Earlier this week, I wrote the following Op-Ed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper asked me to write about what effect Southwest’s arrival in Atlanta would have on business travelers. My take? Most Atlanta business travelers are too heavily invested in SkyMiles and their “complex” relationship with Delta to give Southwest a try– so there won’t be that big of an effect.
Take a read and let us know if you agree…or not. (Here’s a link to the column on AJC.com)
Here goes:
Even with the exciting entry of a respected airline like Southwest Airlines, most frequent business travelers in Atlanta will continue to fly Delta Air Lines despite their complex relationship with our hometown carrier.
Atlanta business travelers love Delta for its deep southern roots. They appreciate being able to catch a Delta nonstop to just about every major city in the world, getting Porsche rides from the plane to the parking lot or relaxing in plush Sky Clubs.
But most of all, they love Delta for its SkyMiles program, and the dream of “free” travel and special recognition. Despite whining about the dearth of upgrades and difficulty finding award seats, they keep going back for more—and in fact go out of their way to earn those SkyMiles that they love and loath.
So for now, despite mixed feelings about Delta, frequent flyers in Atlanta will likely stick with it due to a mix of loyalty, inertia and fear of the unknown.
At the top of frequent flyers’ list of fears about Southwest is its so-called “cattle call” boarding process. Southwest does not allow advance seat selection. But those traveling on more expensive, less restricted tickets, elite level Rapid Rewards members and those who have paid an extra $10 “early bird” fee board first, and can lay claim to the best seats and overhead bin space.
But frequent flyers like the security of being able to choose their seat ahead of time. The boarding process at Delta is familiar, yet frustrating in Atlanta since so many elite-level passengers can skip to the front of the line, which feels like a cattle call. But at least there is no uncertainty around where they’ll be sitting—and frequent travelers don’t like uncertainty.
Then there’s the fear of getting on board a plane without wi-fi. While it’s aiming for fleet-wide wi-fi, Southwest has it on only 150 of 550 planes and makes no guarantees regarding availability. On the upside, wi-fi connections run a flat $5 per flight, regardless of flight length. But Atlanta-based business travelers have been spoiled by the availability of in-flight wi-fi on nearly 100% of Delta and AirTran flights. That certainty is increasingly important in our “always connected” business world.
Business travelers have plenty of other fears about straying over to Southwest: They fear starting off at the bottom rung at Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program, which is based more on how much you spend than how many miles you fly. With Southwest’s intention of eliminating AirTran’s popular business class, they worry about losing the ability to upgrade (or afford) to fly at the front of the plane on long flights out west. Time-deprived executives will be irritated at the extra step of checking Southwest.com every time they want to do a complete fare comparison, since its fares are not listed anywhere else.
But despite those fears, the fast-growing population of more independent business travelers who are entrepreneurs, freelancers or those who work for small and mid-sized companies will be the early adopters of Southwest. They are the ones for whom Delta’s $150 fee to change a ticket comes right out of their wallet, or shrinking per diem. (Southwest does not charge change fees.) They are the independent sales reps who must travel with a couple of suitcases of samples and don’t want to pay Delta’s $120 fee to check two bags roundtrip. (No bag fees on Southwest.) The ones who just want quick, dependable and cheap transportation and don’t care much about airport lounges, lie-flat seats to London or what type of metallic card is in their wallet.
So Atlanta-based business travelers shouldn’t expect any major changes when Southwest arrives at Hartsfield-Jackson next week, especially those with an expense account to fall back on. But if you’re an independent, budget-focused, or an up-and-comer without a big investment in Delta SkyMiles, you’ll find a fresh new option to consider on your next flight.
