Southwest Airlines (whose IATA code is “WN”) is one of the original “disruptors” in the airline industry. When it commenced operations in 1971, founder Herb Kelleher brought affordable air travel to a burgeoning middle class in the United States; flying was no longer reserved for the one-percent. It was a refreshing addition in to the market, but Southwest Airlines has since grown into an outlier. Its barebones passenger experience doesn’t match those on legacy carriers, but it is, price-wise, definitely not an LCC. Some might argue that its fares are overpriced, whereas others would simultaneously claim that Southwest is the best deal in the sky. Whether or not it’s a good value depends on who you ask, and such ambiguity makes the airline all the more intriguing and worthy of a closer look.
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The great American West meets higher flyer luxury
Moab, Utah, despite its remote location on the Colorado Plateau, is a hub for intrepid explorers, nature enthusiasts, and backpacking tourists. Its close proximity to two ruggedly beautiful national parks — Arches and Canyonlands — is the main draw, and Moab attracts more and more visitors with each passing year. The local hotel scene is expanding in order to cater to them, and the town’s first upscale property, the Hoodoo, opened in Summer 2019. As part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, it’s a charming, well-designed, and luxurious four-star, but it’s also one of the most expensive places in the area. To the delight of higher flyers though, these costs can be easily offset with points and, better yet, there’s plenty good value to be had!
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A convenient, comfortable, and cost-effective way to hop through the Northeastern United States.
In a very, very crowded field of competitors all vying for the customers who transit the lucrative Northeast Corridor, American Airlines has perhaps the most robust offering. Just about every hour on the hour for fifteen straight hours — from 6am to 9pm to be precise — every single day, you can fly AA between Washington, New York, and Boston. It couldn’t get more convenient than that and, if you’re running late to the airport, no worries! You can just get on the next flight without changing your schedule too drastically. This level of flexibility is great for the business travelers who frequent these routes, and the comfortable seats and relatively cheap fares are just icing on the cake.
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A proud symbol of the era of affordable air travel
The 787s that Norwegian Air uses for its longhaul operations are far from glamorous — expect slimline seats clad in grey “leather” for as far as the eye can see — but they are representative of an undeniably positive development in the commercial airline industry: more people can afford to travel. Norwegian occupies an interesting position in the market; it was one of the first carriers to take the low-cost/LCC model and successfully apply it to intercontinental travel. Its fares are so consistently low (it’s not unusual to see oneway transatlantic tickets go for around $100), but correspondingly, it’s natural to wonder if there’s any sort of catch involved. Is flying Norwegian an absurdly miserable experience or is it a viable option for higher flyers?
