Metz, The Social Concept

How Southwest Can (Maybe) Catch Up With Virgin America

June 9, 2009

Maybe it’s not a goal that they’re pursuing, but I’m noticing that Southwest needs to do a few things to earn my NY-SF business.

1. Wi-fi, all the way If you can’t be working working all the way to your destination, then you might as well have been flying US Airways.

2. LGA, JFK, now. Enough said. Islip is not Brooklyn.

3. Healthy on-board food choices. Litmus test: did one thing from the snack box grow directly in the ground or from a treet?

4. Make the Southwest A-list branding more “in your face”. It’s nice to know that I only need to fly Southwest for 6.5 more round-trips before I get free companion travel for a year. That said, no one has reminded me except for the fine print on a page three sub-navigations deep in Southwest’s website. This thing is a better-kept secret than the origins of Colonel Tom .

Areas where the two airlines are even:

1. Fast Check-in

2. Friendly (or in the case of Virgin, silent) crew

3. Availability of my favorite seats, #3C and #3F.

Southwest’s Edge:

1. More flexible mileage program

2. Cheaper refundable/changeable fares

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