Southwest shuns Basic Economy as rivals add it
Southwest Airlines CE Gary Kelly told investors Thursday the carrier won’t offer Basic Economy like its largest rivals because carving up the cabin would only sow confusion among its customers. “There is a huge value in offering all of our customers – 100% of them – a great product,” Kelly said. “We like to say at Southwest, there is no second class.” The question arose on a call to discuss Q4 earnings because Southwest's rivals are offering cheaper Basic Economy fares to compete against ULCCs such as Spirit and Frontier. Delta Air Lines pioneered Basic Economy in March 2015 and continues to expand. American Airlines announced this month it would begin selling its version of Basic Economy in February in select markets. And United Airlines plans to begin selling its version by the end of March. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2017-01-27/unaligned/southwest-shuns-basic-economy-as-rivals-add-it
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
Southwest shuns Basic Economy as rivals add it
Southwest Airlines CE Gary Kelly told investors Thursday the carrier won’t offer Basic Economy like its largest rivals because carving up the cabin would only sow confusion among its customers. “There is a huge value in offering all of our customers – 100% of them – a great product,” Kelly said. “We like to say at Southwest, there is no second class.” The question arose on a call to discuss Q4 earnings because Southwest's rivals are offering cheaper Basic Economy fares to compete against ULCCs such as Spirit and Frontier. Delta Air Lines pioneered Basic Economy in March 2015 and continues to expand. American Airlines announced this month it would begin selling its version of Basic Economy in February in select markets. And United Airlines plans to begin selling its version by the end of March. <br/>
