There’s nothing complicated about the results of a new study: Consumers prefer brands featuring products, services, pricing, …
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue Proves There’s a Reasonable Way to Hit Us With Fees
You know the drill: An airline hikes its fees, and within seconds travelers vent their outrage in response. JetBlue shows that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Airline Baggage Fees: On the Rise — Yet More Passengers Deem Them ‘Reasonable’
Even as overall baggage fees have increased, some of the nation’s biggest airlines aren’t collecting as much as they did a couple of years ago. Perhaps even more surprisingly, there’s been a sharp rise in travelers who aren’t …
One Airline That Stubbornly Refuses to Pile on the Fees (For Now)
Most airlines view fees for baggage and ticket changes as easy, highly lucrative revenue streams. Southwest Airlines views them quite differently: If it added baggage fees on par with other carriers, Southwest says it would lose …
Oof! Airline Fees Rise Yet Again: At Least $200 to Change a Flight
This week, United Airlines jacked up fees on passengers who need to adjust travel plans. For flights within the U.S., customers must fork over at least $200 (up from $150) for changing tickets.
Air Travel by the Pound and Other Odd Airline Pricing Schemes
After tiny upstart carrier Samoa Air announced it would start charging passengers based on how much they weigh, travelers reacted by calling the pricing model wacky, impractical, even discriminatory. But it’s only one of several weird, possibly unwelcomed ways that flights might be priced down the line.
Southwest Airlines: We’re Not Really About Cheap Flights Anymore
The U.S.’s biggest “low fare” airline appears to be experiencing an identity crisis. In Southwest’s new ad campaign, there’s no silly humor and no mention of “bags fly free” or cheap flight prices. The message is that this is a …
Ugh, More Airline Fees: Want a Decent Seat on Southwest? Pay Up
Et tu, Southwest? A relative absence of fees and an overall nonelitist, democratic approach to airline travel are among the reasons Southwest Airlines has been so successful. A new fee — $40 to be among the first on the plane …
Top Customer Ratings Go to ‘Low-Cost’ Airlines With Fewest Fees
In the most recent passenger satisfaction survey from J.D. Power and Associates, the two top-rated airlines are JetBlue and Southwest. While both are considered low-cost carriers, compared to the mainstream they’re more generous …
Customer Service Via Twitter? Some Companies Are On It, Others Not So Much
With retailers working hard to grow the ranks of their Twitter followers, consumers are increasingly using the service to get basic customer service and even to try to resolve disputes. But a new study, released Wednesday by STELLAService, shows their success rates vary widely.
It’s a Deal: Flights from $10 on Frontier Airlines
Denver-based Frontier Airlines is hosting a special airfare sale in which flights between Albuquerque and Denver cost just $9.99 each way. Tickets between Denver and Durango start at $34, meanwhile, and routes such as Kansas City-New Orleans (from $44) and Milwaukee-St. Louis ($44) are also on sale. Purchases must be made by August 3, a …
Stupid Airfare Tricks: Taxes Go Away, But Fares Stay the Same
A deadlocked Congress refuses to advance legislation and government functions grind to a halt. Sound familiar? Actually, this isn’t the debt ceiling debate. It’s a dispute that’s put the Federal Aviation Administration in an …