Originally Posted by
Hedley
Yes, the loyalty programs are an important piece of the puzzle, but you have to remember that the reason that they are so successful is that those companies have a product that people want to spend money on more than the others. They have vast networks both domestic and international, much greater frequency, seats at all price points, WiFi/snacks/in seat entertainment, typically better customer service,……… in short, their loyalty programs are successful because they provide a product that far more people choose to be loyal to.
We have more problems than just the loyalty program...
WE NEED 3 class seating (instead of our now 1 eventually going to 2). We need first class, economy plus (in which the seat has 2" more of legroom and a USB plug) and our regular seats. Putting in the new seats would probably only require losing 2 rows of seats total of which the cost could be made up w/ the increased cost of the economy plus ticket. So, 320s would seat 180. This added flexibility is what the customer wants (for now). We can't sell what we don't offer.
Second, we need more than 2 configs of aircraft. With 186 and 230+ seating, we don't have a more economical option for lower yielding destinations (like Omaha, Missoula, Eagle, El Paso, etc.). We either need a regional (like Republic) or to merge w/ Avelo. Thereby, we'll be able to fly ATL to BUF 2x a day w/ a 120 seater vs once every 2 days w/ a 186 seater (that is less than 50% full). Either that, or we stop going to these smaller airports altogether. I'd lean more toward keeping the route vs. ditching it as we've already invested the time/$ for it. But, we need less bases (those that we have, we need at LEAST 5 dedicated gates minimum) and more trips. Not sure why ATL is so important but rumor has it we're poised for more gates - we'll see...
Third, gotta pay the ticket counter, gate agents, ground/baggage handlers and telephone cust service agents more. No other way around it, we need better people who will stay around longer doing these jobs. And we MUST be catered at each base. It's 2025, I flew last week w/ no catering and a plane full of people for over 3 hours.
Fourth, the loyalty program needs to MEAN something. Tons of miles to be used on F9 isn't as valuable as some people think - especially when you factor in the airline has horrible performance, no wifi, blackout dates, no lounges and limited network abilities. I would presume a Big 4 mile is probably worth about 3 F9 miles right about now. Giving away miles is only part of the solution (and will mean more as the airline gets better).