An idea to pitch to Southwest Airlines

[880jedi]

OK, here we go.

It has become way to expensive to fly, and there are still open seat on airplanes. Here is my idea for a win-win for everyone.

Situation is that I want to fly from Oakland to New Orleans. One way ticket is $135.00 (last minute fare). I'm broke and can't afford it. I want to fly on the new "Broke Ass" program.

Step one: Go to the ticket agent and ask for a "Broke Ass" stand-by boarding pass. The airline issues you a generic boarding pass, and you go through security just like everyone else.

You walk up to the gate with the flight you want to ride on, ask for a stand-by pass, (which will be #1, because you are the first one there), and you wait. There are 130 revenue seat sold, and 5 unsold seats at that time. They start boarding, everyone is on board, and the 5 empty seats are open.

You hand them a crisp $20.00 bill, give back your stand-by boarding pass, (so Security knows you left on a plane), and you fly. The airline made $20.00 dollars that they would have not made without the program, and you get the stand-by rate.

Sure, they'll lose a can of soda and some peanuts to you, and the extra weight will cost a few pennies in fuel, but everyone wins, right?

Pro's: You take a chance, and if you win, you fly for only $20.00
If there were 10 open seats, the airline makes $200.00 on a leg that they wouldn't have before.

Con's: You'll never see an open seat to a popular destination like Chicago. No joy. That plane is always full.
You can't hold multiple stand-by passes. Only one at a time. (They'll know).
If you don't get on a flight, you can try another flight, but will end up at the back of the stand-by line.
You might not get out at all. You lose, and get to go home.

If you don't fly, you give back your generic boarding pass to Security so you are accounted for. No security lapse.

If you were the CEO of an airline, would you like this idea, or toss me out on my arse?

Yay or nay?

 

[lil charlie]

I dont see that working. No one would by tickets and everyone would try to get the broke ass ticket. Now the airline has 100 of 100 seats unsold and has to sell them all at $20.00, thus going out of business.

 

[zukracer]

They already have a program like that only problem is that its for employees of airlines. I'm sure they would take priority over anything like this but for sake of argument, lets take a little deeper look.

First off, your "broke ass" fare would have to be up a good bit from $20 because it costs more than that to fly your butt in gas money alone... even if you are a 5yr old 46lb kid

Secondly, they would never let you through security unless you had a reasonably good chance of getting on a plane. Today when you get a standby pass you have already paid the standard fare and have been bumped or are in an oversold flight (and likely will get bumped anyway). The airline is required to put you on a plane one way or the other when you have paid for the flight regardless of how long they make you wait for it. Thats how you get past the TSA. The employee broke ass program folks are allowed to clear because while a non-rev passenger they are almost always accommodated on a plane.

Third, as mentioned no one would buy flights they'd always want the broke ass ticket

I think you are better off doing a few different things.
-Check a variety of flight search sites, plenty of them have deals out there.
-Search for coupon codes for the airline you are looking at
-Register for the frequent flier program, get their credit card and earn miles from buying stuff you spend money on anyway = free flights
-When possible shop on Wed around midnight (tues night) and 7 or 14 days in advance.

Now if you know someone who works for an airline, make nice and ask for a buddy pass from them

 

[Schexy1]

I think they would be more willing to do a they-win-you-loose like letting you buy a stand-by ticket at half price with no guarantee of getting on a flight. If a flight has an empty seat = win-win, if no empty seats they win. If all tickets are half price, they cancel the flight and they win.

 

[880jedi]

The business plan is only to fill the last few empty seats, not rewrite the entire pricing structure. If a plane is 96% full of revenue passengers, someting is working well.

 

[PaLVBusa]

What abotu luggage? When you check in you drop your luggage off as if your getting on the plane. Now they fill the last 5 open spots before you can get a broke ticket.. Now your luggage is on its way to oakland and your stuck watching ur plane leave wihtout u on it...

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Growing up my cousin in Los Angeles worked for TWA and I lived in Tn. He used to get me standby passes as well as for himself. We waited and waited but eventually wound up flying free all over Europe and back. It was great. We were not however allowed to check any bags, carry on only. This was for the reason Zuk mentioned above. We would wait without knowing if we were going. The logistics of it prevented us from checking bags. I stayed in Europe and went all over it and lived out of a backpack for two weeks. I have like forty million pictures of he and I over there and both of us have ether one of the two shirts we had. I wore his , he wore mine, then we washed them and swapped.

Your idea has potential but needs works.

 

[880jedi]

What abotu luggage? When you check in you drop your luggage off as if your getting on the plane. Now they fill the last 5 open spots before you can get a broke ticket.. Now your luggage is on its way to oakland and your stuck watching ur plane leave wihtout u on it...

A non issue. If you see the baby strollers at the end of the jetway, they get tossed down the chute to the baggage hold. I've also see a few folks try to bring a carry on, and have been unable to make it fit into the overhead. Rejected!! Bag gets checked in same way.

 

[Big Bo]

God help us.