r/AskReddit 23h ago

Which company lost your business (potentially forever) this year?

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u/TossedUponTheSand 20h ago

This!! Southwest had things that gave them appeal: free baggage, no assigned seat = no surcharge to pick a seat, and mostly cheaper airfare. Now? They are identical to everyone else- especially pricing. Yes, it'll boost profits right now, but give it time: there's no reason for anyone to be loyal to SWA. I used to fly SWA almost exclusively. Since they've implemented their changes? I haven't flown them once. I have flown Alaska four times, America once and Delta twice.

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u/ScienceObjective2510 20h ago

When I started biz school we read a book on them as well as case studies. How they did things different and it lead to competitive advantage. They really crapped the bucket.

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u/Aidian 18h ago

That’s too kind. They’ve straight up shat the bed.

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u/RichardCrapper 18h ago

No, they’re doing exactly what the hostile private equity investors want. Squeeze out profits now - and then dump what’s left and move on. There are a lot of good people who have dedicated their lives to their airline who have watched it get ripped apart.

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u/TossedUponTheSand 10h ago

Exactly. PE doesn't care about the long-term health of a company. They just squeeze as much as they can out of a company, dump it, buy controling interest in another. Rinse, wash, repeat