Not a big poster on this forum but sure do like to stalk. Funny how we see these conversations constantly degenerate into personal jabs. Sad how little respect we have for each other.
Addressing the original question. No, I would not leave Southwest for Delta, or any other airline. In this industry there seems to be a never ending ideal that the grass IS greener at any other airline, and the job I have now could not suck anymore than it does now. Bigger airplanes(heavies) are always better, and Southwest will never play in that sandlot. I have no personal allegiance to Southwest Airlines, but will say that most fail to realize what their management is building right under the industry's nose. What I see happening is a company that realizes they can no longer operate under their original business model, which was as a low cost carrier competing against legacy carriers with much larger networks, better perks for their loyal costumers, and much higher costs.As the legacy airlines have adapted, so has Southwest. Over the last decade, Legacy carriers have adopted business models more in line with the LCCs. Wages, adjusted for inflation, have dropped, contracts with employee groups have focused more on maximizing productivity, and the moral of the employee groups and the understanding that they have a stake in the success of the company has become more of a focal point. (Delta has excelled at this.) Although some will say SWA has lost some of these attributes, it is still very much a part of their business model and culture.
Southwest Airlines purchase/acquisition of AirTran accomplished two things. First, it removed a major competitor in the domestic market, and expanded its domestic route structure. Second, it gave Southwest, although limited, immediate international exposure, exposure that Southwest had shunned up to that point because of their aversion to code shares. This purchase/acquisition, and the ones I feel are to come, are game changers.
Southwest's focus for the last 30+ years has been on building a domestic network that would cover every major metropolitan area in the country...and some not so major. They have done so without a reliance on code shares and contracts with commuter operations. And yet they now carry more passengers domestically than any other US carrier. This is impressive considering approx 20% of Delta's domestic passengers originate from international flights INTO the US. What Southwest has neglected in the past, international, will now become their focus and change the way we look at them forever. BWI, FLL and HOU have been announced as major gateway cities to South America and the Caribbean. And this is just the beginning. It is my guess that Southwest's entrance into the BOS market, and NY via LGA and EWR, are in anticipation of future service to not only the Carribean/South America, but also to Europe( Mr Kelly has voiced such interest.) Future service to Hawaii is still on the table , but not as most had anticipated. During a conversation with one of the business channels in the past year, Mr Kelly expressed Southwest's strong interest in the Pacific Rim/Asia, and Hawaii. In order to gain access to this market, Southwest will most likely acquire Hawaiian Airlines. With a market cap of approx 300 million, the purchase would be inexpensive,and would give Southwest the same overnight presence in the Hawaii, and the markets they serve.(Austraillia, Tahiti, Manila)
Note that all the cities serviced by Hawaiian on the mainland also overlap with SWA. After this is announced, I would expect a large wide body order to be announced. This would most likely be the Boeing 787, giving SWA full access to the Asian markets, with feed to the US markets.
Food for thought before you bail. The probability of Delta doubling in size from 11,800 to 23,600 is very slim. Southwest doubling in size from approx 7400 to 14,000 is not. International expansion will happen and with it even more domestic. Yes Delta has a significant number of retirements, but so does Southwest(Given their size)
