First, I am very happy to see that the majority of people are against this idea, a sentiment which is being reflected across airline blogs and message boards. This is a bad idea. In recent years Southwest just seems determined to destroy their own business model. First it was flying into destinations they had stayed away from for years that can only be trouble (BOS, LGA, DEN), now its fees on the “no-fee airline”. Fees and ancillary revenue have become the standard for legacy carriers but I had sincerely hoped and rooted for Southwest to outsmart the other guys and find another way, as they have for so long. This new fee shows that Southwest is not the Southwest I thought it was.
As a 6’6’’ college student who travels every other month or so out of PHL I appreciated being able to log on 24 hours in advance to ensure that I can have as low of a boarding number as possible and most importantly, leg room. If I wasn’t able to get a low number it was not a big deal as I hadn’t lost anything. This fee doesn’t guarantee me anything and if I can’t get the extra leg room, the 10 bucks will have been a waste.
This is a slippery slope to more fees and complicates a boarding process that Southwest prides itself on keeping “simple”. We now have Business Select, Rapids Rewards A-List, EarlyBird (Pay-first, board first?), General Boarding, and Family Boarding. Simple enough right? Should we expect an announcement about assigned seating next month because with this much complexity that is where we are headed.
Southwest is simply getting away from the position it has carved out for itself with its recent moves. I understand the economic downturn has hit the airlines as hard as any industry but now is the time to reinforce why people have flown with Southwest in good times and bad not make them question it. Companies survive economic downturns by being smart and reinforcing their values. With this Southwest has resorted to the cheap nickel-diming of the rest of the airline industry and has turned their back on some of their most core values.
Where is the LUV?
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