I'm a Captain with USAirways and love the airline! Give us a try! You won't know until you fly us. Every airline has change fees, baggage fees, upcharge fees for upgrades to First Class, etc., so you won't experience anything differently from any other carrier in those regards.
It seems a bit odd that you, being in the airline industry, would make a statement like this.
First, not every airline has change fees:
Southwest does not. Second, not every airline has baggage fees:
Southwest and Jetblue don't charge for your first checked bag. (Southwest doesn't charge for the second bag either)
Third, not every airline has "upcharge fees" (whatever that is) to First Class (of course there is an additional fee...it's first class).
Airtran will sometimes offer first class for a $49 upgrade on some legs, which is a no-brainer if you have 2 bags checked at a cost of $45, those are now free so the upgrade is only 4 bucks!
I used USAirways for years as the default airline for most places I went (mostly Florida) until Airtran came on the scene, then tried them (because of a direct flight to BMI) and loved their service, their prices and their planes (no Dash-8s or Canadairs, etc). So, Airtran became my default.
But, Airtran has limited routes and very limited schedules on those routes, so USAirways is still on my list. When using them the experience is pretty much the same as Airtran, except no XM radio and a variety of aircraft sizes that force me to consider how to pack my expensive gear when travelling for work. USAirways pretty much goes anywhere, to various airports big and small, and does it more often. Their fleet is larger, and with smaller planes that are able to serve smaller markets. Unfortunately, they also cancel flights a lot more, especially to and from smaller cities if there is a "lack of participation", or as they refer to it: "mechanical difficulties".
In the last year I've flown Airtran, USAirways, Southwest, United, American, Jetblue and Delta. Unless the airline cancels or changes your flight, or is responsible for some delay, the experience is pretty much the same except for the price you pay, with the obvious exception of Southwest that has it's open seating policy, which multiple other threads are dedicated to.
USAirways is a very large, international carrier that offers convenient service that competes directly with other low cost carriers. Give us a try!
I would agree, but the proof is in the prices. For some reason, it sometimes costs USAirways 2-3 times more to take the same aircraft to and from the same two cities when compared to Airtran, Southwest, Jetblue.
I will say, USAirways has a great Frequent Flyer program, with miles that
never expire. We just took a trip to Hawaii, and used miles that I have been building up for almost 15 years...never cashed them in. They covered 2 first class round trip to Hawaii. Many airlines have expiration dates on their reward miles.
Just wondering thanks!
