Do you prefer to fly first class?
This Air Tran ad touts its popular and affordable business class, which new owner Southwest plans to eliminate.
Numerous aviation blogs had a good chuckle at this Dallas Morning News story about Southwest CEO Gary Kelly flying first-class on Delta the other day. He was returning from Atlanta after the launch of Southwest, with its no-frills business model. (Southwest doesn’t fly nonstop from Atlanta to Dallas at the moment).
Southwest, of course, has acquired AirTran and plans to eventually eliminate its business class. It isn’t really what you’d call deluxe – first crack at a pack of cookies and a pre-flight drink – but neither is it very pricey to upgrade. The upgrade fee starting at $49 has made the roomier environs of business class an easily attainable mini-splurge.
But that’s not the Southwest way. Goodbye, roomy. Hello, “open seating.”
Not everyone is excited about this change. The publisher of a travel newsletter predicts business travelers will migrate to Delta.
On the other end of the travel spectrum The New York Times ran a great story mourning the end of first-class airplane cabins replete with starched linens and gourmet chefs. These days, the article lamented, an attendant might hand you a lukewarm “bargain washcloth” masquerading as a hot towel and act like that’s first-class service. Hmmff.
To our great relief, the Times’ story was accompanied by an article that can only be described as travel porn, detailing amenities (mostly on international flights) ranging from fresh orchids to on-board showers and double beds. Well now, that’s more like it. If you can spring for many thousands of dollars for an airline seat. Or suite.
What do you think? Is the price of a first or business class seat worth it? Would you like to see business seats retained on AirTran planes? Or is the cheapest seat always the best seat?
- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com
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95 comments Add your comment
Tell The Truth
February 21st, 2012
7:58 am
BTW, you can blame Delta for the AirTran/Southwest merger. Southwest had been trying to just get one or two gates at Hartsfield-Jackson, at least since the Olymics. Two years ago, the Southwest/Frontier merger collapsed and that would have only given them on gate on D concourse. Then Southwest brokered a secret deal with AirTran, which virtually gave them all of concourse C, a number of gates on D and opened them up to AirTran’s international flights. If Delta would have just given them one gate, maybe all of this would be a non-issue. Maybe.
Airline Brat
February 21st, 2012
8:01 am
I would like to stand up for Delta and its CEO, Richard Anderson, I think they are doing a nice job in this ridiculous economy to provide a decent product – better than most. Mr. Anderson, by policy, only flies coach when flying on business. In my eyes, it shows that he is engaged in understanding his company’s product and perhaps how to improve the experience for his customers (and employees). It is a nice reminder of the days of the famous airline bosses like Eastern Airline’s Eddie Rickenbacker, who flew coach often to observe his employees and passengers alike. There are a few stories about Mr. Rickenbacker banning passengers from flights for mistreating his employees. Wouldn’t that be refreshing? As far as Southwest’s CEO flying Delta Business Class – he should have considered the optics of such a move for half a second.
Loafer
February 21st, 2012
8:14 am
is it my imaination or are all the delta flight attendants a lot older, fatter and uglier????? oh, yeah, they are!!! Some of them can’t even walk down the aisle without banging into every seated passenger. And then I have to listen to them bitchin about their jobs the whole time, like the passenges aren’t even there. Unprofessional, bitchy, and ugly…that sums it up.
Cayce
February 21st, 2012
8:33 am
I lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and loved flying Southwest. So, I for one, am happy they’re here. If you’ve never flown them, then the cattle call boarding can seem like a bad dream, but in reality, it works really well. All you have to do is show up a little early to get a good seat. If you’re a business or first class traveler (and I only upgrade if I’m going overseas), then you’ll have to choose someone else, but for short domestic flights, they’re terrific. Their attitude is such a refreshing change from the surly flight attendants at most airlines.
I would recommend trying them before you decide you don’t like them.
darb
February 21st, 2012
8:43 am
Hot chicks certainly are not stewardessses any longer. Now we have matronly flight attendants.
mary
February 21st, 2012
8:48 am
I am really going to miss AirTran. I love the inexpensive upgrade to business class – it’s actually worth it. And I love the option of spending a little extra to get a seat in Zone 1. That’s worth it too.
I’ll try Southwest when they start flying to places I want to go, but I’m not looking forward to it.
Son of Fred
February 21st, 2012
9:05 am
My comment is more philosophical, Why do we even care about this??
Delta Loves to Fly & it shows like a muthasucka
February 21st, 2012
9:07 am
I’m surprised no one mentioned when he was seen flying Hooters airlines out of Myrtle beach last year. ATLiens are something else!!! LOL What’s the BIG deal?