Agree or disagree? Are you too invested in SkyMiles to give the new kid in town a go? Or will you welcome Southwest with open arms…and open wallet? Please leave your comments below!
showmethefacts says
January 28, 2015 at 6:25 pmAnyone who eschews Southwest is nuts, or too stuck in their ways to deserve a new experience. If you have to change flights (did that meeting run over? Is your kid sick with 101 degrees fever?), Southwest charges no change fee. Compare that to the Delta/American/United screw-my-customer fee. On that basis alone, everyone should boycott the others for the gouging change fees.
If you need to check a bag (which I don’t, but I appreciate the rule), Southwest lets you check two for free. And, Southwest apparently treats its own employees well because they are actually nice to their customers, unlike the sour battle-axes on the other majors (or worse yet, the “you’re beneath me” derision of American’s flight attendants). There’s just no comparison. I will fly Southwest over Delta and the other majors every time if I can.
By the way, the article mentions the cattle call line up, which was the case decades ago, but not any more, You get a number like A23 or B14, and line up that way. It’s not a free for all. And I was born at Crawford Long, grew up in Atlanta and have flown Delta all my life. So I am not a Southwest shill. I just appreciate customer-friendly service and policies.
jp says
February 27, 2012 at 9:18 amI’m Diamond Medallion and I fly DL out of Atlanta all the time. I get upgraded 75% of the time on Delta.
I dont mind the SW boarding process. I usually buy the extra $10 early check in to ensure I have a good seat.
As a small biz owner, I usually book wherever I get the best fare. I invite competition!
A story: I had to cancel a SW flight last week due to a last minute meeting change. I called and expected to hear the typical $150 change fee, like I get from Delta. The rep nicely told me that I’ll get a full refund. If I would’ve booked the lower class fare, I would have received a full credit to use on future SW flights. I couldn’t believe it! Now that is refreshing! I am thrilled that SW is here… their change policies are so much better than Delta.
DG says
February 15, 2012 at 2:51 pmI flew Southwest and Airtran over Delta frequently from Orlando for 1 main reason, I always had a full size plane. I am not a fan of many smaller jets and never take prop planes. Obviously out of ATL, this is less of a factor for Delta frequent flyers. I also saved a bunch of money whenever I had to switch my flights, or cancel with no change fees.
One other point about SWA, they do not let you stand by for an earlier flight unless you pay full price, or pay the price difference which is often substantial.
RJ says
February 13, 2012 at 11:56 amI will fly Southwest! Having been a Million Miler and honoray Silver Medallion for almost ten years…Delta still wants me to earn Silver before counting miles to Gold Status. Silver status Medallions for Delta means they really don’t care about you…they award higher status to spouse’s of Platinum or Diamond. At least at Southwest we will pay a reasonable fare and be treated well!
The Skymiles program is so overly focused on the top two tiers that it does not make sense to be loyal to it. I get more upgrades on American and other carriers for about $100 and am usuallay number 24 or higher for upgrade on any Delta flight so rarely get an upgrade on Delta. The Skymiles tickets are usually costing double the 25k price…reflecting all the double miles they give the Diamonds and Platinums. The Skymiles program is not for the casaul business flyer. Delta will see quite a difference in people loyal to them. Delta should have gone after the Silver Medallion base years ago but will likely tend to neglect them and lose a substantial part of their business!
Linda says
February 11, 2012 at 11:54 amOne thing I do like about WN online booking is that it’s easy and takes fewer clicks. But I do not like not being able to build my own itinerary. You take the route that’s offered you and that’s it.
At least on DL you can do a multi city ticketing and get the routing & layover you want. That might not be important to some but it is to me.
The no change fee policy is a BIG plus.
Daniel says
February 11, 2012 at 9:00 amI’ve been thinking about this carefully before responding – I changed my airline loyalty outlook a few years ago. I’ve started looking at which airline will best suit my travel needs on a trip-by-trip basis. This means flying carriers with the best service and price to my final destination.
I won’t be flying Southwest to the west coast because they don’t offer first class. Honestly, I didn’t fly AirTran often either, much as I like them, because their service and seat comfort don’t match Delta’s.
