Southwest To Attack Rivals' Flight-Change Fees

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines is giving its "bag cops" a break.

Southwest has been running a heavy dose of TV commercials boasting that unlike most other airlines it lets passengers check two bags for free.

But the airline said Friday it will launch a new TV commercial designed to boost sales on its website. The ad, featuring singing and dancing employees in Chicago, is important to Southwest because its flights don't appear on online booking websites such as Orbitz and Travelocity.

Also, Southwest is seeking actors for commercials that will target airlines that charge customers up to $150 to change their itinerary. Southwest doesn't charge a fee for changing flights on a ticket.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said the airline hasn't decided when or how widely the new campaign will run.

Brett Snyder, who blogs about airlines as The Cranky Flier, said the change-fees ads will probably be less effective than Southwest's long-running "bags fly free" campaign. He said travelers know that they will get charged for checking a bag on other airlines, but they don't know if they'll ever need to change their itinerary.

Comments

[amber15]

07:41 PM on 10/18/2010

I flew Southwest from one coast to the other and the Stewards were incredible, they entertained us all the way singing and dancing and having a great time, passengers were clapping and laughing the entire trip!

[J0E1]

02:30 PM on 10/18/2010

I like the lack of fees on a southwest flight but I rarely check bags. Southwest used to be cheaper but their prices have gone way up. I would say that maybe 1 out of every 4 flights are cheaper through southwest.

[Name Not In Use]

05:12 AM on 10/17/2010

Don't forget the the bag fees were instituted because the price of gas spiked and it was supposed to pay for the increased cost to fuel the planes carrying the extra weight.

They just forgot to take them away.

Go Southwest!

PS: Bring back the hotpants!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHnqnyzegfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR7JApjgIGw&NR

[Palito]

03:40 AM on 10/17/2010

theres a reason why Southwest has consistently been making profits for 38 years while the big legacy carriers keep going in endless cycles of bankruptcy-bailout-merger with terrible customer service and absurd fare pricing and fee rules.

[isee61]

12:09 AM on 10/17/2010

That's why I love to fly Southwest Airlines.

I almost had a heart attach when I downloaded my ticket and was charged $25 dollars to check 1 bag. It was continental airlines, who would have thought you could be charged for taking a bag on a trip. It's cheaper sending your luggage fed-ex than to take it back and forth on an airplane.

Anything to fleece your customer.

[J0E1]

02:27 PM on 10/18/2010

A 40lb package from NYC to LA with overnight shipping is about $250 each way. $47 if you pack in advance and send it ground shipping 4 days before your arrival.

[GerryS]

10:00 PM on 10/16/2010

good for southwest,

the major carriers are in business to hose you, the flying public,

and maybe get you to your destination ------------

[poliguy70130]

09:33 PM on 10/16/2010

Southwest by far is the easiest airlines to deal with. I get a feeling of dread when I am forced to fly on most of the other airlines.

[army193]

08:48 PM on 10/16/2010

This is how the game should be played. I remember the good old days when there was competition at the gas pumps. It's sad but funny it was called gas wars, there was no shooting or killing nor bombing based on the use of war. Oh how times have changed.

[edsimon1977]

05:39 PM on 10/16/2010

I remember getting stuck with the fee one time when I booked the flight to depart the day after I needed.

This is good to know for future reference.

[montn2]

04:54 PM on 10/16/2010

In the past I flew American, United and US Air but will now only fly with Southwest. The reasons are simple: no charge for changing schedules, no charge for bags, no penalty for canceling a flight altogether (they simply credit your account), and the biggest reason of all -- they are fun to be around! The employees make you feel like a customer. Seating arrangements, while not assigned, have become more efficient in the last couple of years. I also love the on line check in plus the new service of automated check in -- that one is fee based though. I fly frequently and if Southwest cannot get me there, I will drive!

[FreeSpeech4All]

03:53 PM on 10/16/2010

Southwest doesn't have good schedules/connections for where I want to fly out of PDX, so I've only flown them once. The "cattle-call" style run for the seats is what turned me off from probably ever trying them again. It makes a significant difference to me in terms of comfort as to where I sit, especially on longer flights.

[Name Not In Use]

05:30 AM on 10/17/2010

"The "cattle-call" style run for the seats"

They don't do that anymore.

Southwest is almost always way cheaper if you book online in advance.

The regular fares out of Portland do seem high, though.

Purchased in advance they are way lower. $320 vs $869 non stop RT Chicago for example.

[vippy]

11:03 AM on 10/16/2010

I really oppose the bag fee, when you have a round trip but stop over for a few days somewhere,
mind you on the same route from Germany to Texas, stop off in Arkansas, and then have to pay all over again for the bags. A one time charge should be sufficient on the ticket.

[DougInPgh]

09:09 AM on 10/16/2010

I love southwest and think their ads are a riot. But they've become so expensive in my market i can't fly them anymore. Even if I did fly with bags it would still come out more expensive. Blerg. I miss picking my own seat.

[d00gle]

08:07 AM on 10/16/2010

I haven't flown southwest yet but do like the competition.

[vikranth]

04:34 AM on 10/16/2010

Wow!! that's great for passengers....not for competitors though

Vikranth
http://HelloExpert.com