I feel old saying this, but there was a time when you could check a bag on any airline for free. Present day, it will cost you at least $25 per bag on almost all domestic flights. Each airline has its own policies and some will even charge you for carry-ons (cough.. Spirit). Here are some suggestions for getting around those fees. The Fees Most international flights include a free checked bag, but not all. In general, the bag fees covered in this post apply to domestic flights on domestic carriers. Southwest is better than the rest in terms of fees. They are the only domestic airline that does not charge for a checked bag. Even better, you can bring two checked bags for free, plus a carry-on. That’s impressive considering its status as a …show more content…
Depending on the airline, you can get a free checked bag if you have the right credit card, buy the right fare or achieve elite status. One of the easiest and most common tactic is to get a credit card that’s co-branded airline credit card. Co-Branded Airline Credit Cards Every airline in the table above offers a co-branded credit card, but not all of those cards come with a free checked bag as a perk. These are the credit cards available from the three big domestic legacy carriers: Delta, American and United. The legacy carriers offer one relatively affordable card with a $95 annual fee that’s waived for the first year. If you travel often with checked luggage, you easily make your money back on the annual fee. Delta: Card Checked Bags Annual Fee Sign-Up Bonus Notable Perks Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card Free for cardholder and 8 companions $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95. 60,000 miles $50 statement credit after first Delta purchase Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card Free for cardholder and 8 companions Annual Membership Fee of $195. 70,000 miles and 5,000 elite qualifying miles Annual economy companion certificate; 10,000-mile bonus
As the project management triangle states, “do you want something done good, cheap, or fast?. Pick two!” That had been the constraints applied to many businesses until the launch of Southwest airlines in the mid 1960’s. Southwest managed to break free of the management triangle and offer safe (good), low cost (cheap), and timely (fast) air service in Texas and eventually across the United States. From the beginning, the company’s staff and management shared these goals, and developed a foundation on which to build the business. Visionary leaders Rollin King, Herb Kelleher, Colleen Barrett and other early leaders at Southwest, proved that there is no more competitive advantage than a dedicated, loyal work force. Her Kelleher’s transformational leadership style was just what the new airline needed to be successful, and motivate the staff of SWA to do what no other airline had done before: offer cheap, short distance, no frills air service, and make a profit doing it.
Southwest Airlines is one of the best airlines in the United States. It is widely known
Some speculate that this “new light” will not be positive for the airline; after all, one of the reasons Americans love Southwest is because it has always differed from other large and impersonal airlines, such as American Airlines and Delta. Southwest has always seemed like the underdog taking on the giant, overpriced competitors; now they seem to have hopped on board with the “big boys” of the airline industry. Another disturbing trend is that studies show Southwest’s fares have risen 39% over the last five years compared to a 10% rise in the rest of the industry, while Southwest still lets bags fly for free. There is some debate if that will be one of the items swept away in the airline’s big restructuring. Time will tell if Southwest’s top-notch customer service will still be enough to set them apart from other airlines, or if their new, “stiff” image will leave them with shaking heads and deficits on the balance sheet (Tuttle, 2013).
Spirit addresses “price” by attempting to get the lowest possible fair for their potential customers. They have instituted their “unbundling” strategy that essentially removes all the conveniences that other airlines afford. Fees for checked bags, fees for flight changes, and no complementary in-flight beverages are just a few of the cost-trimming techniques employed. This strategy allows Spirit to come up with impossibly low fares. It also conforms to customers who just want to get from point A to point B without paying extra for services they don’t use. This strategy, coupled with an in-your-face “promotion” ploy, has made Spirit Airlines “the most profitable airline in the U.S.” (Nicas, 2012).
One of Southwest Airlines’ operations resources is their flight point-to-point service to maximize its operational efficiency and stay cost-effective, where its aim is to keep their aircrafts in the air more often to achieve better capacity utilization. Another resource that they have is the consistent aircrafts that they employ, in which they only use one type of aircraft , the Boeing 737 jets. By maintaining a single model fleet, it significantly simplifies scheduling, operations and flight maintenance. Then training costs for pilots, ground crew and mechanics are not as high, due to the fact that there's only a single aircraft to learn. This then makes the purchasing, provisioning, and other operations vastly simplified and thereby lowering costs. A third operations resource that they have is their airport operations that include the following: “Ramp Agents, Operations Agents, Customer Service Agents, Provisioning Agents and Cargo Agents” (Our People). Without them, a flight on Southwest would not go as smoothly as it does now. The last operations resource to consider is Online or E-tickets. This allows the customer to be able to find the flight they want in their own home without the hassle of booking through a travel agent, it is fast and convenient.