But for flights under three hours, I’ll consider any airline that offers non-stop service. One thing Southwest may not understand about Atlanta flyers is that we’re accustomed to flying non-stop virtually anywhere in the country. We’ll be less likely to do a Southwest three-plane hop to fly to Seattle.
That said, if Southwest offers a non-stop to my under-three hour destination and the fare is comparable to Delta’s, I’ll book Southwest: I have gone through too many contortions in the past to avoid the change fees on Delta when my schedule shifted after booking.
The Skymiles program has continuously devalued – I made Platinum Medallion Status in 2010 for 2011 with 9 paid segments. That was a great benefit to me, but it instantly made it worse for every Gold and Silver on any flight I flew. How many thousand others did the same by playing the Delta game that year, further pushing the Golds and Silvers down the seniority line?
Then, as a Platinum Medallion, I found no low-tier Skymiles tickets for redemption for any of the routes I searched in the past year. I’m about to be a Silver Medallion and I know I won’t be upgraded on any coach Delta flights, I can only check one bag and I’ll still encounter the change fees. Why should I stay loyal on Delta when I’ll have more flexibility on Southwest? Doesn’t add up.
But on 3+ hour flights, I’ll still fly Delta (really, my only option for trans-cons) because I can book first class. There have been predictions that Delta will increase its first class airfares when there’s no competing AirTran business class – but Delta offers low International business class fares for advance purchase – and they’d prefer to sell more seats at the moderately higher fare than to fill the cabin with free upgrades. One $5,000 first class ticket sold to LA with 25 upgrades or seven $1,100 tickets with 19 upgrades? They can do the math.
martin R says
February 10, 2012 at 10:00 amIf you travel 2 or 3 times a year. Who cares.
If you travel 2 or 3 round trips a month. Its something else.
I m Airtran ELITE. The top 1% of all their customers. I get business class most of the time as a free upgrade.
I will NOT fly SW. I will NOT sit in the middle seat between 2 fat people 6 trip legs a month. I will not fly ONE SINGLE TRIP
I d rather go to the dentist and have my teeth ground down.
With Delta, I have a chance for an upgrade to Business.
Smart move SW. You ll get 3 more seats stuffed into a 717. But you ll lose this ELITE customers.
evan torch, m.d. says
February 9, 2012 at 11:00 pmAfter being treated with utter disdain by Delta for years ( two Platinum Medallions) I will go out of my way to support Southwest.
Yes, tens of thousands of Medallion members will be Charlie Browns to Delta’s “Lucy” pulling away the football, but what more and more Atlantans who are not Diamonds will see is that Southwest’s friendliness and lack of attitude will translate into a more open mindset.
Has anybody in 3 years gotten a SkyMiles seat at the lowest level? Has any Silver Medallion gotten an upgrade more than once a year lately? Why do we humans fall for the same tricks over and over?
Bill says
February 9, 2012 at 9:04 pmAs a 65 year old former corporate travel warrior I enjoy all the responses with a bit of experienced humor. I am Permanent Platinum AA flyer and have all the tinges of guilt when I board another carrier. BUT!…. you all will find that Southwest is an enjoyable endeavor for your personal travel and even, heavens forbid, on occasion, your business travel due to their “alternative” airports (e.g. Burbank vs. LAX). Having your admin do your “exactly 24 hr. advance check-in” or, heaven forbid…..YOU logging in to get an “A” boarding pass, eliminates the hassel of boarding. The only thing you forfeit is the seat designed for the “grossly overweight” in the front….. Grow Up!!
Bob S says
February 9, 2012 at 5:07 pmGood point, Clare.
Clare M says
February 9, 2012 at 5:01 pmI have flown Southwest and I am excited that they are finally coming to Atlanta. I think they are a great airline with friendly and helpful employees. No baggage fees or change fees is a huge plus. Trying to redeem SkyMiles on Delta is too difficult, if not impossible to do. Frequently you have to use more miles to book a reward flight and then fly out of your way to get to the desired destination. It is too much of a hassle. If Atlanta doesn’t support the competition, the competition could go away and then you could count on Delta raising fares.
