Independence Air's Accidental Free Fares

[Captain X]

The accidental giveaway lasted only an hour before the airline's executives realized the mistake. "Nothing like this has ever happened before," said Independence spokesman Rick DeLisi.

"...but we've conducted an internal audit and discovered that the glitch was a directly related high fuel and labor costs. We are fortunate that our competent management team caught the error early to minimize its impact on our operation."

 

[Peleton]

I refuse to believe that any airline has done this by accident.

Think about it. 100 tickets that should have been priced at 49 dollars. $4900, and what do they get for that, they got an incrediable amount of free GOOD press about the airline. This was printed in countless newspapers throughout the country and on countless web sites. Great marketing in my opinion as long it is not done many times.

UsAir, Independence, and countless others have had this "problem".

 

[pipejockey]

They got free press on "The Amazing Race" the other day. Many of the teams flew on Indy down to Greensboro or somewhere. They even showed one of their planes taking off!

 

[Captain Overs]

The horse has three broken legs and cant get up. Please kill the darn horse.

Funny as hell!

 

[GravityHater]

Lets get us a pilots organization, buy up all the tickets period. Then we start our own website and resell them.... at a decent markup.
Kind of like those guys that corner the market on lotto tickets and clean up.

this would drive prices up to where they should be....and pilots would finally get paid what they deserve through the markup. Wonder what kind of $$ outlay we would need each day!

never mind me, I am three sheets to the wind.

 

[pipejockey]

In theory it would work, strangely enough.

 

[AZ Typed]

FLYI managment is so out of thier league. They should've never left being UAL's biotch....

Obviously - you have NO clue what you're talking about. So...do us all a favor and take this can of "shut the ..."

(since you likely don't get it - I'm referring to the woes of AWAC now - and staying with UAL would've been any different than this outcome - at least FLYi had a shot on their own verses the slaying they'd of taken if still with UAL).

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Obviously - you have NO clue what you're talking about. So...do us all a favor and take this can of "shut the ..."

(since you likely don't get it - I'm referring to the woes of AWAC now - and staying with UAL would've been any different than this outcome - at least FLYi had a shot on their own verses the slaying they'd of taken if still with UAL).

The day FLYI is out of business and AWAC is still flying says otherwise. This is looking more and more to be true....

Then again maybe both are screwed....

 

[AZ Typed]

The day FLYI is out of business and AWAC is still flying says otherwise. This is looking more and more to be true....

Then again maybe both are screwed....

I just figured it out. You must be an analyist.

 

[Skank]

yeah. I saw it on another thread. These fares beat the cost of driving any day.

It also trains the flying public and gives them the impression that flying can be done at these ridiculously low rates, which really isnt true. It's unfair to all that contribute to get the plane from here to there. When the public sees these fares they assume that it can be done profitably at these rates. When it's not, they think to seem its unfair. All of this seem to stem from the cut throat competition. Every other industry finds ways to increase profits by increasing the price of things. I can't see why flying should be perceived as a cheap service. I also don't understand how these large carriers that are in BKRPTCY can be so far in the red. Who the hell is running the corp. Its like some fiscally irresponsible teenager with a credit card.

Flying is a risky business and should be viewed with higher compensation. It's kind of like those laser eye surgeries. On the subway, I see these ads where one doctor will beat the other. LOW LOW prices on cutting the skin on your eye. 7000 an eye here 300 there. Down payments, no financing etc. I sure as hell would want to pay a little more to get it done right. Somehow maybe if the doc is making more, he'll be a little more careful.

Low fares = low class = lack of etiquette

It's a zoo at some airports.

It's called marketing. Obviously that generates interest, and stimulates ticket sales. Since we are currently being undersold in almost all of our markets by our competitors draw your own conclusions. I had to buy a ticket to europe recently, and Lufthansa was offering the seat for 2100 euros, one way while Northwest had a roundtrip available for $390 including taxes. Again, draw your own conclusions. ALl the airlines do it to try to grab market share. It hasn't worked for most lately. Your accusations, however, have no merit.

