Gary Kelly's ATN Comments at Message To The Field

[kwick]

You're the one that is scared to death to
Let an impartial arbitrator decide the SLI.

What are you afraid of?

Go to arbitration as soon as possible,
And live with the results!

 

[funnyman12]

So you guys are saying that Airtran guys will have a lower quality of life due to no growth on the Airtran side once SW owns us. Wow guys....that stategy will ultimately hurt every Southwest pilot also. No integration = less revenue...less revenue = no growth, no growth = UsAir/Americawest scenario. Why are you guys willing to hurt your own company? There are 5880 pilots and over 35,000 total employees at SW. Im not advocating relative seniority but guys that are against even DOH are truly ego maniacs. How the he#l would DOH hurt one SW pilot? It doesnt....in fact every SW pilots relative sen would go drastically up with DOH. Once again im not advocating DOH either. Guys with that extreme view are the extreme of the extreme with no vision of the future. Most of us have a career that will last many more years, and that extreme view will endanger the strength of SW in the coming years. Gary Kelly said in the 4th qtr conf call 2 weeks ago....that his number 1 priority is a quick integration with Airtran. Also the latest 70 page SEC filing by Southwest on 2/1/11, regarding the MERGER is very interesting. BTW it mentions the word MERGER hundreds of times and acquisition only a few.....I advise the SW guys to read the SEC filing.

 

[texman]

So you guys are saying that Airtran guys will have a lower quality of life due to no growth on the Airtran side once SW owns us. Wow guys....that stategy will ultimately hurt every Southwest pilot also. No integration = less revenue...less revenue = no growth, no growth = UsAir/Americawest scenario. Why are you guys willing to hurt your own company? There are 5880 pilots and over 35,000 total employees at SW. Im not advocating relative seniority but guys that are against even DOH are truly ego maniacs. How the he#l would DOH hurt one SW pilot? It doesnt....in fact every SW pilots relative sen would go drastically up with DOH. Once again im not advocating DOH either. Guys with that extreme view are the extreme of the extreme with no vision of the future. Most of us have a career that will last many more years, and that extreme view will endanger the strength of SW in the coming years. Gary Kelly said in the 4th qtr conf call 2 weeks ago....that his number 1 priority is a quick integration with Airtran. Also the latest 70 page SEC filing by Southwest on 2/1/11, regarding the MERGER is very interesting. BTW it mentions the word MERGER hundreds of times and acquisition only a few.....I advise the SW guys to read the SEC filing.

Well I guess DOH would not allow the M/B play out either. Here is a great example. gt1900 one of your of your 5 + fo's came on here and stated I would have upgraded and retired at the top 1% of the seniority list. Well I told him that I am a JR fo at SWA and I will retire in the top 1% too before all this went down. So I think if you want to have M/B and play fair I don't think DOH will work. Now I know you are thinking he might be in the captain seat longer. Well here comes the QOL,PAY,MED,Vacation, and company long term stability. I guess M/B will apply. As far as GK stating speedy process. How do you know if this comment applies to Ops or flight crew?

 

[Kharma Police]

kharma come on, stop trying to be the old wise one here. I will agree AT has lower cost, but what you don't see (as a CEO in your own mind) is SWA is larger than AT. SWA has made profits and so has AT, but SWA has done it for a long time. We are not hurting at SWA. Without AT we would have grown. It may have taking longer but that would have been ok. I think your management realizes it can not compete and expand outside ATL. MKE/MCO mmmmmm ok I will give you that. You said that our senior FO's may want to speed this sli up so they can upgrade. Well Who say's you wont be a FO after this is all over and I and the JR SWA fo's are on the street.

Now what do you know about Whipsaw? Did you participate one time in your with a Whipsaw event? I hate to say it but GK will operate AT as long as he needs to. No threat, but go to Centerofaviation.com. Become a member and read all the Delta articles and interviews with the CEO. Delta is eyeing your 717's like a hawk and will be more and glad to take them off of SWA/AT's hands. Just think how this will help with Delta and their small RJ problem. Gen Lee is ready to take back scope and what a great airplane to do it with. I am sure for the DC-9 MX guys and pilots, this would be a cheap easy replacement for their old DC-9-30-88's. But you never know I may be your captain. So stop getting are FO's fired up with comments about a speedy SLI.

