SWA going to Denver!!!

[koko nw]

Since when do price sensitive travelers care about who offers a "better customer experience?" Many, many business travelers prefer WN over any of the legacies due to the greater convenience and customer service.
Bottom line is that Southwest will set the price in Denver. If you don't want to lose too many customers, you had better match. They are coming to play.

Ya got number's to back that up champ?

How many gates does SWA's have? They will set the price to ......? OMA,OKC, OAK,MDW......? How much of that traffic is O/D?

Pretty bold statement there Miles, I guess F9 and UAL better just close shop and take their toy's somewhere else....

Doing the rain dance......

 

[CKS747RCC]

Here is the thing.... Yes SWA will bring in lower fares, and F9 and UAL will match the fares. But, remember, this is F9's turf, and they employee a lot of people in the area, and there is a lot of loyal F9 pax since it is Colorado's only airline. Plus, F9 does offer a better service. Since many people who travel F9 live in COL, all F9 has to do is match SW's prices, and SWA will have a problem filling seats to the same destinations. This is sort of the same thing that has happened in Seattle. SW, hasn't crushed Alaska like they would have hoped. There are a lot of loyal AS customers up and down the west coast, and as long as AS continues to match their faires, or even within $5 bucks, SW won't be able to pull pax from AS like they have from many other airlines. Thus the reason SW wanted to try and gain a cost advantage over AS by moving to Boeing Field. F9 will have their hands full, but it shouldn't take too much to protect their turf!! Yes, SWA is a incredably strong company, but if it weren't for their fuel hedges, their in the same boat as everyone else. If fuel stays at $60 a barrel, SWA will eventually be paying what everyone else is (even if its not until 2010, and they have all but taken over the world). And then they won't have the cost advantage over other airlines!! Just something to chew on!!

F9 does by far have the better package. I'd much rather fly an A318/319 with ample leg room, assigned seating and all the amenities of first class for the same price as WN's "cattle connections". I also prefer hub and spoke flying as opposed to "point to point" flying.

 

[jball2]

SWA HAS 32-33 inches of seat pitch. This is actually the MOST legroom of the majors except for AA (some a/c), UAL (economy plus)and maybe Jetblue. Our seats are also just under and inch wider than other carriers since we don't use beverage carts. So other than the tv's F9 has and their assigned seats, our products are comparable.

BTW- Our seats are leather.

This was not meant to slam Frontier but more to clarify that while Southwest has in the past, had a reputation for cramped airplanes, we actually have some of the roomiest in the sky. Certainly the most legroom in coach on a 737.

 

[ivauir]

I also prefer hub and spoke flying as opposed to "point to point" flying.

Really? You'd rather change planes in some large, delay prone airport and have twice the odds of being late? That seems a little odd. Oh well, W/E. Most folks I know prefer to get on a plane at the airport closest to their homes and get off of it at their destination.

Anyway, we are not going to DEN to "put XXX or YYY out of business". We are going because we think we can make a buck. Usually, we are right, and given the history in CO I'd say we must awfully sure to risk coming back.

 

[F9 Driver]

SWA HAS 32-33 inches of seat pitch. This is actually the MOST legroom of the majors except for AA (some a/c), UAL (economy plus)and maybe Jetblue. Our seats are also just under and inch wider than other carriers since we don't use beverage carts. So other than the tv's F9 has and their assigned seats, our products are comparable.

BTW- Our seats are leather.

This was not meant to slam Frontier but more to clarify that while Southwest has in the past, had a reputation for cramped airplanes, we actually have some of the roomiest in the sky. Certainly the most legroom in coach on a 737.

No slam taken. Just to set the record straight F9 has 33 inch seat pitch at every row and the Bus' fuselage is 7 inches larger in diameter than the 737 so we put one extra inch in each seat and an extra inch in the aisle.

All your seats are leather?

 

[koko nw]

Really? You'd rather change planes in some large, delay prone airport and have twice the odds of being late? That seems a little odd. Oh well, W/E. Most folks I know prefer to get on a plane at the airport closest to their homes and get off of it at their destination.

Anyway, we are not going to DEN to "put XXX or YYY out of business". We are going because we think we can make a buck. Usually, we are right, and given the history in CO I'd say we must awfully sure to risk coming back.

I found it odd too, but statistics is a funny animal,

On time performance Aug 2005 BTS.gov

SWA 78.4%
F9 85.1%
UAL 80.9%

Now NWA,DAL and AA were in the mid to low 70's but I believe your theisis of a hub and spoke being twice as likely to be late.....well a little inflated. Sorry couldn't find yearly figures.

On your second point your shack on.

regards

 

[Tejas-Jet]

Cuz you can bet UAL will be adding more flights from DEN to everywhere SWA's gonna be flying...

Well then, this tells me that UAL must have a bunch of airplanes that are just sitting around....or they are gonna take airplanes off other routes to add these flights to "everywhere SWA's gonna be flying."

I wonder which routes those airplanes will come from....

Tejas

 

[Hvy]

WAYYYYY bad for UAL! Looks like TED (terrible exicutive decision) has his work cut out

Still clueless, aren't you?

 

[ivauir]

All your seats are leather?

Just about, there are a very small number of interiors that haven't been updated, but they should all be done soon.

 

[canyonblue]

Lot of trash talking and the game hasn't even been played yet. There are plenty of people who want to fly out of Denver so enough with the "my plane is bigger than your plane crap", we get it already. From the DEN commuters I have talked to in the past, Frontier has a good product and Ted is a good product. We have No TV, No Meals and No assigned seats and apparently our August on-time stats suck. For Frontier and United this should be a cake walk, so don't fret about it. D#mn it's great to be the underdog.