Bidding on LAG and DCA Slot packets

[On Your Six]

Everyone just needs to admit that SWA never makes mistakes or misses opportunities. They are the new Skygods, right?

Didn't they just post a loss? How are their fuel hedges doing? Then they underbid for those LGA and DCA slots. No, they really aren't perfect.


Godspeed!


OYS

 

[laker4284]

Riiiiiiiiight. Great comeback. THEY overpaid...... Or, you drastically underbid for something very valuable, that now may cost that much in every slot auction. It won't get any cheaper, Gary. You may want to try other airports nearby if you can't afford those slots, like Newburgh/Stewart or Hagerstown, MD? That AT purchase really zapped you guys. Ouch.


Godspeed!


OYS

You don't know your airline history very well. SWA has a long history of NOT paying premium prices for assets. For example, in the go-go '80s with regard to aircraft leases. In that case SWA let America West have aircraft that SWA deemed too pricey. We all know how that turned out for AmWest. I suspect the LGA slts are more of the same - valuable to SWA but not at any price.

 

[General Lee]

You don't know your airline history very well. SWA has a long history of NOT paying premium prices for assets. For example, in the go-go '80s with regard to aircraft leases. In that case SWA let America West have aircraft that SWA deemed too pricey. We all know how that turned out for AmWest. I suspect the LGA slts are more of the same - valuable to SWA but not at any price.

Sometimes you have to pay to play at certain airports. I know about Southwest not paying top dollar for things, they also don't build their own terminals unless the have to. They did that at SEA, while we moved to a newer, farther away concourse (which we left again after the merger). The thing about LGA and DCA slots is that there is very little room to grow at those airports, and they are close to downtown (LGA) and Gov't stuff (DCA). Businessmen will pay more to be closer to their meetings. If there are future mergers, there may be another opportunity to buy some more if one airline has to give them up, but the prices aren't coming down because now the airlines know what they are worth. If Southwest doesn't want to pay that amount, they won't play more at those airports (with additional slots). Oh well.


Bye Bye---General Lee