Whipsaw you say?!?! Oh, I used to work for ASA which was part of the "Delta Connection Portfolio" of regional carriers. ASA, Comair, SkyWest and even American Eagle were all trying to outbid each other like dogs for scraps picked away from Big Delta. I realized things were pretty F'ed up when I was flying from Toronto on a 40 seat RJ to connect Delta passengers on a Mainline 757 to Savannah or Charleston. Part of the appeal to me about AirTran when I interviewed was that they got rid of their commuter (of course, they decided to recently bring it back).

As far as the 717 going to Delta:

I could be wrong but would you seriously think that a smart guy like Gary Kelly would give away planes to one of his biggest competitors? We will probably have a battle royale in ATL, why would Southwest let Delta have a more efficient replacement to a gas guzzling dinosaur which will be in direct competition? Delta gave away some beat up old DC-9s to ValuJet which they later regretted. If anything, they will chop them up before they let Delta have them.

 

[Ty Webb]

No threat, but go to Centerofaviation.com. Become a member and read all the Delta articles and interviews with the CEO. Delta is eyeing your 717's like a hawk and will be more and glad to take them off of SWA/AT's hands.

Delta's buying 200 aircraft, but it's not going to be a bastard fleet of AirTran 717's. If you really think that GK would sell DAL the 717's so they can use them in order to compete against SWA you're not firing on all cylinders.

Here's some info on Delta's fleet acquisition plans. Note that they are talking new aircraft, not used aircraft with crews that would have to be absorbed with them.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...th-200-jet-order-to-retire-oldest-planes.html

 

[Bill Nelson]

If anything, they will chop them up before they let Delta have them.
__________________

I doubt it. Delta will pay a premium for the replacements. SWA would gladly take the 2fer' and not deal with integration of a militant group and have Delta cash for new 737's. Never say never.

 

[Ty Webb]

I doubt it. Delta will pay a premium for the replacements. SWA would gladly take the 2fer' and not deal with integration of a militant group and have Delta cash for new 737's. Never say never.

I'll say it . . . . . "NEVER!" :laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Kharma Police]

I doubt it. Delta will pay a premium for the replacements. SWA would gladly take the 2fer' and not deal with integration of a militant group and have Delta cash for new 737's. Never say never.

Amazing, wishing harm on yourself (again). I think it would be cheaper if you just get some dominatrix and have her (or him) beat the crap out of you.

 

[Bill Nelson]

I'd bet money that GK isn't afraid of a head to head with Delta. Healthy respect, for sure.

Is he afraid of labor unrest, you bet. We he allow it to ruin his company, NO WAY.

Who is harming themselves again?

 

[texman]

Well Karma and Ty, you guy's post like if you know what a CEO would do. I think money and getting the leases off his hand might be a factor in the deal. We stay with one type. Now before we all get are thongs in a wad. I want to say that GK will end up taking all AT pilots and FA's. Both sides just don't know where we will end up. You guy's are cheap to operate and GK sees that. So with that being said good knows how long the operation will be separate. All I know SWAPA will continue to take care of SWA and vice versa.

On the positive note what will come of two operations depends on us, and once combined it will be a rocket.

 

[texman]

What i worry about is alpa, and i don't think the airtran guy's are of that long term mentality.

 

[General Lee]

I'm wishing for a good integration all the way around.

I fear that ALPA will screw this up with irrational demands and some (not all) at Airtran will be inclined to follow them. Gary won't let ALPA hold demands over 35,000 employees at SW.

Hoping for good things.