Bob S says
February 9, 2012 at 4:48 pmI think Delta is more concerned about the folks mentioned at the bottom of your column than those at the top. The ones at the top are bread and butter, and will not leave. But I think that there are enough Silver Medallion fliers that Delta will HAVE to be concerned about losing, that we may see some changes in the SkyMiles program as early as the end of this year.
David S says
February 9, 2012 at 4:06 pmI will not travel SW. No premium cabin, no assinged seat, and no free tickets to anywhere outside the continental US.
Jim says
February 9, 2012 at 3:58 pmThis is a pretty accurate predication of what will happen in Atlanta, i.e., Delta elite members won’t move over but Southwest will pick up a lot of the general members.
I used to live outside Washington DC and we saw the same when Southwest came to Dulles, a United hub. Few of us United elite members moved much business to Southwest – the upgrades, miles, etc., all kept us on United. In practice, United matched the fares except they were non-refundable and subject to change fees so it wasn’t really a match if you weren’t 100% sure of your plans.
Even so, there’s a lot to like about Southwest. No change or bag fees are a pretty big benefit, especially for general members. A few years back Delta had “SimpliFares” and $50 change fees (remember that?). Too bad that didn’t work out, it felt a lot more fair overall.
Chris says
February 9, 2012 at 3:47 pmA new Southwest web page devoted to its new ATL service:
http://www.southwest.com/html/promotions/destinations-atl-feb-nonstops.html?src=WBMD0002ATLNEWATLLOCROS120120&a=1
Bill says
February 9, 2012 at 3:16 pmI live in the Kansas City area where Southwest has been a major player for many years. As a DL Platinum, 2 million miler, I’ve never flown on Southwest for many of the reasons you cite above. However, when my wife wants to go down to Orlando to visit one of our daughters and her family, I put her on Southwest due to the non-stop flight and low fare. When I went down 2 months ago, I flew DL.
Chris says
February 9, 2012 at 2:58 pmA lot of these comments remind me of a frequent conversation I have with my mother in law….
I say, “Gee, isn’t that a pretty tree (or bush or flower)!”
She says, “Oh, yes, very pretty!…. in someone else’s yard….”
😉
Robert Thornton says
February 9, 2012 at 2:56 pmChris, you ID’d all the DL hooks but they are not deep. A good start and favorable reviews from SW or a new friendlier model from post-bankrupt AA that has better routes out of ATL and I’d jump in a heartbeat. And I hope one (or better yet both) happen this year because I probably will not make Platinum this year and anything below is agonizing.
Nancy says
February 9, 2012 at 2:45 pmAs a former frequent flyer to the west coast, I would fly Delta for the cross county legs but utilize Southwest to travel within the state of CA – mainly to keep costs down. I found little fault with Southwest but one experience made me decide not to fly them again. My trip covered 2 weeks so I had a larger suitcase than normal – one that required checking the bag. I was flying from Burbank (tiny airport) to Oakland (small airport) and was shocked to find, on landing, that my bag was lost. While the support agents were very nice and even gave me a $50 voucher on the spot, it was alarming to learn Southwest does not track bags en route. They only scan your bag on arriving at a destination. This not only means they can’t tell you where your bag went, it also means they have no clue where it is because it’s not scanned yet. They don’t know if it’s still at your departure location or what flight it might be on. For frequent business travelers who religiously carry on, this won’t be an issue. But for casual travelers who expect to enjoy checking their bags for free, they run the risk of having their bags lost in a big black hole.
Sheila says
February 9, 2012 at 2:27 pmAs a travel agent; my clients are pretty devoted to Delta for the miles and will go to extremes to get them. The upgrades are the first thing they say they will miss and I am surprised Southwest won’t consider keeping some of AirTran’s planes intact for at least long-haul flights.
