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DFW still wants SWA to come over

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FlyBoeingJets

YES, that's NICE
Joined
Mar 20, 2003
Posts
1,802
D/FW Airport poll: Passengers want Southwest to fly out of D/FW
Friday July 8, 12:31 pm ET



Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Friday fired another round in its all-out war with Southwest Airlines Co., which wants to open Dallas Love Field to long-haul service that would directly compete with D/FW Airport.

D/FW Airport announced it is launching this weekend an advertising campaign stressing that D/FW and Dallas-based Southwest "can work together to strengthen the North Texas economy and add to the 268,000 jobs tied to flight activity at D/FW."

In months of volleys between the two, D/FW Airport has systematically argued that Southwest (NYSE: LUV - News) should move its operations from Love to D/FW Airport. Southwest -- notorious for remaining one of the nation's few profitable airlines by carefully choosing the airports it flies from -- has argued D/FW isn't attractive for a low-fare carrier whose operation is built carefully around the quick turnaround of its aircraft.

D/FW says it will launch a print advertising campaign this weekend to inform the public about what it described as the positive impact a strong relationship between Southwest Airlines and D/FW can have on the North Texas economy.

"According to the latest economic survey conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation, D/FW International Airport generates more than $14 billion in economic activity every year, and supports more than 268,000 jobs that pay more than $6 billion in wages," according to Joseph Lopano, executive vice president of marketing and terminal management at D/FW in a release from the airport.

"These are real jobs and real people that make our economy and neighborhoods stronger with the success of D/FW," added Lopano. "Southwest Airlines can also be profitable at D/FW and add billions of dollars to this economy by building on the success of D/FW and having our airport as a strong partner. We've said in the past we will even build them their own terminal, and we are still offering free rent and other financial incentives valued at over $22 million to come to D/FW."

The airport also announced the results of a passenger poll it took between July 2 and July 5.

The airport said of the 2,714 passengers who were asked "Would you like to see Southwest Airlines fly out of D/FW Airport?" 1,995 had an opinion, and of those, 62 percent said yes, and 11 percent said responded "no."

The airport also said a Lehman Brothers report that it commissioned confirms Southwest could be profitable at D/FW and add $500 million in revenue.

"We believe the combination of facilities availability, market appeal, the exit of a secondary competitor and Southwest's status as one of two hometown airlines in Dallas make the opportunity too compelling to ignore," the Lehman report concluded. Also on Friday, D/FW hired a tow plane to carry a message banner over the runways of Love Field, the home of Southwest Airlines. The banner read "Travelers Want Southwest at D/FW NOW!" The plane also carried the message over Southwest's corporate headquarters, which are adjacent to Love Field, as well as over downtown Dallas, into North and South Dallas and over Plano.
 
Love Field is so much more convenient for many people and less crowded than DFW - that entire notion is laughable. I bet DFW interviewed a bunch of residents right next door to DFW. It's safe to say that the DFW people are gettin' nervous - and THEY SHOULD. AA and DFW are dinosaurs on the slow track to extinction....
 
FlyBoeingJets said:
D/FW Airport poll: Passengers want Southwest to fly out of D/FW
Friday July 8, 12:31 pm ET




The airport also announced the results of a passenger poll it took between July 2 and July 5.

The airport said of the 2,714 passengers who were asked "Would you like to see Southwest Airlines fly out of D/FW Airport?" 1,995 had an opinion, and of those, 62 percent said yes, and 11 percent said responded "no."

The airport also said a Lehman Brothers report that it commissioned confirms Southwest could be profitable at D/FW and add $500 million in revenue.

"We believe the combination of facilities availability, market appeal, the exit of a secondary competitor and Southwest's status as one of two hometown airlines in Dallas make the opportunity too compelling to ignore," the Lehman report concluded. Also on Friday, D/FW hired a tow plane to carry a message banner over the runways of Love Field, the home of Southwest Airlines. The banner read "Travelers Want Southwest at D/FW NOW!" The plane also carried the message over Southwest's corporate headquarters, which are adjacent to Love Field, as well as over downtown Dallas, into North and South Dallas and over Plano.

Two quick points. I'll bet that pax polled at DFW would like SWA to fly DFW, that's a straw man.

and, anything the Lehman brothers have to do with is NOT good for pilots. Been there.

enigma
 
On Your Six said:
AA and DFW are dinosaurs on the slow track to extinction....

I highly doubt that either will be extinct... Love Field cannot take int'l flights, and has a limited domestic capacity, so DFW ain't going anywhere. As far as AA goes, if they are on the verge of extinction, I gues you can write off DAL, NWA, UAL, and CAL right away since AA is the financially best performing legacy airline right now.

I do agree that the Wright amendment is oudated and anti competitive, and will most likely be axed - SWA makes a good point.
 
On Your Six said:
Love Field is so much more convenient for many people and less crowded than DFW - that entire notion is laughable. I bet DFW interviewed a bunch of residents right next door to DFW. It's safe to say that the DFW people are gettin' nervous - and THEY SHOULD. AA and DFW are dinosaurs on the slow track to extinction....

