US Airways Is CHEAP!!! by VPP

Another guest post by my colleague, friend, and frequent traveler:

US Airways Is CHEAP!!!

In More Ways Than One…How Good Can It Be, Long Term?

Okay…so, the professional that handles my travel is made aware I have to fly from PHX back to PVD on Friday, February 13. She knows I really prefer not to fly US Airways…and in fact, she knows I more or less detest the airline now that the current crowd managing the company has destroyed and sullied US Airways good name with a really poor product.

Be that as it may, she knows one thing for sure: “I need as late a departure as possible while still getting home that same day.” My preferred carrier, Continental Airlines can’t get me home unless I leave early…and in fact, my second favorite domestic airline, Southwest can, but the timing was pushing the envelope just a bit. But she says, “Van, US Airways has, get this, a flight that leaves at 2:46 pm and is $112.70.” I think, “can that be right?” I verify it is and say, “how bad can it be?”

So we book it and there you have it…my only trip on US Airways this year. If I have my way, it will LITERALLY be my ONLY trip on US Airways this year.

So, she buys it for me…I head to MQT on Continental….nice trip. Perfect. Love Continental Airlines. Leave MQT for PHX on Northwest. And airline I don’t care for but hey, when you are flying from MQT, your choices are limited. And finally, I’m in PHX and it’s time to come home…on, arguably the worst aviation transportation product in the history of modern aviation, US Airways.

Leading up to departure, I find I’m not upgraded. And frankly, for $112.70 and a seat in 22D on an A321, it would be wrong to complain. Quite frankly, for $112.70, including tax, it would be wrong to complain about not getting a complementary water, coffee, tea or soda. (At the end of these thoughts, I’ll post the actual “trip report” with the mileage metrics.) But…I have to wonder, “is this type of “cheap” what the people that envisioned this product from day 1 REALLY want?”

I wonder….

I mean, consider this…I was on my two flights for a total of 4 hours and 45 minutes. Lets round that up to 5 hours. Now, lets supposed I drank on bottle of water/coke/cup of coffee or whatever, every hour. That would be 5 drinks. (If I were drinking beer, I may well have had 6 over the course of the time I was flying.) Lets also suppose I’m the average traveler…and I need to pay $20 to check a piece of luggage.

Now at $2 per drink and $20 to check a bag, US Airways just collected $30 from me. I’m not at $142.70….now we’re up to $0.042 per mile. Or, lets do this, lets suppose I checked 2 bags ($50) and did drink six $7.00 beers…and extra $92 collected. Now we’re up to $0.072 per mile….still well below their CASM.

And of course, on the other end of the spectrum, had you actually paid a real fare, like $300 and spent $0.12 per mile…and had to get nickeled and dimed out of he $30…or $92…how happy would you be, knowing on Southwest you wouldn’t have to put up with that non-sense?

The truth is, for $0.035 per mile paid, $86.52, I can spend the $2 for a drink…but is this really the best thing for US Airways? Somehow, I find it hard to believe it would be. Seems to me, getting everyone on the airplane for a real fare where they can at least break even at, say, $0.10 per mile, $250, might be a better strategy…and then hand out water/coffee/tea and sodas, which collectively don’t cost much at all.

The destruction of a great brand name like US Airways has been sad for me to watch. The denial taking place in Tempe, AZ has been even more difficult to stomach. But at the end of the day, I’ve found a home at Continental and Southwest Airlines…and for Trans Atlantic travel, I’m feeling at home these days on Icelandair.

And I don’t think that is good for US Airways in any way, shape of form.

For the record, here are my YTD travel stats through February 17, 2009…

Through Feb 17, 2009

ON US AIRWAYS
Flight Segments On US Airways = 2
Total Miles Flown = 2,457
Airfare paid to date = $86.52
Yield paid to date = $0.035 per mile (How SWEET is that? $0.035/mile?!?)

ON OTHER CARRIERS (AS, CO, DL, FI & WN)
Flight Segments On All Other Airlines = 20
Total Miles Flown = 18,563
Airfare Paid To Date = $4,502.08
Yield Paid To Date = $0.243

And here is the “trip report” for the flight I took on US Airways:

US Airways Trip Details

————————————————————

Friday, February 13, 2009:

US 1546 A321 departing PHX at 14:46 p.m. arriving CLT at 20:29 p.m.

US 1774 A320 departing CLT at 22:09 p.m. arriving PVD at 23:55 p.m.

————————————————————

Total Trip Cost: $112.70 Completely Non-Refundable

Actual Airfare: $86.51

Actual Miles Flown: 2,457

Yield: $0.035 per mile

Taxes & Fees: $26.19, 23.24% of ticket price

This ticket is the EXACT, “poster child” of the direction US is headed in….

Purchased by our trusted travel manager, at $0.035 per mile, it’s hard to say “no.” Purchase and check in, handled by her. Not upgraded from PHX-CLT, but hey, exit row seats are good…and remember, $0.035 per mile…

No checked baggage…just PURE transport. No service, no fun, no good reason to fly….other than price the fact you must.

On board, professional F/As…although it’s not difficult to sense a little “why am I here.”

Very, very different crowd aboard US aircraft now. Not as I remember. And this was my first flight in a long, long time. (Still CP until 2/28, Au after that…dirt in 2010)

Safety announcement done by the professionals now that the video system is gone. The dude next to me wasn’t paying attention and was lectured…and I actually don’t blame the F/A…

Once in the air…just NOTHING…stripped out, nothing service. Pay for drinks and water…no movie, no nothing…no thanks.

Landed on time and with my carry-on luggage in tact. (Thanks Doug!) and off to the connection.

Next flight…gate lice galore…you have to cut through dozens of people to get to the gate. (US has THE WORST loading procedure of ANY airline…by a ton.)

Loaded on…and CONSTANT belittling by the flight crew…it was annoying. Then take off…then the credit card solicitation. Then they actually left us alone…and we landed ahead of schedule.

This product is worth EXACTLY what I paid for it…3.5¢ per mile…NOTHING more.

Let’s consider what I’ve spent thus far in 2009…and look at US…and then the real truth, “Fly US ONLY when there is no other way and/or when it’s dirt cheap” starts to make sense.