Even more telling though; is Mike’s comments. Not being negative at all; but in regards to his employee; he say’s “..she will be learning all about the joys of coach on Southwest..”.
He didn’t say we.
Jon Sinton says
February 9, 2012 at 2:14 pmHigh mileage DL customers can’t afford to leave, and DL will match fares anyway. The movement will come from those less invested–Silver Medallion and lower–who will flock to Southwest for the perks like no change fees or baggage fees.
The SkyMiles program is joke where free travel is concerned. It’s only real value is early boarding and seat selection. And I doubt WiFi will be a real consideration since the DL experience at sub-DSL speeds is pretty aggravating.
Delta continues to market change without improving the experience “We’re not just building a bigger airline, we’re building a better airline”). They do so at their own peril.
Chris says
February 9, 2012 at 2:14 pmSent via email from LP:
Though I am a lifetime silver with more than 1.5 million Delta miles, I happily switched to US Airways and only occasionally fly Delta now, but I would still choose Delta every time over Southwest because:
1/cattle boarding is definitely not for me, and I want to know where I’m sitting well ahead of time, usually when I buy my ticket.
2/As a premium frequent flyer with Delta and US Air, I know I’ll be rerouted when weather or mechanical problems come up. I trust they will both take care of me. I do not believe Southwest will do that.
3/I’m loyal to US Air and Delta because of how they treat me, not price.
4/Wifi is not an issue. Nice but not necessary.
5/The biggest draw of Southwest is no change fee, but I am so rarely charged that fee that I wouldn’t switch to Southwest to avoid it.
mitchell says
February 9, 2012 at 2:06 pmNot if I can help it. I have flown SW on only 2 occasions and both were disasters – and both were handled very poorly. Last time was an early Sunday morning flight from Vegas. The adjacent lines at Delta had maybe a half dozen folks in each; the SW lines stretched around in the terminal, out the doors and down the sidewalks. When I saw an attendant removing covers from some new self check kiosks, I ran to be first. Got to the gate and the 2 previous flights were still trying to board – their loads(correct term) were mostly stillin the checkin and security processes. Bottom line, I spent the entire day sitting in Phoenix, then they closed the airport due to storms and I spent the night, arriving in ATL mid morning the next day. What a mess, and the staff could not have cared less – their attitude was the worst part.
The company saved about $200 for that.
Scott Woelfel says
February 9, 2012 at 2:02 pmCall it a cattle call if you like, but no one boards a plane faster than Southwest. (They also seem to be the only airline with flight attendants willing to step in and get bags in bins and butts in seats.) I spend a fair amount of time on Southwest flights around the Pacific Northwest and west coat. My perception is that I spend less time at the gate, less time getting on and off the plane, and cary on with my business sooner.
For those of us who own small businesses and will never reach Delta’s elite ranks, Southwest is worth a look.
Bunty Pabbaraju says
February 9, 2012 at 1:55 pmThere is increasing pressure within corporations to cut travel costs, and with tools like net meeting and all else – there is even less need to travel. I can see sales folks having to travel – but the need for all other stuff has to dwindle.
I can imagine if you have to fly more that 3 hours – a business class seat will be great. But for flights under 3 hours – a regular seat is just fine. Its actually a disgrace to see business travelers waste corporate budgets on first class travel. They do it only to pick up the mileage for personal use – in my opinion. These days there is no shame in telling your client – I’d rather not travel to help keep your costs and my company’s costs down. Clients actually have started to appreciate this attitude.
Delta – has essentially ruined the Sky Miles program – like others have said – its difficult to get any where with Delta – from a pricing standpoint, delays, employee attitudes, baggage fees, useless Skymiles program – Delta has a lot to do about its image. Sothern roots or otherwise – people don’t fly Delta because they are southern.
