Airfare Wars May Soon Benefit CA Passengers
With its $2.6 billion deal to acquire Virgin America, Alaska Airlines is trying to wrestle control of the skies over California from Southwest Airlines.
Eventually, Alaska wants to be the “go-to” airline for all passengers flying along the West Coast, but it’s primary objective is clear: unseat SWA in CA.
That’s a lot easier said than done for one primary reason: Californians are as stuck to taking Southwest for short flights as they are to their cars on the freeways in the cities. And you had better give them a darned-good reason to give up one for the other.
Southwest is popular among California flyers for several reasons and if Alaska is to soar over SWA, then it need to do what Southwest does and even top it. PubClub.com will be happy to offer suggestions on how to do it, by the way, but below are the top factors you’re up against with Southwest.
The good thing for passengers is that there’s likely to be some airfare wars. So keep an eye out for deals and fare sales on both carriers.
Why California Passengers Fly And Love SWA
• You book one-way fares. So if you are going to, say Vegas, you can book the cheap fare there and the full fare on the return which means you can change the ticket multiple times with no penalty.
• You get two free checked bags. And you’re not hassled for the overhead space, either.
• Southwest has flights every hour to the key cities people in California want to fly to: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and San Jose.
• The staff and flight attendants are friendly. Sometimes even funny.
• It’s more casual and relaxed (read: less stressful) to fly SWA than other airlines.
• Flights to Vegas are often “party flights” meaning the crew not only lets you have fun, it encourages you to have fun.
Leave a Reply