SW was 20% plus more productive that the legacies however that is starting to change and most of the other LCCs are more productive that SW. This last quarters loss was proclaimed to be a result of fuel hedging, no mention of labor problems. However, the gains since 9/11/01 were also the result of fuel hedging. Without a gain due to fuel hedging the future profitability of SW is suspect. This could explain the attempted move into ATL and the resultant panicked moves by Kelly and Herb in regard to the SLI issues.
Maru, clearly you ARE the most ignorant person posting on FI. I originally thought it was OYS or Fubi, but I came to realize that they were just playing stupid to pick a fight. They don't actually believe most of the crap they write. You actually don't seem to really know anything about the things you pick to post about. Being retired and all, I should think you'd have plenty of time to actually look up some facts before you spout off on the forum. Please try it sometime.
SWA's gains since 9/11 are NOT solely the result of fuel hedging. Every quarter and year, there are operating profits and losses, those due to one-time charges (merger expenses, write-offs, etc), and those due to the values of holdings changing (e.g. fuel hedging). In the last 20 years (since 1991), SWA has had an operating profit in every quarter but one, and an operating profit for the entire year, for the last 38 consecutive years. That's serious money-makin' flying airplanes
outside of fuel hedges. Our fuel hedges just made us more profit. Without fuel hedges, SWA's future profitability is NOT suspect, but rather just as solid as it was this past quarter.
Finally, to address your last asinine statement, our "attempted move into ATL," is not attempted at all. SWA starts flying in and out of ATL in February, before the first Airtran plane even gets painted. As the Airtran planes come over, there will be a huge SWA presence there. And Gary and Herb's "panicked moves in regard to the SLI issues" were not panicked at all. Also, despite Fubi and OYS' bellowings to the contrary, their "moves" do not spell the end of our culture. In fact, it's just the opposite. Gary believes in our culture so much that he is willing to forego some of the monetary benefits of the merger to protect it. Do you really think any of the other airline CEOs would even give a crap about this? If Delta bought Mesa, and an arbitrator said Delta gets stapled to the bottom of Mesa, the CEO would just say, so sorry. You're just employees. Get over it. (Think Doug Parker and his lack of give-a-sh!t about his AWA employees). Our boss is not like that, luckily for us.
You never did say what airline you retired from. How's its profitablitiy record? Fuel hedging record? Culture record? Oh yeah, and please name the "most of the other" airlines that are more productive than SWA. How's their profitabilty records?
Bubba