It seems you are fearful of what NEUTRAL people will do (a la arbitrators). God Forbid they see the REAL value of Airtran, and place people where it would be FAIR. What are you afraid of? The TRUTH. Yep. The truth will SET YOU FREE........... Just forget about upgrade worries, and stagnation. And what will ALPA screw up? They will ask for fairness, and the arbitrators will give it to them, and you. Your SWAPA lawyers and ALPA lawyers will present their cases, and that will be that. Don't be so scared.......it will all......be......oh.......kay? Gotta roll the dice sometime.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

What i worry about is alpa, and i don't think the airtran guy's are of that long term mentality.

Are you putting the Airtran guys down AGAIN? Keep slamming them, and they will hunker down and make sure you pay. I have a feeling they will wait it out until arbitration.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[ATLplt]

To the 717 conspiracy theorists: Why in the hell would GK sell all the lift that's generating a profit? Not to mention, what would you do with all the passengers that annually fly on them...discontinue service so they can choose a competitor? Remember, the 717 creates the majority of the $2.6 billion of yearly revenue, not the lower frequency, long haul 737. I didn't major in business, but it doesn't make much sense to dump a cheap to operate, profitable, and right sized fleet. The fleet commonality argument is bogus as well. The commonality between a 300/500 and a 700/800 are not as high as one might think.

This is NOTHING but scare tactics to manage expectations. Sign here please or your aircraft are sold and you're out of a job. GMAFB

 

[Bob Dylan]

.....:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Every SWA pilot that I've talked to expects a staple. Maybe they don't blab it on here because of a request from SWAPA, but I know the ones I talk to expect a straight staple. Heck, even all the AirTran/Guadaloupe Holdings pilots I've talked to over the past few months would take a staple.

Lear70 himself was literally begging for a staple to SWA a year ago! What's changed? Probably just plain old greed.

I'd bet some cash on a staple! Either that or Ty will be left seat at Guadaloupe Holdings Airways for a couple years.

 

[MILPILOT17]

You might want to look in the mirror then.

We already know that when the ink is dry that all AAI orders are coming to SW, so how realistic is your view of growing Airtran? I'm just sayin.

DAL/NW? Really? Not even close to what we are trying to do here. SW/AAI career expectations and QOL are night and day, there's really no debate. Delta and NW was pretty close to identical.

If anyone can screw this up it will be ALPA.

You mean those 500 tail numbers that look kinda funny both up front and in the back? Got news for ya; we're already flying some of the Airtran orders.

 

[OurMoney1]

What is/would be the legal penalty today if GK were to decide that it is not going to work out and walk away?

Flame bait aside, anybody know? Financial penalty? Wall Street punish LUV? Theories? Facts?

 

[Bob Dylan]

What is/would be the legal penalty today if GK were to decide that it is not going to work out and walk away?

Flame bait aside, anybody know? Financial penalty? Wall Street punish LUV? Theories? Facts?

It means Ty will retire in the left seat on the 717 at Guadaloupe Holdings Airways.

I think maybe GK has planned all along to take the AirTran name, website, 737s, slots and gates and to run Guadaloupe Holdings Airlines as a separate airline. Eventually it will go bankrupt due to the fact that nobody can fit www.guadaloupeholdingsairways.com into the address bar of their browser to book a flight.

 

[scoreboardII]

What is/would be the legal penalty today if GK were to decide that it is not going to work out and walk away?

Tad around $30 Mil. Or about 120 minutes of revenue.

 

[On Your Six]

You might want to look in the mirror then.

We already know that when the ink is dry that all AAI orders are coming to SW, so how realistic is your view of growing Airtran? I'm just sayin.

DAL/NW? Really? Not even close to what we are trying to do here. SW/AAI career expectations and QOL are night and day, there's really no debate. Delta and NW was pretty close to identical.

If anyone can screw this up it will be ALPA.

To keep their pensions, NWA pilots dumped many of their QOL work rules and pay compared to the Delta pilots. But, all of that was made equal by the time the SLI was started with the arbitrators supposedly. The SLI only dealt with seniority on the list, not pay. It seems like you and some other SWA pilots
on here are saying your management could hold the Airtran pilots "hostage" with lower pay until they give in on SLI demands. Is that right? Sounds like USAir East tactics.


OYS