737 successor for SWA???

[Flechas]

Who's the moron? Someone doesn't understand the principles of supply and demand. Throw in heavy competition in an oversupplied market and, voila, you can't raise prices. Or are you suggesting collusion amongst select carriers? I love it when pilots throw out this catch all fix to the industry. Just fly the plane.

So if the airlines can't raise the prices, who do you think should pay for the increase in fuel price? The employees?

That kind of reasoning is what's killing the industry and our profession. I think you are the moron!

 

[THUGLIFE]

Im hedged with food stamps. I don’t even mind having management paycheck deducting 50$ to help with fuel cost, so Billy bob can fly across the country for 49$

 

[Singlecoil]

My point is that Southwest generally sets the fares in the markets they serve and other airlines are forced to come down to their prices or lose market share to them. I don't think for a minute that if Southwest raised fares by $10 that other airlines wouldn't do the same. Nobody is stupid enough to try to undercut Southwest as they have made it clear that they won't be undersold.

Does it seem totally unreasonable to assert that if they have the lowest fares in a market and aren't earning a profit, that they should raise fares? I know, they are hedged through 2006 (2007?) and won't be forced to do that for a while, but if I worked there I would surely like to see them try to raise fares before asking me for a paycut.

 

[FlyBarneyJets]

We don't necessarily always have the lowest fares in any given market.

For instance:

SEA-OAK 10/4/05 (20 day advance) with return to SEA on 10/5 (lowest available fares):

SWA: $228.40
Alaska: $178.40

Both fares include all applicable taxes.

How about you guys raise YOUR fares?

I think that when you look at the facts, it's kind of pointless getting into a whizzin' contest about this, really.

 

[Swerpipe]

A 787 successor?

An all electric airplane (no bleeds, pneumatic air etc...), mostly composite with high bypass turbofan engines while keeping the same type or at least set it up so that SWA pilots can fly both types with minimum training requirements, a 797 I guess or a 737e so that it still sounds like a 73. I'll be interesting. I'm sure Boeing has already started looking into moving 787 technology into the best seeling aircraft. The out of control fuel prices will probably expedite Boeing's efforts plus having yet another chance of hitting Airbus with yet another "challenge".

 

[SWAPoolie]

Interesting to note is Gary Kelly's comment about fuel prices

I think SWA's hedges run out in 2006 (not positive)

addressing the fuel price situation will be a serious challenge even to SWA

2009 but I'm sure there will be more hedging and other futures investments from the top people.

 

[FlyBarneyJets]

2009 but I'm sure there will be more hedging and other futures investments from the top people.

If we can find something other than heating oil to invest in.

 

[LearAv8r]

When GK came to MCO a few days before RSW was announced someone asked him about the fuel hedging and he said that right now it was pointless to hedge past 2009 because the futures of heating oil was at $62 for 2009. He said that it might change but was doubtful......He also said that we could actually sell off some of the fuel hedging in the future for a profit...so what ever that means. I don't think that I have ever flown with someone who wasn't excited with him at the top so I guess we will have to see what happens.

Lear-

also I was watching a business report last night and they had on there Richard Branson from Virgin and he was talking about actually buying or building a refinery. I know that the question was asked to GK and SWA actually looked into buying one but I don't know what eventually came up with that.....

 

[Captain Overs]

So if Southwest goes with another plane in the future (a smaller 787) would they require their pilots to buy the type?

 

[cumulus]

No, they won't require a 787 type, they'll build it with round dials and flip switches so we won't have to get more than a one day ground school "737 differences" training. We can still just fly it like an old -200

 

[Widow's Son]

>>Then raise the fares, moron.<<

Then pay your bills and obligations and if you can't, shut down and liquidate, moron.

The pricing will take care of itself.

 

[OffHot]

"So if Southwest goes with another plane in the future (a smaller 787) would they require their pilots to buy the type?"


No, only the new hires.

 

[Singlecoil]

We don't necessarily always have the lowest fares in any given market.

For instance:

SEA-OAK 10/4/05 (20 day advance) with return to SEA on 10/5 (lowest available fares):

SWA: $228.40
Alaska: $178.40

Both fares include all applicable taxes.

How about you guys raise YOUR fares?

I think that when you look at the facts, it's kind of pointless getting into a whizzin' contest about this, really.

I couldn't agree more, about the whizzin' contest. Sheesh. Some of these guys are a little defensive about their CEO's! It's not like I walked up and punched your mother in the stomach, but I digress. I checked fares on this route as well after you pointed this out and you're right. This pisses me off more than I can possibly describe. I guess I'm not too surprised; Alaska turned into a dirtbag bottom-feeding airline about 5 months ago. I guess I'll shut up now.

 

[CA1900]

An all electric airplane (no bleeds, pneumatic air etc...

??

How do you propose to heat, cool, pressurize, and ice-protect such an airplane without bleed air?

 

[Swerpipe]

Bleedless 787

??

How do you propose to heat, cool, pressurize, and ice-protect such an airplane without bleed air?

I'm not proposing that. Someone else already did. That together with the ligher a/c from composites and efficient engines is how they get the 20% fuel savings. That's how the 787 works. It's all electric. Think of an oversized generator that has ample power to run electric air pumps for pressurization, heat for anti ice etc... Wish there was another airplane to show as an example but there isn't. The engines don't use pneumatic air for starting either.