No pillows...WTF?!

[User546]

If you want one, you should bring your own pillow anyway. Your immune system will thank you!

Which I'm sure will be fine until TSA comes up with a new policy that bans us from bringing onboard our own pillows, in the justification that we might start a pillow fight with them inflight and compromise the safety of the aircraft.

 

[erj-145mech]

Thats a cop out. "Cheap fares" are still hundreds of dollars. The airline business is a service oriented industry thats forgotten the service. If you buy off the dollar menu should you not still get good service?

Yes they are cheap. Consider the inflation rate. The cost of doing business. You might want to take an introductory course in economics. You are going to be very disappointed when you finally wake up. This is what the travelling public is demanding, low prices, period. The cost of airline travel hasn't increased with the increase in fuel costs. If you want a pillow and personal service, fork out the bucks and ride in the front of the plane, but it won't work with SWA.

 

[User546]

If you want a pillow and personal service, fork out the bucks and ride in the front of the plane, but it won't work with SWA.

Of course I always get great and friendly service on every Southwest flight I've been on (typically 5-6 times a year).

 

[Flying Illini]

This is what the travelling public is demanding, low prices, period. The cost of airline travel hasn't increased with the increase in fuel costs. If you want a pillow and personal service, fork out the bucks and ride in the front of the plane, but it won't work with SWA.

You're right, the public demands cheap fares but you know what? Screw them. A company has to survive somehow. Tell them that this is what it costs to go from here to here. Don't like it? Tough, make the 3 day drive, see what I care. Look, people will pay whatever they are charged b/c they have to travel. They've done it before (90's) make them do it again! Maybe there should be an across the board fare hike that corresponds to fuel costs or something...you should be charging AT LEAST what it costs to stay in business. This "losing money on every flight, even if it's full" stuff is rediculous. No other business is run like that. I don't care about personal service, nor does the pillow thing bother me. I can't "fork out the bucks" to ride in the front when there isn't a "front" to the aircraft (ERJ/CRJ).
Gov't regulation of ticket prices might be a good thing...then the gov't wouldn't have to be bailing out poorly run airlines (no offense to the crews, it's not your fault, the problem is at the top).

 

[erj-145mech]

Business 101

Thats the problem, some one is out there looking to undercut you. Be it on air fares or a butt in the right seat. There's enough Scrooge in the typical traveller, business or vacation, to pay less to go from BWI to OAK without an inflight meal, and the airline beancounters see this.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Thats the problem, some one is out there looking to undercut you. Be it on air fares or a butt in the right seat. There's enough Scrooge in the typical traveller, business or vacation, to pay less to go from BWI to OAK without an inflight meal, and the airline beancounters see this.

Exactamundo! This is the market at work. The flying public will complain about poor service (remember the old jokes about airline food -- those were the good old days,) but the vast majority will put up with it to save $10. They priceline where they want to go and click on the cheapest ticket on the screen.

I have no sympathy for them.

 

[Hovernut]

Hmmm, Southwest makes money AND they have pillows....waazzup with dat?

Meanwhile, I just use a blanket or two to substitue for a pillow. I've got enough craaap to commute with w/o having to carry a pillow. Commuting days are numbered, anyway...get to go back on reserve in Orlando!!

 

[A1FlyBoy]

Fellas, where have you all been? Main line domestic AA flights have already removed pillows from the fleet:

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

American Airlines has revealed that it will be removing pillows from most of its domestic flights in a move expected to save the airline USD370,000 per year.

Blankets will still be provided, but pillows will no longer be available on nearly all of American Airlines' flights within the continental US, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

 

[PastFastMover]

Hmmm, Southwest makes money AND they have pillows....waazzup with dat?

Has SWA made money as an airline in the last number of quarters or have they made money only because they hedged fuel? Friends there say the airline would not be making money with current price of fuel. I don't know.

 

[tuna pimp]

I think SWA is hedged around 80% at approximately $25 a barrel. That cost benefit will go away as these hedges expire. They'd be hard pressed to make money if the were paying $50 a barrel but you've got to hand it to the SWA managment for having the foresight to protect their fuel cost exposure like they have. Even low cost peers like Jetblue and AirTran are starting to struggle to post consistant profits with fuel costs where they are and they're both well-managed and cost efficient carriers.

 

[Icelandair]

Raise prices then. If they would all do it, then everyone would make money. If you've got 80% load factors and you are losing money something is very wrong. My goodness i figured it out even on lemonade tycoon that if you have too many people trying to buy your lemonade if you raise the price you make more money and have a reasonable line.

 

[NuGuy]

Thats the problem, some one is out there looking to undercut you. Be it on air fares or a butt in the right seat. There's enough Scrooge in the typical traveller, business or vacation, to pay less to go from BWI to OAK without an inflight meal, and the airline beancounters see this.

Actually, this is only true to an extent.

Right now, most operators with more than a few airplanes are running around a %80 load factor. When you subtract out the repositioning flights that airlines run at 2:00am (and sell tickets on), it means that the planes going where people want to go and times they want to get there are completely full.

So if you raise the fares, where exactly where are they going to go? No place, thats where, because there AREN'T any seats available on anyone.

SWA and the others can only absorb a certain amount of expansion and Boeing/Airbus can only build so many planes per month. So take avantage of this...raise the sh!t out of fares, because you will probably only lose a few points load factor, but you will be shedding all of the deadbeats.

Nu

 

[PropsR4Boats]

You shouldn't use the pillows anyway. Don't you know that is a great way to get sick?

Take'n my snack away, now that gets to me!

 

[Cobra]

Re

Raise prices then. If they would all do it, then everyone would make money. If you've got 80% load factors and you are losing money something is very wrong. My goodness i figured it out even on lemonade tycoon that if you have too many people trying to buy your lemonade if you raise the price you make more money and have a reasonable line.

True, but your logic is incomplete reference the state of the industry. The lemonade tycoon doesn't have to compete with other lemonade tycoons that are bankrupt, have been in bankruptcy for what should be criminal amounts of time, paying their bills pennies on the dollar. This is the environment so called healthy solvent carriers get to do to business in this day and age.

Judge Wedoff presiding over at UAL most be reaping some pretty good kickbacks as he signs off on one break after another.

G

 

[doh]

... Commuting days are numbered, anyway...get to go back on reserve in Orlando!!

Insane jealousy leaking out of my pores! I couldn't hold MCO ! Congrats... b@stad!