Southwest is an airline that has gained a reputation for being inexpensive. Many people look at the company and feel that they are getting a great deal by flying Southwest. This is mostly due to their low prices!
When you look at the price of an airplane ticket, it can be hard to tell if you are getting a good deal. When you look at the price per mile traveled, it really doesn’t seem like a lot is costed.
However, as a person traveling, you may notice that it takes much longer to get from point A to point B on Southwest compared to other airlines. You will also find that travel with them is more relaxing than with other airlines.
This article will talk about some of the reasons why Southwest is expensive and how you can make sure to save money by flying them.
Contents:
Price sensitivity
Price is a very sensitive thing for most people. When you look at the cost of things in your life, you see how expensive they are?
That is why there are so many strategies to save money! You can create price conscious habits by watching movie previews and online shopping sales events. You can also stock up on things at store fronts or large-box stores like Target and Walmart.
But, with so many options out there, it can be difficult to know which one is the best choice for you. It is hard to sift through the messages and comments on online reviews, because so many people focus on just that.
In addition to people being sensitive to the price, some people are sensitive to quality when it comes to goods. They do not feel like they get what they pay for with these companies, though. They claim their products will last you years of use, but that is not true every time.
Low fare airlines
While the term low fare has become a permanent part of our vocabulary, it is not always clear what low fare means today.
For example, is a $80 ticket on Southwest really low fare? Is a $300 flight on United Airlines really low fare? Which brings us back to our topic of discussion: why is Southwest so expensive?
While the answer may not be simple, there are several reasons why some airlines cost more than others. One major reason is whether they offer full-range promotions or only limited discounts on their services.
For example, when you book an apartment through Holdington Beach Apartments, you can book your reservation via full-range offers: by phone, Facebook, or email. However, if you only want the apartment with the full-range offer, then you can choose between two different buildings.
These types of exclusions can cost more in terms of supply and demand as people look to save money.
Limited flights
While most airlines offer more than a few flights for $30-40, the majority of them are in the $60 range. This is due to limited flights being the majority business model for most airlines.
For example, if you want to fly twice per month to your job, you will have to purchase two airline tickets– once for your arrival and once for your departure. This is how they make money as they charge people who travel frequently to shop with them.
Limited flights are usually in the $10 range and can be had in just a few days of being available. Today and into the future, this will help businesses get their foot in the door quickly with less overhead cost involved.
No seat reserves
There is a reserved seat policy at every airport, even in cases where the person next to you is having a bad day and wants to be assured of a good ride out of the airport.
Until recently, this was an effective way to keep people on their side of the plane, since you could ask a passenger nearby if they saw them get in the seat and they would probably say yes.
These days, it is very difficult to reserve a seat when there are only two seats available per plane. Even then, it usually takes about an hour for everyone to get their seats and make their way to the plane, so by then it is too late.
This is such a shame, because once people know they can book early and secure a cheap flight, the airline can raise its revenue by giving people access to the seats.
Frequent flier programs
In addition to having an excellent product and great customer service, many frequent flier programs have high annual fee charges that can cost you your money.
If you do not make a credit card purchase through the airline’s website, then you will have to pay cash at the airport or via their airlines partner carrier. This can be costly if you did not use your card enough to make the purchase required by the airline.
If you spend a lot with your card during annual fee credits, then it may be better to choose one of the lower cost cards so that you get more reward points for your money.
The problem with frequent flier programs is that they take your money for nothing in exchange for nothing in return. By making such offers, companies are able to generate revenue from nothing in return for something.
No pay-with-points airline loyalty program
While there are a few pay-with-points airline loyalty programs such as Cartwheel and Pointsparksantage, neither of them have a retail partner component, which is why it is so important for you to evaluate the program compared to other airline loyalty programs.
As you can probably imagine, having a points system that depends on shopping vs. flying in your shopping behavior is not the most confidence inspiring way to build loyalty.
Also, since both Cartwheel and Pointsparksantage have retail partners, it becomes more of a property rights issue than an airline loyalty issue. If you want to fly Southwest but don’t want to rely on their points program, then you are stuck with what Southwest has to offer – very expensive prices for very small savings.
Overall, neither point reward program comes close to matching the cost savings of another reward program with its properties.
Customer service
Being a large airline, Southwest has a lot to say for itself. Luckily, they have you and your family’s back with their excellent customer service.
With over 1,000 total employees, there is definitely someone on-hand to help you when you call or visit. Some people may even go the extra mile to help you out, like Andy Nalepa from his blog The Reluctant Airline Fan.
When Andy helps people with questions about aviation, he goes the extra mile by giving him updates on flight schedules and answering questions about them. He even responds to emails and tweets himself! This goes a long way in helping people understand what they are paying for and why it is needed.
Many employees on the company’s social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have customer service accounts so they can respond to comments and questions alike.
Not a value purchase anymore
As we discussed earlier, Value Purchase cards have been discontinued. Instead, you must pay full price for purchases or online at swoop.com.
This is a major change as now you have to pay full price for your purchases instead of being able to take a jump at lower cost items!
Swingline also uses the term value purchase in their sales terms and conditions so it is easy for people to see that something is a low cost item, however, this doesn’t always apply to all products.
For example, if you bought a laptop at full price, it would not qualify as a value purchase as you still had to pay for shipping and handling charges as well as the product.