Things in the Sky

Well, the competition going on in Denver has really resulted in some great promotions, and I just noticed another one going on after United essentially matched another one from Southwest. The latter has really been pushing its Business Select product (which I still don’t think is worth the price, unless you always buy full economy fares), and for awhile was offering a free roundtrip after the purchase of a Business Select roundtrip out of Denver.

Well, I discovered that last week Southwest has been selectively offering Business Select at the same price of its Anytime (fully refundable) fare, which represents a savings of only about $15-20. Of course, if you’re going to book an Anytime fare anyway, that’s a no-brainer. Though I still don’t think Business Select presents enough of a value when the prices are compared to Southwest’s cheapest fares. (Besides, you can get the main perk of Business Select – priority boarding – for $20 roundtrip with EarlyBird Check-In.)

Anyway, United tweeted about a new similar promotion – it has lowered its First Class fares for some markets out of Denver. Conveniently, the fares listed on the page for the promotion are the same as Southwest’s fares.

So, I guess if you want to fly first class on the cheap, this is for you. I would caution that on United you should avoid the regional jets. Yes, the larger RJs have a first class cabin but they aren’t as nice as mainline (no IFE, for example).

Anyway, I think it’s smart that the airlines have been doing these promotions. First of all, they’re going for the high-yielding business travelers here. But my other guess is that competing on first class fares (or in the past promotion, more expense economy fares) doesn’t have as much as a negative effect on a carrier’s bottom line than a race to the bottom on the cheap fares.