Happy Endings
February 21st, 2012
9:13 am
I’ll state the obvious here………people who travel in first and business class at Delta are typically not paying for the fare. Not always, but I suspect the majority of the time the bill is being paid by an employer or client. When the flight is is being paid out of my pocket, the fare is the first determination of which airline I will use. As history reflects, Delta fares in markets, previously served by Airtran, go up dramatically. Delta will screw the flying public, in a heartbeat, with higher fares and other fees, as soon as the competition leaves. Just ask the people of Savannah, Charleston, or Mobile what happened to the Delta fares when Airtran left those markets. I will continue to fly Airtran, and SWA whenever possible. Competition is a great thing.
SteveO
February 21st, 2012
9:22 am
I fly at least every other week. While I do view the airport as a bus station for flying buses, I’m not at all interested in fighting for seats on Southwest. It’s nice to be in Zone 1 and have a guaranteed place for my bag and occasional upgrades to first class. If I flew once a year then I’d be fine with it, but I can’t deal with that level of hassle day in and day out when I’ve got to focus on my work and not on fighting with some guy in sweatpants for a window seat.
confused
February 21st, 2012
9:36 am
I don’t understand why everyone gets so excited about Southwest. The fares are no better than AirTran and the seating is a nightmare.
RJ
February 21st, 2012
9:41 am
I couldn’t care less if any or all of the airlines eliminated first class or business class. I’ve only flown either class once and that was because it was my only option when using some frequent flyer miles.
Jana
February 21st, 2012
9:49 am
We used to fly Delta exclusively. However, as their service and time schedules became worse and worse, we started flying Southwest, at the urging of friends in the west who always flew SOUTHWEST. (We were flying out of Jacksonville then). Now that we have moved back to Atlanta, we are thrilled that Southwest is available here too. The boarding process is actually better than Delta ever was. Instead of having everyone trying to push ahead in line, you board by ticket category, and it runs smoothly. Also, listen up Delta, they depart and arrive ON TIME. What a wonderful concept, you actually arrive and depart, when your ticket states!! I will never fly Delta again, regardless of promises to improve service, schedules, etc. They had their chance and took advantage of being “the only game in town”, and destroyed their credability. Who needs them.
Soccer1807
February 21st, 2012
9:51 am
AirTran does not service Dallas Ft Worh, nor does Southwest , that is why he took Delta.
Ol' Timer
February 21st, 2012
9:59 am
It really doesn’t matter. The customer service sucks and they’re all like Greyhound with wings.
J W
February 21st, 2012
10:05 am
Never ask for an upgrade – or special amenities – and sometimes they will just come your way, and you then become very appreciative of them. My only area of concern, and advance booking review I make, is to not be assigned a middle seat. Depending on length of flight, including estimated onboard runway time, I choose a window seat.
Browncoat
February 21st, 2012
10:56 am
Enter your comments here
Billy
February 21st, 2012
11:07 am
The CEO is seeing what the competition is doing…..
Just a thought
February 21st, 2012
11:14 am
For Thanksgiving 2010 we flew Frontier out to Denver from Atlanta. I like the way they book their seats and wonder if it might be an idea for SWA. They have 3 price levels to book. In the mid-level with Frontier, you pay an extra $20 or so to have a reserved seat. They have upper-level limited business class seating, that you pay a little more for than the mid-level. And if you want to book at the bargain price, thats fine. It means you board last and choose from the available seats. We booked the bargain seats, but since I had my 3 year old daughter with me, whom I’d bought a ticket for, the airline was great about assigning us seats together at the gate. I’d love to see SWA offer the different levels if they don’t already, which it doesn’t sound like they do.
Reality
February 21st, 2012
11:15 am
If you have no pressing need (catch a connecting flight), then does that extra 10 minutes really make a difference?
This reminds me of kids trying to cut in line in the school cafeteria. Are people that fly really that immature?
How about using manners and common sense?
One striking rattler
February 21st, 2012
11:20 am
I am either gold or platinum medallion at Delta, I don’t know what the difference is all I know is that I don’t pay for checking baggage and my luggage comes off the plane first and every second or third trip when I check in they tell me I have been upgraded. I say that to say, even though I have status on Delta, I like SW. I like that SW doesn’t charge for bags. I like their attendants. It seems to me that SW employees like working for their company. All of my flying experiences with them have been pleasant. I can’t say the same for ATran. In fact I can say the opposite. With ATran, I believe I have a 50/50 chance of leaving on time. The planes are old and worn. The employees seem to hate their jobs. Given a choice, though, I would fly jetblue over Delta, SW or ATran. Jetblue is the only domestic line that has separated itself from the competition.
