reply to classmates post

John Blike III posted Feb 28, 2018 2:26 PM

 For most, air travel is a stressful and undesirable affair. I think that many of the complaints stem not just from an experience provided by the airline, but the total travel experience, bag check-in, TSA, long lines and tight spaces do not make for a fun day. I do not travel much, but I have to fly to St Louis for work from time to time. Every flight I take to St Louis has been on Southwest. I do not think that I have any special loyalty to Southwest, but the prices are low and the nonstop flight is ideal, no one likes layovers. I have flown a few other airlines, Delta, American and jetBlue, and none of my experiences were any more or less remarkable than my experiences on Southwest, so with all things being equal, I choose based on price, and less fees. 

     As for Spirit, I do not think that I would ever want to fly Spirit Airlines. I do not care that the average fare is only $75, there are some things just not worth sacrificing. I am not a small person, the idea of a plane with 30 extra seats jammed on it does not sound like an experience that I would like to be a part of. That being said, there is always going to be a market for the lowest price. As the CEO stated, people hate Wal-Mart, but they are still the largest retailer in the world. While I would not fly Spirit, the people who do know what they are paying for. With no frills, the passengers are just sharing the fixed costs of the flight and that allows the low fares.

     I do not think that Spirit will overtake Southwest's market share. While many people are price conscious, people also look at value. Sure the price may be lower for a ticket on Spirit, but what is the value of the ticket. With Southwest there are no checked bag fees for the first 2 bags, they have Wi-Fi on many of their planes, and free satellite television, each of these factors add value to the ticket. With Spirit, you get a seat, a seat the doesn't recline and is jammed with 20% more seats than other airlines put on the same size plane. The only value Spirit provides is a low cost. For me, and I am sure many others, the value of a Southwest ticket is better than the value of a Spirit ticket.