I think DFW is a powerful entity with the resources (enough cash to conduct a poll and commission a Lehman brothers report) and friends to get what they want. AA is firmly on a path toward profitability and dominates Dallas.

Southwest needs to keep Love field competitive to stay in the game long term.
 
"DFW still wants SWA to come over "

They can want in one hand and sh!te in the other and see which one fills up faster! It ain't gonna happen.
 
DFW Is horrible for delays. I have spent more taxi time there than anywhere I flew on a daily basis. SWA will never go for it. They choose Midway, Love, and Hobby for a reason.
 
;) I agree, I have spent many hours out there in the money line just waiting to take off! Definately would hurt the way SWA does business. They would not be able to do any more 20 min. turns!! I don't see them leaving LUV for any reason because it would just hurt their performance numbers!
 
By: Mike Boyd
Hot Flash - July 11, 2005

More Fancy Dancin' From
DFW International Airport

They can't really be paying for consultants create this stuff.

We're talking about the klutzy PR campaign being put on by DFW International Airport to get Southwest to move over from Love Field.

First, they came out with an "independent" study the "findings" and delivery of which looked like a bad plot for a Harry Potter movie, and just about as consistent with reality.

Last week, the fantasy continued. With a straight face, they announced the results of a poll taken to get the public's opinion whether they want Southwest service at DFW.

The question, according to the media, plumbed deep into the subject matter, asking,

"Would you like to see Southwest Airlines fly out of DFW Airport?"

Holy Gallup, Batman! A whopping 85% said yes! (Well, not actually, but that's the way it was spun to the media.)

For those of us in the air service development business, this really is an incredible bit of information, and it raises what may be a security-related issue for the Metroplex: Where were the other 15% of the population? Have they been spirited away by evil terrorists? Kidnapped? Held up in North Dakota against their will?

Well actually, the poll wasn't conducted in the entire Metroplex, but only among passengers at, you guessed it, DFW airport.

But, still, the results are amazing. DFW asked passengers if they would like service from an airline offering low fares, excellent service, and outstanding reliability, and 15% of the population said no?

Actually, only 69% said yes. The 85% figure resulted from DFW removing the respondents who answered "Don't Know." Like with DFW's silly "study" from a few weeks ago, this looks painfully like more spin than substance.

In any event, asking the question at all was dumb, and insulting to the public. DFW posed a simplistic question, the answer to which is obvious, and then postured it all like they're Madame Curie, and they've just discovered radium.

The whole intent is to make Southwest look like they're not giving the public what it wants. Furthermore, it's a stretch to posture this response as being the public "urging" Southwest to come to DFW.

Are Billboards Next? Media reports indicated also that DFW International, in its quest to get Southwest service, has resorted to the type of amateur theatrics usually expected from the Chamber of Commerce at East Upchuck, Iowa. Aside from silly veneer "studies" and public opinion polls, DFW even hired a small airplane to drag a banner over Love Field with the message, "Travelers Want Southwest at DFW NOW!" Sort of like what liquor companies used to do at college football games, having a Cessna 172 pulling signs hyping cheap hooch... "Royal Canadian, Now $6.98 A Quart!"

Can't wait to see what's next from DFW. No telling what their PR company might think up next. Gee, how 'bout a something really innovative? Got it! Let's send a bottle of, say, Wild Turkey, to Herb Kelleher, dressed up to look like Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, brandishing a .357, with the tag line, "Go Ahead, Make My Airport."

Or, maybe a billboard on Mockingbird, right at the crowded, congested entrance to Love Field. It'll depict two adorable small children, crying uncontrollably, with the tag line, "Daddy'd be home by now if nasty old Southwest rented 22 gates at DFW, moved its headquarters there, transferred a couple hundred thousand square feet of maintenance space, and spent tens of millions of dollars doing it. Herb Kelleher, you don't care about my Daddy!"

Or, something really, well, aggressively tacky, as one small East Coast airport did, sending a giant post card accusing Southwest of being the Grinch that Stole Christmas for not coming to town. It's the type of amateur, trite schtick that's been used for years by Chambers of Commerce at speed-trap towns all across America, and it's not much different than the type of stuff DFW's been doing.

That's the unfortunate part. Here we have DFW International, one of the nation's most efficient and important airports, a major international crossroads, and the future #2 gateway to China and Asia, groveling around like some small rural berg begging Southwest to come to their airport.
 
luv2fly said:
By: Mike Boyd
Hot Flash - July 11, 2005

More Fancy Dancin' From
DFW International Airport



That's the unfortunate part. Here we have DFW International, one of the nation's most efficient and important airports, a major international crossroads, and the future #2 gateway to China and Asia, groveling around like some small rural berg begging Southwest to come to their airport.

Boyd had me..........right up to the point where he called DFW "one of the nation's most efficient" airports! Maybe it is, but it don't seem like it from my perspective. Maybe it could be efficient if the ATC ground control philosophy changed, or if they just transported Ohare ground control over to DFW:D

If DFW were truly efficient, SWA (IMHO) would already be there.

enigma
 

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