The Airport King
February 21st, 2012
11:25 am
First class is for losers!!! I fly my own Beachcraft out og PDK and never have to deal with any of the Gold level Platnium pantied wannabes that look down on those that fly based on price. Step and go private, or stop your flexing!!! =(
Rickster
February 21st, 2012
12:04 pm
A little less than four years ago, we endured two flights – one from New Delhi to Brussels, one from Brussels to Newark NJ on an international airline. Total flight time was about 17 hours.
When I had the opportunity to pay the upgrade fee for the remaining Business Class seats on the AirTran flight to Atlanta, I didn’t hesitate a second.
Sure, it didn’t have the sleeping seats, and gourmet food we had seen in the cabins ahead of us on the previous two flights… but it felt great to have that extra legroom & seat width.
Well worth the $.
AirTran biz class seats needed
February 21st, 2012
12:06 pm
Heck yeah want the biz class seats. That’s all I fly on Airtran. And, I would probably migrate to Delta, like you mention, if SW does away with them. But the recent Airtan/SW magazine has the CEO saying it will ‘take year’ for the integration. So, I am guessing the jury is still out and they may not do away with biz class on Airtran jets.
AirTran biz class seats needed
February 21st, 2012
12:07 pm
‘take years’ I meant to say
Jon
February 21st, 2012
12:15 pm
I already switched from Airtran to Delta after I used up the last of my points on a business class upgrade.
Tucker
February 21st, 2012
12:31 pm
“The world according to Atlanta” ended once before when ValuJet changed to AirTran. This time it does seem a little more ominous, at least from a “corporate engagement with the city and metro area” standpoint. Delta has a golden opportunity to renew its place as “Atlanta’s airline” in a variety of ways. It will be interesting to watch what happens.
md
February 21st, 2012
12:40 pm
I’m an Airtran Elite flyer and i’ve been dreading this day since it was announced. it is the exception these days when i DONT get a complimentary upgrade as an Elite member on Airtran. Also, when you go to reconcile company purchase cards and need to get the receipt – it’s as easy as logging into your account on Airtran.com, and it costs you nothing. On Delta, if you didn’t save your confirmation email when you purchased your ticket – this will cost you $25.
i friggin’ hate Delta. i’m gonna give SW a shot to see what it’s all about, but i friggin hate Delta – they’ve lost my bags on 3 occasions and never refunded my bag fees for any of those inconveniences. I probably could have gotten something if i screamed loud enough about it, but if i set my expectations low (which i always do on Delta) then i’m not surprised when they meet that low bar.
Emma
February 21st, 2012
12:49 pm
I have been flying since I was 5years old and OMG have I seen CHANGE! Some of the changes are so ridiculous that flying sometimes isn’t even pleasurable anymore. I use to fly first class ALL the time but now I could give a hoot where I sit on th plane just as long as I get there ban back safely. I guess when you turn 40 all the BS you just toss out the window, say whatever and go with the flow…a peace of mind and peace.
jimmyj
February 21st, 2012
12:50 pm
As a frequent business flyer who lived in Atlanta, I used to think that Delta was great. I flew them 90% of the time and had a lot of status. Once I moved to the West coast and started flying other airlines, I realized how horrible Delta was. They were always late, the attendants were rude, and the customer service was horrible. There are many reasons why they consistently rank at the bottom of the customer satisfaction surveys. Most airlines are horrible, but Delta is the worst!
The first time I flew Southwest, I hated them. However, they have made a lot of changes. Gone are the days of the “cattle call” boarding. If you check in on line 24 hours in advance, you get a good boarding number. They board based on zones A, B or C and you get assigned a number within that zone. You line up in order and then board (similar to traditional boarding but a little different). The earlier you check in online, the better position you get. It is much more organized and they can board a plane in 15 minutes versus 30 or more for traditional airlines.
The service on SW is also great. They really do treat you like a person and will go out of their way to make you happy. They are also on time for the majority of their flights. They also have rewards points that allows you to earn free flights and status for early boarding.
Give SW a chance, you might just realize that it’s not as bad as you think!
Doug
February 21st, 2012
12:56 pm
Most of you bemoaning SWA as “cattle class” don’t know how it works. I’ve flown them for years out of STL and prefer to. If you have the extra $$ you can go “business select” and you board first. No problem with getting a seat. If that is too pricey you can spend $10 and have the computer choose your boarding sequence. Otherwise you check in 24 hours or less in advance to receive your boarding number. It is far from a cattle call. I’ve flown with spouse and 2 kids and NEVER had a problem getting seating together.