I continue to fly AirTran and soon will start Southwest for all my business travel – usually 100 segments at least per year. Delta is due for a rude awakening. Wake up Delata – is all I can say.
Bob White says
February 9, 2012 at 1:52 pmNo, I won’t be gracing the doors of a WN plane. I can’t handle the cattle call. And paying $10 extra to be in the first cattle call isn’t much of a benefit to me. As an almost 5 million miler, I’m stuck with Delta but not necessarily happy with it.
Michael Leibowitz says
February 9, 2012 at 1:45 pmI’m not likely to abandon Delta. But Southwest would be smart to offer to jump start their rewards program to correspond to a customer’s Delta medallion status.
chris mcginnis says
February 9, 2012 at 1:44 pmSent via email from reader TH:
Despite three plus decades of Delta flights, Gold medallion status, and married to a million-miler, I am eager to fly Southwest out of Atlanta. I have already booked a flight for this month.
Recently, we had a nightmarish trip on Delta – I know it happens eventually to all of us. Sometimes they are situations beyond the airline’s control.
This one clearly was a Delta screwup. It took Delta – our hometown airline – three tries to get a plane to the gate at Hartsfield that had working engines for a transatlantic flight. Three hours later and due to the series of equipment changes, long held exit row seats were lost. Delta charged us $200 to get exit rows on the third plane because those seats were now in comfort economy.
What did all of our status get us? Not a thing. The Red Coats shrugged. Now, admittedly we are not platinum but certainly long term loyal customers with some status and regular international flyers. Delta did nothing for us in the moment. We had to write the usual complaint letter and we got a few miles in the account but we did not get back the money.
I hope more people figure out finally that frequent flyer programs are a drug. The airlines think they have you hooked. Southwest will have problems, too. It’s an industry fraught with day to day chaos scenarios.
Still, I welcome Southwest and hope the fare competition and the competition for seats will reawaken within Delta their old service ethos … which goes long beyond commercials and platitudes.
Richard Siegel says
February 9, 2012 at 1:43 pmAs a person who lived in Dallas in the 80’s and who today often jumps around the western states I will tell you that the Southwest experience is great. Their boarding process works very smoothly and it is actually fun talking to others and comparing boarding numbers. Yes, those of us who are Platinum and Diamond will remain loyal to Delta. Those making comments about the no advanced seat selections/boarding for Southwest, have you ever looked at the extrememly limited choice of seats for flights when you are not at least a silver medallion member? For those travelers Southwest is a better alternative, just check in 24 hours before your flight and you get a very good boarding number. It works.
DrJayATL says
February 9, 2012 at 1:23 pmNever say never but…
DL typically matches fares on similar city pairs/schedules so it’s not likely that flying SW will save me any money.
I’m not going to give up MQMs to fly SW, all other factors being at least close to equal. What’s the value of SW miles or status? I won’t be able to upgrade since they’re taking away Business on Airtran planes.
Does SW fly anywhere direct from ATL that DL does not?
I might fly SW between their hubs. BNA-RDU is definitely easier on SW than on DL. But that’s not a very common scenario for me.
Brad Bell says
February 9, 2012 at 1:22 pmI agree with Mike. If the fares are even close, I would not consider it. However I’m not going to pay triple to fly Delta.
Mike Daugherty says
February 9, 2012 at 1:20 pmI used to think no….. until one of my employees had to cancel the flight to Midway last week due to a medical complication and I had to wrestle a cobra to get the $150 change fee waived…and I am Diamond and 4 million miler+. Southwest was $59 each way……..inclusive. And free bags……so…..she will be learning all about the joys of coach on Southwest. Loyalty is just a business transaction in the airline industry.
Rene Wirtz says
February 9, 2012 at 1:18 pmBesides, it seems that Delta has lowered the prices on destinations Southwest serves, to be approximately the same. Next to staying with the SkyMiles program, this will prevent me from ever using Southwest. And I have never like the cattle drill boarding they do.