Southwest is buying AirTran!

[marcyinPA]

I am surprised to hear people that have had issues with Air Tran. I have flown them several times, exclusively for the past couple years and have never had a flight time changed, plane delayed, nothing.

We almost always fly Air Tran and have never had a problem either. They have changed our flights, but it's usually only by a few minutes, and almost always to our advantage (like flying out of Orlando a few minutes later than scheduled! )...It's never been a big deal!

 

[richmo]

I'm wondering if this will affect already booked flights from ABE to MCO in February. I don't know how fast the acquisition will take place.

Shouldn't be a problem. I'm reading that this may not take effect until early 2012.

 

[Lintasare]

I guess I am one of those who isn't concerned either way with this. Out west we don't have AirTran and SW is really the only low cost carrier around.

Here in Albuquerque they are the only ones with nonstop to Orlando but usually we can get a 1 stop with American with a better arrival time for less. Except this year. SW was cheaper so that is who we are flying.

 

[bicker]

Interesting thread. Shouldn't it be moved to the Transportation Board?

A few notes:

If you have evidence of price-fixing, then please bring it to the Justice Department. Otherwise, please stop spreading baseless aspersions. People get the impression that things are worse than they really are, based on such baseless assertions, and indeed, some people actually start believing that things that are perfectly legitimate and appropriate are otherwise based on nothing more than having read volumes of baseless accusations and having to tie their belief of those baseless accusations to practices that are just as common as the baseless accusations imply.

There are actually some transgressions that go on. There is no need to make such anecdotes seem categorical. It helps nothing, and only fosters disaffection.

The point about loss of competition driving prices up is very important. It does, and it will. Perhaps the industry, as a whole, might soon get to the point where it is earning for its investors a reasonable return, commensurate with other ways those people could invest their money. The industry has suffered from the impact of too much capacity, brought about by too many carriers, for far too long.

Travel will get more expensive. However, it won't make it back onto the track it was on before deregulation. If fares continued on the trend that they were on, back then, travelers would all regularly be paying well over $1000 for the Boston to Orlando run.