An Interesting New Offering from US Airways: FastPath

Well, well, well. Today on Twitter I found an interesting new product from US Airways called FastPath, that is being rolled out on the airline's flights between Boston and Philadelphia.

Personally, I see this as a direct response to Southwest. The carrier launched service on the route earlier this summer, and just recent added a three more frequencies, bringing the total number of daily flights to eight.

Southwest's presence, of course, has boosted competition and lowered fares, which is great news for travelers. The conventional legacy airline response is a price match and maybe some bonus frequent flyer miles. But instead, US Airways decided to get creative with FastPath.

Some of FastPath's benefits can already be found on US Airways Shuttle routes. For example, FastPath flights will leave from the same departure gates, which US Airways says are closer to security. Dedicated check-in areas is another perk that's found on Shuttle flights.

A nice new perk? Priority security line access - for everyone. This is a perk that previously is only open to First Class passengers and elite frequent flyers.

This one makes sense, especially because Southwest has good security checkpoints on its side. At Boston, Southwest uses Terminal E, which is primarily used for international flights, so it's pretty quiet during the morning. Plus, it basically has its own security checkpoint as a larger one is used for long-haul flights. Meanwhile, at PHL, Southwest's checkpoint is found at the still-new D/E connector, which is quite nice.

Anyway, an interesting move by US Airways to create value. Let's see how it goes, and if/how Southwest responds.