Midway-Indianapolis; Birmingham-New Orleans; Birmingham-Nashville; Seattle-Spokane; Boise-Spokane; and Jacksonville-Tampa Bay.
"Southwest Airlines tested these $29 one-way fares between Houston Hobby and Austin in 2007 to stimulate traffic and offer customers the chance to take a quick trip inexpensively, even for the day," Kevin Krone, Southwest's vice president of marketing, sales and distribution, says in a press release. He called customers' response to the test "impressive." With taxes and fees included, round-trip fares on the routes come out to be roughly $80.
But Southwest's lower advance-purchase fares –- albeit on a limited number of routes –- comes amid what The Dallas Morning News' (free registration) Airline Biz blog calls "a flurry of airfare sales announcements" this week. Those sales included other cheap fares, including $39 one-ways (plus taxes and fees) on two other low-cost carriers, Air Tran and JetBlue. That has the folks at the Airline Biz blog asking "is this the usual efforts to fill up the planes during winter sluggishness? Or are things weaker than usual?"