SWA is the only airline I’ve flown that understands how to efficiently run the process. They turn those planes around 30 minutes at the gate. And the pax don’t feel rushed.
david
February 21st, 2012
1:00 pm
Campbell’s produces Spaghettios … I will bet $100 that the CEO of Campbell’s does not crack open a can when he’s in the mood for Italian. Southwest produces a utilitarian product for the masses and luxury is provided by other companies. You can’t begrudge a successful person for purchasing something their company doesn’t claim to produce.
Sargent Carter
February 21st, 2012
1:03 pm
sometimes we want to pamper ourselves, so he flew delta…so what?
crackbaby
February 21st, 2012
1:07 pm
Delta loyalists crack me up. DL has terrible customer service and is an early adopter of bag fees.
More competition will improve fares, choices and hopefully the flying experience that has become so miserable.
The major airlines pricing model screws the customer whenever possible.
Don Price
February 21st, 2012
1:11 pm
In downtown Atlanta, Delta has a billboard that says “Loyalty Never Expires” Well that is BS. My loyalty to Delta is so my neighbors, the baggage guy, the pilot, the attendant, etc have jobs. Often Delta is not the LPF (Lowest Provided Fare) but I find ways to use them for the benefit of my friends, out of LOYALTY to them! Well it appears LOYALTY for Delta does expire, after numerous trips across the Atlantic to UK and multiple miles (no not million miler) my status is back down to BLUE..like a newby. My company cut out travel for 1 year due to the economy and how does Delta reward a GOLD Medallion member…no bump to SIlver, straight to BLUE! I would like to say Im not going to use Delta anymore, but that isnt true. Why? Because those friends that I am LOYAL too need to feed their families, pay their mortgages, etc. Delta MY FRIENDS have my loyalty and my heart. After the way you treated me…You have nothing from me, no Loyalty, No love, and No happiness…and should my friends ever not need you for a paycheck….then I will find another airline!
Biff Wellington
February 21st, 2012
3:21 pm
Unil they put a little more of a barrier between us and the cretons in coach I will stick to charter jets. That see through curtain is just not enough.
down with the middle seat
February 21st, 2012
8:33 pm
I don’t care what airline you’re flying – the middle seat sucks!
darb
February 21st, 2012
8:42 pm
I sure hope they have exit row seats for my 6′4″ body
James
February 22nd, 2012
12:41 pm
The first time that i considered using first class flights i didn’t think that it would be different from just flying economy. I enjoyed my flight so much more flying first class and i always use first class now whenever i fly.
I have to laugh
February 23rd, 2012
8:47 am
I guess the wealthiest most successful airline in the history of the US airline industry is doing something wrong? If all you elite business people were SO elite, you’d have a fractional jet flying you to your destinations. For those of you who “Bash the trash” flyers, remember that there is more of them then you. Watch, as Delta begins to lose market share, they will have to compete with Southwest. At that point, fares will drop and make it affordable for the “Glad” labeled luggage passenger to fly. Don’t they have a right to travel? This elitist attitude, shared by Delta, is what put that BS airline into bankruptcy in the first place. Oh, and for those who fly to Europe, I used my Southwest Rapid Rewards points to fly to Paris on Southwest “bitch”: Delta.
Mrs Thurston Howell III
February 23rd, 2012
6:34 pm
I dread the loss of First Class. Air travel in general has become such a third class experience, I’d rather rent a luxury car and drive if I can. Back in the day, even the economy seats had as much legroom as “business class”; when you flew First, it meant champagne, hot towels, a free carry-on bag filled with toiletries, and a luxurious seat.
LONG LIVE PAN AM!
Frank Grimm
February 24th, 2012
12:25 pm
I will NEVER fly Southwest. I was a huge fan of AirTran, always upfront, away from the screaming dirty kids, most of the time, and I’ll go back to Delta. Don’t get me wrong, Delta is horrible. On a recent business class trip around the world, 15 flight segments, all Delta partners, the Delta flight from LAX back to ATL was the worst of all of the segments. Air France is still fairly good, Korean Air is great and KLM is exceptional, but Delta, not so much. And Southwest with their cattle-seating….no thanks. I won’t “give it a try”. Why would I want to subject myself to that?
The Facts
February 24th, 2012
7:07 pm
Please don’t make me fly one of those tightly packed Southwest 737’s. It’s the Sky equivalent of bus travel. Please no screaming mommies with kids for me!!! A federal aviation article recently admonished Southwest for advertising it had the lowest fares vs Delta. In fact 62% of the time Delta’s fare was lower than SW or matched the price. This baloney about Southwest being a low fare airline is just that – Baloney.
Dresses Delicate Back Design
February 25th, 2012
2:35 am
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Emilio Suski
February 25th, 2012
12:11 pm
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