18 April 2008

Now will you stop calling WN a LCC? Southwest to codeshare with International Airlines

I frequently get irked when people call US airlines Low Cost Carriers - LCCs. Such an animal is a rarity in the US market. The only carrier who fulfilled the model was Skybus. Westjet (sort of!).

But let's be clear. Southwest has not been one for many years. Air Tran is not. US Airways definitely is not (despite its stock symbol). Frontier is not. JetBlue is not.

So anyone who says that the US LCC market is approaching 30% (yes that means the Spin Doctors at Delwest) is smoking something.

'Nuff said?

Timothy

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSat Apr 19, 10:29:00 PM PDT

    It just depends on how you define an LCC, by cost or services? Nobody has a clear definition that I know of.

    The lines are bluring - LCC's taking on more of the legacy carrier services and the legacy carriers stripping out costs.

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  2. Professor SabenaSat Apr 19, 10:50:00 PM PDT

    Exactly.
    But the true definition of LCC has to be somewhat purist in its definition. So add those definitions in and see if you agree that WN is a true LCC.

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