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By TED JACKOVICS and SARAH HOYE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 12, 2008

TAMPA - Big Pooh and Phonte are just like everyone else who relies on commercial airlines these days.

The Durham, N.C., rap duo Little Brother flew into Tampa for a performance last weekend sans their band merchandise.

"That stuff is heavy, and with the extra luggage fees now, it's not worth it to bring it," Phonte said in a telephone interview. "It's too expensive to travel. We're all going to have to learn to do less with less."

Many airlines have adopted a stream of a la carte fees for checked bags, reserving an aisle seat and other services as they try to overcome rising fuel costs and other expenses.

Except for Southwest Airlines and WestJet.

Southwest, the top airline at Tampa International Airport, has been quick to capitalize on being the exception with a recent series of print, radio, online and TV advertisements based on a theme of "Fees Don't Fly With Us."

WestJet, which offers a weekly summer flight to Toronto, doesn't have quite the same advertising budget as Southwest. Still, WestJet - which offers additional flights at Tampa's airport during its busier peak season from Canada - has decided to use fuel surcharges instead of a la carte fees.

It's Southwest that's getting the attention by poking fun at competitors' extra charges. The ads have been published several times a week in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

There also has been an online campaign. The "Fees Don't Fly" spots continue to appear on Yahoo .com, and the ads have been posted numerous times on the unofficial video historical preservation site YouTube. Southwest also has posted one of the ads on www.blog southwest.com.

"Our chief executive, Gary Kelly, has said, 'We do not want to nickel-and-dime our customers because we know they'll complain and won't come back,'" said Ashley Rogers, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Southwest.

"Fortunately, we have the advantage, thanks to our fuel hedging position, to create additional customer offerings to generate revenue instead of charging for things we currently offer for free," Rogers said, referring to Southwest's use of the futures market to reserve cheaper fuel months in advance before prices rise.

In addition to no charges for up to two bags (unless they are overweight), Southwest also lets passengers change reservations at no cost by offering a credit for 12 months on a new reservation.

That comes in handy for unexpected cancellations, for example, if a traveler becomes ill before a trip. Passengers must pay any difference between the original fare and what is available on a new flight.

It's not that other airlines aren't trying to compete with Southwest in terms of passenger satisfaction. But with just three major U.S. airlines - Southwest, Allegiant Air and USA3000 - posting first-quarter profits, it hasn't been easy for the industry.

JetBlue Airways, for example, expanded its free in-flight connectivity services aboard its Wi-Fi-equipped Airbus A320 this month. The new services will provide passengers with search options from Amazon.com and a broader e-mail platform open to Microsoft exchange corporate e-mail accounts.
WestJet in May enacted $20, $30 and $45 fuel surcharges on short, medium and long-haul flights in lieu of a la carte pricing for what once were industrywide standard services such as multiple free checked bags.

"We certainly are feeling the effect of fuel prices here in Canada, but we decided to take on the fuel issue head-on with a surcharge and forgo charging for a second bag or for certain seats," said Richard Bartrem, vice president of culture and communication for WestJet, which is based in Calgary, Alberta.
WestJet in April also announced the introduction of a guardian fare, enabling one parent or guardian to escort children at half the price of its lowest available fare to and from a destination if the guardian returns to the city of origin within 24 hours of their outbound flight. The guardian fare replaced WestJet's standard $50 additional one-way fee for unaccompanied minors.

"It's just been in effect for a short time, but so far the reception has been positive," Bartrem said.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at tjackovics@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7817.

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