The Battle in MSP Begins.....(SWA .vs DeltaWest)

JEP

Does It Really Matter....?
Staff member
Fare to Chicago on Southwest: $69 one way
By LIZ FEDOR and PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

November 6, 2008

Low-fare airline Southwest Airlines today revealed its fare for its new, long-awaited service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago's Midway Airport: $69 for a one-way trip.

That significantly undercuts the cheapest fares now offered to Chicago by Northwest, American and United: $426 one-way and $376 roundtrip, not including holiday specials, according to Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com.

Northwest has said it would match Southwest's fares to Chicago and expand service to 10 or more roundtrip flights daily to O'Hare and Midway.

Southwest's service will begin March 8 with eight daily nonstop roundtrip flights to Midway. The $69 fare is for a 21-day advance purchase and does not include airport fees and taxes.

Southwest says its airline is known for stimulating traffic and decreasing fares when it enters a market.

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said in late September, when the airline announced expansion to the Twin Cities, that Southwest will offer at least eight to 10 daily departures to Midway beginning in March.

Southwest, which now carries more fliers domestically than any other airline, connects to more than 50 cities from Midway.

Liz Fedor • 612-673-7709 Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
 
$69 is SWA's pretty much standard one-way fare opening volley. Question is, how many tickets are gonna be available on the "Fun Fare" on each flight......

As for the increased frequency, who does that route currently? I know we did MDW for about two weeks after I got here 2+ years ago.
 
$69 is SWA's pretty much standard one-way fare opening volley. Question is, how many tickets are gonna be available on the "Fun Fare" on each flight......

As for the increased frequency, who does that route currently? I know we did MDW for about two weeks after I got here 2+ years ago.

Another plus is that SWA is not flying out of the Lindbergh terminal. People will avoid that if at all possible.
 
Another plus is that SWA is not flying out of the Lindbergh terminal. People will avoid that if at all possible.

Plenty of gates at the Humphrey terminal if Sun Country goes TA. I'd avoid the Lindbergh terminal like the plague if I could. It's always park at something like B16 or A14 and DH back to MEM outta the G concourse. Don't need a gym if we've got gate connects like that.
 
I need to beat the JC member named "butt" to the punch here....

:sarcasm:

This proves SWA pilots are scabs, they are undercutting the rest of the industry!!!

:sarcasm:
 
Oh nevermind the family fun-o-editor took my word out.... how many webboards are you with, at the same time??? Do you go to one in every city or what? :D

Kid's asleep, wife's out knitting and the Xbox 360 won't be back from Microsoft Fix-It Camp until tomorrow. I got nothing better to do right now.
 
I honestly don't see SWA doing any major harm to NW/DL in MSP. They've been flying into DTW as long as I can remember... NWA managed somehow. Sun Country, on the other hand, is pretty much doomed when you add in all of their other troubles.
 
What's the deal with the ATL? You still goin'?

Nah. I missed the displacement by about 600 seniority numbers. So, if they're not gonna show me the money, I'll waste away here until I can hold a line there. Not gonna commute to reserve if I don't have to.
 
I honestly don't see SWA doing any major harm to NW/DL in MSP. They've been flying into DTW as long as I can remember... NWA managed somehow. Sun Country, on the other hand, is pretty much doomed when you add in all of their other troubles.

Major harm?? What is major? The fair on NWA that yesterday was selling for close to $350 rt to MDW is now $128. That's a difference of close to $230. Now I am no math wizard but if they are barely breaking even on a $350 fair I would think the matching of SWA and their $130-$150 total fair which they have done they are going to have some harm indeed.

SWA (Humphrey Terminal) will be away from NWA, people here are fed up with NWA and frankly the majority of the travelers (right or wrong) will look for the lowest price. In general people cannot wait for SWA to arrive.
 
Are you making a value judgement on something or are you talking about air fares JEP? :)
 
Are you making a value judgement on something or are you talking about air fares JEP? :)

I'm not quite sure, I guess a little bit of both.....I have flown NWA plenty (no ####, sherlock) and while NWA will match the fares of SWA for sometime, I would take value in flying out of the Humphrey terminal. Shoot unlike the general consumer here (I think) I would even go SWA if they were slightly more. I would put more value in the whole travel experience if you will.

Where is the 'value' you say...I guess that depends on who you ask?

same fares - same cities? I'll take SWA because of the value I place on not having to use the Lindbergh Terminal.

SWA slightly higher fares - still same cities? I'm still going to the Humphrey terminal.

Now if the fares or city-pairs are drastically different, then I would out more value on the 'fares', especially if I was traveling with the family.

Hopefully that makes some sense.
 
Major harm?? What is major? The fair on NWA that yesterday was selling for close to $350 rt to MDW is now $128. That's a difference of close to $230. Now I am no math wizard but if they are barely breaking even on a $350 fair I would think the matching of SWA and their $130-$150 total fair which they have done they are going to have some harm indeed.

That's what I'm busting your chops about! ha!
 
Okay, "major harm" was just the first thing that came to mind...

As has been pointed out on this and other threads, SWA starts with a low-ball price, but will raise it over time.

Do you actually think that eight flights a day for connecting flights will push Northwest/Delta out of MSP??? Remember, that $69 fare to MDW is sans fees and taxes... and only to MDW (and don't forget that not every seat is that cheap). Wanna go somewhere else? Well, it'll cost you more money. SWA connects to more than 50 cities from MDW... how many cities does NWA fly to non-stop from MSP?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a free-market/consumer's choice kinda guy, but gimme a break, this is hardly doom and gloom for NWA.

Yes, I guess I have a dog in this fight, but I don't see SWA being a threat in MSP.
 
Okay, "major harm" was just the first thing that came to mind...

As has been pointed out on this and other threads, SWA starts with a low-ball price, but will raise it over time.

Do you actually think that eight flights a day for connecting flights will push Northwest/Delta out of MSP??? Remember, that $69 fare to MDW is sans fees and taxes... and only to MDW (and don't forget that not every seat is that cheap). Wanna go somewhere else? Well, it'll cost you more money. SWA connects to more than 50 cities from MDW... how many cities does NWA fly to non-stop from MSP?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a free-market/consumer's choice kinda guy, but gimme a break, this is hardly doom and gloom for NWA.

Yes, I guess I have a dog in this fight, but I don't see SWA being a threat in MSP.

Doom and gloom, heck no, I am not saying that by any means....I just think that SWA will be on NWA...I mean Delta's radar a bit more here in Minny. If DeltaWest wasn't a bit worried they would have left their fares alone. There have been a few that have tried to take on NWA and been rightly dismissed. I don't think it will be as easy to do so with SWA.
 
JEP, I'm willing to bet most people don't even THINK which terminal the flight is going out of when they click on Orbitz for the cheapest "fair." I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it, and I almost LIVE out of the Lindbergh terminal sometimes.
 
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