After 36-years, Dallas based Southwest Airlines has decided to scrap their discounted senior airfares.

When airlines do something they think their customers will love they can’t wait to tell the world about it. However, when they take away something people like, they very quietly announce it hoping no one will notice.

And while nothing lasts forever, was it really hurting the airline to offer senior citizens a discount on tickets rather than having them sitting around waiting to see when the next seat sale would come along?

The flying public, in America at least, has mostly given up on the idea of great service in favor of on-time arrivals and departures. While Southwest does offer some of the cheapest fares, they still manage to do it with a big smile on their face.

Southwest will still offer other discounted fares

Before we get into this further, this is the announcement Southwest Airlines made about discontinuing senior discounts as quoted in USA Today.

"Notice: As of Dec. 11, 2019, senior fares are no longer available for purchase. Our customers mean everything to us. We’re committed to providing friendly, reliable service and low fares with heart. You’ll still get all that with our other fare features."

The low-cost airline added the refundable fares are still available with its "Anytime" and "Business Select" fares.

Getting rid of the senior discount may come as a shock to older Southwest Airlines customers who took advantage of the discounted airfares.

Using the senior discount saved quite a bit of money

USA Today gives an example of how the fare worked by quoting the price of a round-trip ticket from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

If you flew using Southwest’s “Anytime” fare it would cost you $1,189.38, a senior discounted fare for the same journey was $685.36 a savings of $504.02.

When Inc.com’s Chris Matyszczyk telephoned Southwest to ask why they were taking away the senior discount, a spokesperson for the airline said:

“After careful evaluation of the overall fare product, we've made the decision to sunset the Senior Fare option.”

Clearly by “sunset”, what the airline means is actually 'killed off', and not merely put to bed for the night.

Could the 737 MAX grounding be the reason?

Just like American Airlines saying adding more seats to planes was a good idea, Southwest Airlines has obviously done this to increase revenue.

With the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX going into its eighth month and no word from the FAA as to when it will be back in service, Southwest could be trying to show its Wall Street investors that it can make up for all those canceled flights.

After all, Southwest Airlines is the most affected airline in America with 34 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet. American Airlines and United Airlines have also suffered due to the MAX grounding, but nowhere near the extent of  Southwest.

What do you think about Southwest getting rid of discounted flights for senior citizens? Please let us know in the comments.