Do You Suffer From Airline Brand Loyalty?

Written on 04/24/2009 by Andrew Hickey in Travel

Wi-Fi, mood lighting and just a damn good company. That is why Virgin America is one of my favorite airlines to fly. But if Delta was cheaper for my particular itinerary, I would turn on Sir Richard Branson in a heartbeat. Nothing personal Richie boy.

The other day one of my friends called and asked me to check on some airfare for a trip he wants to take to San Francisco via New York in July for a wedding. For some reason people close to me think that because I write about travel, I am also their part time travel agent. It is not that they ask for my opinion or information, it is that they email or call with an assignment for me to complete. As if they are my editor and I must get the next story in by a certain deadline. I honestly do not mind, as I get a kick out of saving people cash on future trips. That is one of the reasons I started this website in the first place.

So I call my friend back and explain to him what I found. I tell him of a great price for travel in mid July. He replies with “ok great, can you email me all the airline information, dates and price.” No problem, I simply write up a quick email and shoot it over to him ASAP. About 15 minutes later I notice a new email in my inbox. Oh it is a reply from my friend, great he must have booked the flight. Wrong. He replies with, “thanks for helping me out since I am an idiot when it comes to finding good airfare deals, but I refuse to take American Airlines and only fly JetBlue.”

Now even though JetBlue for that particular itinerary was pricier, he insisted on using the low-cost carrier over AA. I then wondered to myself, do most people stick with a particular airline due to some sort of brand loyalty? Or do most people just look for whatever airline is cheapest and book it. I mean if Airline A is $59 and Airline B is $71, and I absolutely love Airline B, then I would probably just go with it and spend a little extra. But in this case he was going to spend about $75 more to use JetBlue over AA and it was not due to gaining points or miles, as this particular pal never travels and is not one to sign up for airline programs.

So putting aside the lovely miles, points and rewards that you can accumulate through credit card purchases or by flying with a particular company, do you have airline brand loyalty? If so what is your brand and why? Would you pay an extra $100 to fly with your guys in the sky or do you just want the cheapest way to get you to your final destination? As for me, while I prefer JetBlue, American Airlines, and Southwest (in that particular order). I would much rather have some extra “moolah” to spend when I land in my new locale. Except perhaps in the case of say Spirit Air, where I think I would empty my wallet for an alternative.

8 Comments - Leave a comment!
  • http://www.mycreditcardwatch.com Aaron Wakling

    I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work :)

  • Mike Stella

    I do have loyalty to certain airlines. I enjoy the service on Virgin America and Southwest, while for international I always have a good flight with Aer Lingus. I have paid extra to fly on an airline I particularly enjoy over the competition. I too loathe Spirit and also do not like United.

  • The Cali Traveler

    No way do I have loyalty to these crooks! The cheapest way is the best way!

  • AndreaS

    I am a bit of an airline brand loyalist. I only fly Virgin domestic and Continental overseas. But that is bc of the points. But both airlines are so good that I would still fly them without collecting points.

    Happy Friday!

  • NomadMike

    If rewards are not an issue, since I am with AAdvantage on my mastercard, then I would prefer to fly Southwest or JetBlue when it is domestic. I agree with Andrea and have to say that Continental for international travel is #1 in my book!

  • BillM

    While I have favorites, I also just lost my job and have some time off. So cheapest flight wins for my trip I am planning in May to San Antonio.

  • http://www.whereivebeen.com Jessie

    I prefer to travel with the home airline of where ever I am traveling. If I”m going to South Africa, I’ll fly with South African….If I’m going to Australia, I’ll travel with Qantas…

  • http://www.rondubinphotography.com Ron in L.A.

    If you fly often, it doesn’t make sense not to be loyal especially if you’re flying on legacy carriers. I fly Delta domestically, 9 times out of 10 I’m upgraded to First Class, no matter what price I paid for the ticket and that includes my last R/T between LAX and MCO which cost me $400. It makes all the difference in the world. There’s no such thing as a perfect airline, but things are much more tolerable from the front of the plane and if that’s the reward for loyalty, it works for me. Internationally, if Delta doesn’t go, I usually book with a Sky Team member.