July 1, 2004 -- Let's all gather 'round and watch US Airways (www.usairways.com) try to turn itself into a low-fare carrier. Under heavy pressure from Southwest in Philadelphia and Independence Air in DC, the financially struggling airline has recently introduced low, everyday "Go Fares" on many routes to and from Philly and DC.
Travelers are thrilled, but financial analysts, alas, aren't as impressed. US Airways has higher maintenance and labor costs than its low-fare competition, so lowering fares is a really risky move unless the airline can get concessions from its workers. We say, fly 'em while you can.
The latest news in US Airways' Go Fares campaign is a massive expansion of their low fares from Washington, D.C. That's especially interesting because US Airways mostly flies out of Reagan National Airport, the best airport for DC visitors. You can hop on a Metro train right outside your terminal at Reagan and be at the Smithsonian in literally 15 minutes -- a far cry from Southwest's base at Baltimore and Independence's base at Dulles, both of which are way out in the suburbs, and neither of which have direct rail links between their terminals and DC.
The current rack of Go Fares from Reagan National includes (all fares roundtrip, before taxes, and requiring a 14-day advance purchase):
- Chattanooga: $198
- Ft. Lauderdale: $158
- Ft. Myers: $198
- Jacksonville, FL: $198
- Kansas City: $158
- Myrtle Beach: $158
- Nashville: $198
Pensacola: $198
Phoenix: $198
Portland, ME: $198
Raleigh/Durham: $158
Savannah: $198
Syracuse: $178
Tallahassee: $198
Tampa: $158
West Palm Beach: $178
White Plains, NY: $178
While you can often find cheaper sale fares to these destinations, the advantage of Go Fares is that they're always around. They sell out, and they may not be available on holidays or during big events, but these are standard fares, not sales that will vanish into the ether. To book these fares, see www.usairways.com/pro/specials/dc_gofares.htm.
A Great Effort, But Not Quite Enough
If you're considering booking Go Fares, remember to check a major travel agency site for competing fares and also to go to Independence Air's (www.flyi.com) and Southwest's (www.southwest.com) sites, because they don't list their fares on any travel agency site other than SideStep (www.sidestep.com).
Right now Southwest is selling Baltimore-Jacksonville and Baltimore-West Palm Beach flights for $158. Independence is selling Dulles-Syracuse flights for an amazing $118, and Dulles-Portland flights for $138.
The choice is up to you: pay a little more to fly into a more convenient airport, or pay absurdly little to land out in the suburbs. It's a pity for US Airways, though, that when they finally did decide to put out some great everyday fares, their truly low-fare competitors are still beating them.
What do you think USAir's chances are for survival? If you haven't already, will you fly them due to their new "Go Fares?" Tell us on our Air Travel Message Boards.