Would you pay extra for an aisle seat?

[tuna pimp]

Which kind of shows how smart management types are. It is possible to fill up an airplane and lose money. Whether it is coordinated or not, proces need to go up across the board. Problem is, right now, those smart management types see a fare increase at a competing carrier as a possibility for increased market share, all while losing money to get it. Personally I would rather have 10% market share and make money than hav a 90% market share and be losing my a$$.

This is true at some carriers. By the same token, this is why some carriers are reducing capacity (AA, DL, UA). To increase yield by cutting back capacity. The other side of the equation is to then redeploy the capacity in markets that are more insulated from low fare attacks (Latin/transAtlantic).

 

[gator_hater]

Sure, would pay different amounts for different seats, I would also pay more for the crappy middle seat. You pay mre for "better" seats at the ball game or the concert, why not the airplane??

 

[BlackPilot628]

Tuna Pimp,

I respect the post and it was a good post. I'm no economics major for sure and I'm sure there is more to it than raising prices. It seems that all of the carriers want to other carriers to jump at it first. Well, SWA has. I assure you that SWA will continue running at their 80% + load factor.
I'm not just talking about 1 airline raising prices. I think all the airlines need to raise prices, make it better for everyone.

A B757/B767 Capt for United told me in a hotel van last summer, that is was cheaper for his wife to fly on SWA from FLL-TPA then it was for him to catch a van service from PBI-FLL to commute to ORD. That's just crazy to me.

Thank for an informative post.

 

[blackbox]

Just to clarify.........its not 15 bucks for just an aisle seats. Its only on the aisle seats that offer more leg room. Like, i think its row 6C on the DC-9, where there isnt a seat in front of you. Or on the aisle seat 757s that are right behind the 2 seats in an exit row. its not every seat with a C or D on it.

 

[tuna pimp]

Tuna Pimp,

I respect the post and it was a good post. I'm no economics major for sure and I'm sure there is more to it than raising prices. It seems that all of the carriers want to other carriers to jump at it first. Well, SWA has. I assure you that SWA will continue running at their 80% + load factor.
I'm not just talking about 1 airline raising prices. I think all the airlines need to raise prices, make it better for everyone.

A B757/B767 Capt for United told me in a hotel van last summer, that is was cheaper for his wife to fly on SWA from FLL-TPA then it was for him to catch a van service from PBI-FLL to commute to ORD. That's just crazy to me.

Thank for an informative post.

Problem is just that you can't have all the carriers discuss a fare increase ahead of time. That's collusion and the Feds don't take too kindly to it. So the way it works is that one carrier will come out and file an increase in fares and then hope that all the other ones follow. I think DL just filed an increase last week again. Usually it's the SWA's and JetBlues of the world that don't lead or follow and end up spoiling the party for everybody else.

Lately that's been changing too and the industry has been gaining some traction in terms of average fare:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006-03-20-summer-travel_x.htm