Southwest to Independence Air customers: Fly us for free
Southwest has become the first big airline
to offer free travel to customers ticketed on now-defunct Independence Air. Federal laws passed after 9/11 already require surviving carriers to transport customers of a collapsed airline for a fee of no more than $50 each way, but Southwest is the first to say it would accommodate Independence Air customers for no charge. That move comes as Southwest’s traditional rivals are charging customers holding Independence Air tickets $50 per flight to fly standby -- and some are charging $100 each way for customers wanting a confirmed seat. That could backfire on the traditional airlines, some industry observers say -- with some adding that the tactic is yet another shrewd public-relations move by Southwest.
“Southwest will win customers for life with their strategy,” says industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of Forrester Research. He tells me that the additional costs Southwest will incur by doing this are relatively minor. "But the PR Southwest will get, as well as new customer loyalty, will more than pay for this," he says. Alan Bender, Professor of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, agrees. “They gain incalculable goodwill” with the move, he says. As a result, Bender tells me he thinks “Southwest makes the legacy carriers look like Scrooges.”
Travel columnist Joe Brancatelli put it like this: "The Big Six (airlines) are actually trying to sell people seats. ... On the other hand, Southwest, which probably has the most available seats, is saying, 'Hey, come on over and we won't charge you.' Who do you think the customer is going to remember bailed them out? They are going to remember Southwest."
