Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
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Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
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Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#2I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason.
Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#3I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I’ve always had them at the bottom of my list because I like to pick my seat in advance.
I also used to think Google flight search would show the lowest prices, but I recently saved a few hundred dollars by buying on Expedia. Same everything, just cheaper than even the airline’s website.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#4I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I suspect that the commission that Google presumably gets for each referral played a much larger role than a desire to not be transparent. Google Flights is not just a search engine – they get paid by the airlines, as far as I know!
As far as Southwest being listed on OTAs is concerned: I'm pretty sure they always have been, or I wouldn't have bought a ticket with them a while ago. They're just apparently not on all of them.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#5I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion, after reading the article? It says pretty plainly that the new government regulations, which force airlines to show all "additional" charges alongside the ticket price, means that Southwest's bundled price will now SHOW as cheaper, rather than showing as a larger base price (but less without the added additional 'baggage check' fees, or whatever) than other airlines.
Basically, they took a principled stand to not show their prices in place where it would LOOK worse (without being worse) and they have stuck to it. The world changed to be more in alignment with their price honesty; they didn't cave to showing their prices unfairly in an effort to be more "competitive" or "transparent".
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#6I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion, after reading the article? It says pretty plainly that the new government regulations, which force airlines to show all "additional" charges alongside the ticket price, means that Southwest's bundled price will now SHOW as cheaper, rather than showing as a larger base price (but less without the added additional 'baggage check' fees, or whatever) than other air…
As someone who's often flown southwest exactly for that reason, now I'm a little worried the "secret is out..." though they've had enough issues over the last few years that I should probably be happy they'll just get more business generally.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#7I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion, after reading the article? It says pretty plainly that the new government regulations, which force airlines to show all "additional" charges alongside the ticket price, means that Southwest's bundled price will now SHOW as cheaper, rather than showing as a larger base price (but less without the added additional 'baggage check' fees, or whatever) than other air…
Google flights has long shown the total price including taxes and bag fees if you specify number of carry on and checkin bags.
I would bet it was just a negotiation of travel agent commission paid to Google.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#8I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I’ve always had them at the bottom of my list because I like to pick my seat in advance. I also used to think Google flight search would show the lowest prices, but I recently saved a few hundred dollars by buying on Expedia. Same everything, just cheaper than even the airline’s website.
I fly them exclusively in the US because of two free checked bags, no change fees, and anytime I have had a life event that required them extend non corporate grace (held the plane while trying to get to someone dying and I would’ve missed the door by a few minutes), they have been patient and humane. I’ll fly them until I die or they go out of business. Some brand value and corporate values are real.
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#9I didn't know they weren't listed on flight aggregator services and I almost certainly did not consider Southwest when flying to FL for this very reason. Seems to me that Southwest are learning the hard way that not being competitive and transparent with consumers about their pricing is bad for business.
I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion, after reading the article? It says pretty plainly that the new government regulations, which force airlines to show all "additional" charges alongside the ticket price, means that Southwest's bundled price will now SHOW as cheaper, rather than showing as a larger base price (but less without the added additional 'baggage check' fees, or whatever) than other air…
> they took a principled stand to not show their prices in place where it would LOOK worse (without being worse)
I bet they weren't too unhappy about not paying an agent/referral fee to these "price comparison sites" (that are really often travel agents themselves, or are at least getting a commission from those or the airline directly).
For related reasons, Easyjet or Ryanair (I forgot which one) was not available for booking through the regular GDSes for the longest time, which made them unavailable for booking through traditional travel agents not directly integrating with their proprietary inventory system. I bet that was as much about not wanting to pay the incumbents' fees as much as it was about being "modern API forward".
Re: Southwest Airlines now available on Google Flights
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know how you would have come to that conclusion, after reading the article? It says pretty plainly that the new government regulations, which force airlines to show all "additional" charges alongside the ticket price, means that Southwest's bundled price will now SHOW as cheaper, rather than showing as a larger base price (but less without the added additional 'baggage check' fees, or whatever) than other air…
> they took a principled stand to not show their prices in place where it would LOOK worse (without being worse) I bet they weren't too unhappy about not paying an agent/referral fee to these "price comparison sites" (that are really often travel agents themselves, or are at least getting a commission from those or the airline directly). For related reasons, Easyjet or Ryanair (I forgot which one) was not available f…
"principled", in this context, meaning "they have rules that they have abided by", rather than "a set of rules that are morally just or otherwise generally appreciable for their merits".
Not saying SW wasn't benefiting from the arrangement, or that they weren't playing coy for selfish reasons. Just saying that they had rules and stuck to them, rather than acquiescing to consumer forces as OP suggested.