Having a low amount of cost in their operations is one of the contributing factors in Southwest Airlines’ financial success. Such low cost model of the corporation is brought about by an effective strategy. Southwest uses only one type of aircraft – the fuel-efficient Boeing 737. This tactic keeps training and maintenance costs down. Moreover, the no-frills approach to customer service contributed to the low cost of operations for Southwest. The airline does not serve meals on board, and there are no luxurious or first class seats offered. Services like these have been seen by the airline as unnecessary for an airline that provides a short-haul trip from city to city. By these, Southwest were able to offer low price tickets to customers, which was good for the company because most people would prefer to fly without those services mentioned if it meant for cheaper ticket price.
More than 37 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And you know what? They were right. What began as a small Texas airline has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. Today, Southwest Airlines flies over 104 million passengers a year to 64 great cities all across the country, and we do it more than 3,400 times a day.
Flying across the globe can be a scary journey, but with Delta consumer feel the inviting, caring, and great quality that Delta stands for. When a customer enters onto a Delta plane the customer can start to feel the inviting atmosphere almost immediately. The customer sits down in the seat personally selected by the customer, as soon as the plane is in the air, beverages and snacks are being dispersed amongst the cabin. Delta Airlines has flights to over 326 destinations in 59
Distribution. Unlike other airlines in the industry, Southwest Airlines does not use third party booking reservation systems. They are unique in such a way that they operate ticket sales directly through their company. By limiting third party booking reservation systems, Southwest can keep their sales distribution in
Advertising: As one of the largest domestic airlines, Southwest Airlines has an enormous advertising budget to sustain its presence and increase its market share through focusing on the benefits of flying Southwest over its competitors. Southwest recognizes that flying is no longer a pleasurable experience for many customers, even on Southwest, historically a budget airline. Even though Southwest is often regarded as a no-frills airline, it still attempts to build goodwill from its customers based on its advertising. Of the $249 million it spent on advertising in 2011, Southwest Airlines is unique in that it does not sell additional ad space on the exterior of its aircraft. Many domestic airlines have begun selling aircraft exterior space as a way to increase revenue, but Southwest Airlines insists that it wants to keep its product and advertisi...
Southwest Airlines faced many barriers to entry from the fierce competition of other airlines in the industry. Though competition was fierce, Southwest Airlines managed to succeed by doing things differently. Their mission was to provide affordable air travel to those who would not normally fly. Contradictory to the rest of the airline industry, Southwest maintained a profit while keeping its fares low. Southwest was unique to the industry in two ways. They focused on the short haul traveler and used a point-to-point method of flight connections.
Delta Airlines has been a vibrant company in the airline industry, with great success over the years. Delta airlines started as a crops dusting company to serving more than 572 destinations, in 65 countries on six continents (Allan, H., David. H. ,2012). Delta airline moved its headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana to the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The great management strategies have portrayed from time to time to be fruitful even in the verge of a recession. With these consistency in delivery of services, it is clear that the company is out to outdo its competitors and turn out to be the greatest airline in the world.
The low cost and no frills strategy is make travel affordable at low cost. The company only operates one type of aircraft which is Boeing 737 to help maintenance cost low. Southwest was the first airline to use E-ticketing in this way customer can reserve spot and buy ticket on their web and allow less expense in printing tickets. Medium measured airports which allowed them to produce better time performance and less fuel costs so plane do not have to wait in the line at the runway. The core value of the company of “LUV and fun” makes the company great place to work that gives customer with a great experience.
When analyzing Delta, you do not have to search very far before quite possibly one its strongest attribute rears its head. Based on calendar 2000 data, Delta is the largest U.S. airline in terms of aircraft departures and passengers enplaned, and third largest as measured by operating revenues and revenue passenger miles flown. Delta is the leading U.S. airline in the transatlantic, offering the most daily flight departures, serving the largest number of nonstop markets and carrying more passengers than any other U.S. airline. Delta Air Lines transports more passengers worldwide than any other airline. Through a vast worldwide route system Delta has flown over 117 million passengers, more than any other airline in the world. Delta mainline, domestic and international service, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection®, Delta Sky Team and Worldwide Partners operate 6,400 flights each day to over 450 cities in 98 countries.
It all started in 1971, when Rolling King and Herb Kelleher decided to challenge the existing rut of charging high prices for air travels. They considered the railways and roadways their competitors and decided to offer cheaper travel for smaller routes. The company was incorporated in 1967, apart from initial entry troubles, Southwest has been the only US airline to have earned profits since 1973. The eccentric company’s outlandish way of conducting themselves has been the sole reason for Southwest Airlines to succeed in a highly competitive and packed industry.