 

[NYCPilot]

It's called marketing. Obviously that generates interest, and stimulates ticket sales. Since we are currently being undersold in almost all of our markets by our competitors draw your own conclusions. I had to buy a ticket to europe recently, and Lufthansa was offering the seat for 2100 euros, one way while Northwest had a roundtrip available for $390 including taxes. Again, draw your own conclusions. ALl the airlines do it to try to grab market share. It hasn't worked for most lately. Your accusations, however, have no merit.

That it is marketing is obvious. Predatory pricing in essence. By lowering your price to drive out competition and acquire a larger share of the targeted segment. As I stated, it's fueled by cut-throat competition, everyone is trying to grab the market of each other. Out-pricing each other to the death. If the airlines were able to eliminate this practice, the industry would return to some common sense normality. This was the point of my post.

I'm curious as to what accusation I made? Your post only lends creedence to reinforce what I'm saying.

 

[Skank]

I guess it is the "low fares=low class" title you have on your replies that signifies a certain attitude you seem to have. Did I miscontrue that? I also took it more as a jab at Jetblue rather than a comment on the industry as a whole. Again, I may have been wrong. As far as my reply lending creedence to your post, I'll leave that one for others to decide.

Here's the bottom line for me. We are undercut on most of our routes, but we aren't whining about it. It's business right?

 

[NYCPilot]

I guess it is the "low fares=low class" title you have on your replies that signifies a certain attitude you seem to have. Did I miscontrue that? I also took it more as a jab at Jetblue rather than a comment on the industry as a whole. Again, I may have been wrong. As far as my reply lending creedence to your post, I'll leave that one for others to decide.

Here's the bottom line for me. We are undercut on most of our routes, but we aren't whining about it. It's business right?

This was certainly not a jab at your airline as most places undercut. I would have made that comment directly. But more evident was that it was intended to be a blanket statement encompassing all airlines, large and small. They have equally engaged in this practice.

I have travelled on JetBlue many times, often enough to have received free R/T fares through their point system. I have always been satisfied with their service. When they started out, the service was excellent, as they expanded I noticed less in the way of sincere customer service. Early on, it seemed that they hired more on personality than anything else.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

I just figured it out. You must be an analyist.

And you are an airline pilot. Which means you know how to fly jets really well. But any idea about the industry is pure guess work and emotion on your part. Which is confirmed by your post number 22. The ignorant quickly resort to ancedotal, personal comments and attacks when they have nothing left to offer in debate and dialog.

You are your own worst enemy.

 

[AZ Typed]

And you are an airline pilot. Which means you know how to fly jets really well. But any idea about the industry is pure guess work and emotion on your part. Which is confirmed by your post number 22. The ignorant quickly resort to ancedotal, personal comments and attacks when they have nothing left to offer in debate and dialog.

You are your own worst enemy.

No, actually I'm not an airline pilot, anymore. And some may debate my abilities to fly jets really well . You're right - my ideas are totally guesswork. However, it's not guesswork that I supported IDE from the beginning, nor was it guesswork that the IDE ALPA supported the project, nor is it guesswork that the Mechs, FAs, CS, etc. all supported going solo over being kicked in the stomach by UAL. It's not guesswork that UAL is kicking AWAC in the stomach NOW either. You're correct in that it's totally guesswork that this industry will continue to spiral. It's guesswork that the auto industry, railway, and other unionized labor will follow suit with the reductions we see in the airlines. It's guesswork that the airline professional pilot will take 20 - 30 years to regain what's been lost in the past 5 years in pay and benefits. But don't you think coming from an insider, much of the "guess" is taken out of any IDE projections?

Having 22 posts says a lot. I once knew a guy who rarely spoke. But when he did most people listened. Have 22 posts also says that I don't spend all my free time browing gossip boards, either (just some of it - ha).

Late