Look for SWA to aquire AAI

[LeonPhelps]

Not!!!

Seems like Mr. Pennekamp just doesn't WANT this to happen...because your list of why it should NOT happen was really bad. You think the feds wouldn't see some consolidation in the industry as a good thing? After the most congested summer on record? Au contrair bonjur!! There is one big reason that it probably won't happen...culture. This is not a SWA pilot talking smack here, because I've got buddies at both airlines...I think the Airtran pilots would integrate quite well actually, maybe even enthusiastic? I mean, the seniority might sting for a while, but better pay, benefits, schedule, and a management team that has shown to be superior? Naw, I think the pilots would be okay...my concern for culture would be in the grumpy ass gate agents, etc. I know...i used to commute on Airtran. Great pilots and flight crew, but holy cow, some of the ground team were just down right unhappy with life.

Culture arguement aside, this would make sense on so many levels from a business standpoint it is ridiculous!! So, I'll do a number list just like my friend Mr. Pennekamp: 1.) Gates at the busiest airport in the world 2.) IMMEDIATE entry into Carribbean/Mexico (which SWA needs really bad in my humble, courvosier filled opinion) 3.) 717s would complement the 737s quite nicely and give SWA a smaller plane to work some of the smaller markets 4.) 737s...need I say more? 5.) Reduction of some route overlay 6.) Additional in flight entertainment for SWA (XM Radio) 7.) And mexican overnights so that Leon can buy his favorite box of mexican wine

There are more, but I need to get back to my bottle of courvosier. IMHO...culture discussion aside, this makes so much sense that it is SILLY. Besides, I need a new group of flight attendants, because good ole' Leon is needing some new Ladies!!!!

 

[funnyman12]

Oh i see....We take an unpaid leave to interview with Southwest. We can just park our 137 planes for a few weeks while we plead for our jobs. I sure hope I fit the profile of the perfect Southwest pilot. We'll also need a few weeks to get our type rating too, right? Will there be second or third interviews offered if I can't adequately solve an inflight problem within 12 minutes or whatever they have ya do at the interview?

 

[LeonPhelps]

Oh i see....We take an unpaid leave to interview with Southwest. We can just park our 137 planes for a few weeks while we plead for our jobs. I sure hope I fit the profile of the perfect Southwest pilot. We'll also need a few weeks to get our type rating too, right? Will there be second or third interviews offered if I can't adequately solve an inflight problem within 12 minutes or whatever they have ya do at the interview?

Yeah, um...on second thought...maybe not.

 

[Benjamin Dover]

Seems like Mr. Pennekamp just doesn't WANT this to happen...because your list of why it should NOT happen was really bad. You think the feds wouldn't see some consolidation in the industry as a good thing? After the most congested summer on record? Au contrair bonjur!! There is one big reason that it probably won't happen...culture. This is not a SWA pilot talking smack here, because I've got buddies at both airlines...I think the Airtran pilots would integrate quite well actually, maybe even enthusiastic? I mean, the seniority might sting for a while, but better pay, benefits, schedule, and a management team that has shown to be superior? Naw, I think the pilots would be okay...my concern for culture would be in the grumpy ass gate agents, etc. I know...i used to commute on Airtran. Great pilots and flight crew, but holy cow, some of the ground team were just down right unhappy with life.

Culture arguement aside, this would make sense on so many levels from a business standpoint it is ridiculous!! So, I'll do a number list just like my friend Mr. Pennekamp: 1.) Gates at the busiest airport in the world 2.) IMMEDIATE entry into Carribbean/Mexico (which SWA needs really bad in my humble, courvosier filled opinion) 3.) 717s would complement the 737s quite nicely and give SWA a smaller plane to work some of the smaller markets 4.) 737s...need I say more? 5.) Reduction of some route overlay 6.) Additional in flight entertainment for SWA (XM Radio) 7.) And mexican overnights so that Leon can buy his favorite box of mexican wine

There are more, but I need to get back to my bottle of courvosier. IMHO...culture discussion aside, this makes so much sense that it is SILLY. Besides, I need a new group of flight attendants, because good ole' Leon is needing some new Ladies!!!!

Ladies Man,

Word up brotha'

I can't find anything in your post that I'm not down with. And you're right -culture issues would not be in the cockpit, or in the cabin from my observations, but at the gates.

BD

 

[CHQ Pilot]

I don't think there will be any type of SWA-AAI deal since it would be a culture nightmare on a large scale. When I talk about culture, I'm not talking about pilots...I'm talking about the company as a whole. How the company is run, how they deal with planning, scheduling, dispatch, ramp, gate agents, and even training. The Morris deal was much smaller during a time when we were a much smaller company. Morris had not been around in a scheduled capacity very long and did not have years to develop their own culture. The culture they did have was similar to SWA. Now if there was some type of deal with AAI I think it would be an asset acquisition.

IMO, SWA would want the gates and the 737s (plus the options and orders) the most.

I don't think they want the 717s. I don't think it is because it is a different type, but rather the seating is not good for swapping. The SWA system is somewhat based on the fact that you can pull any 737 at any city to cover a swap without an impact (with the exception of the few -500s). I think there would be a third party deal to offload the 717s (possibly MEH?) which would also take care of a lot of anti-trust issues.

Southwest has a very specific and somewhat different system of getting a flight out. It would probably be easier to take over gates and staff with Southwest employees to make the system work. You wouldn't be able to take a ramp agent from an AAI gate and have them go work a SWA flight since the systems aren't the same.

I have no idea how they would work pilots, but that is for people that have a lot more expertise in the matter. We all know there are a lot of legal matters that would be worked out, so I can't even fathom what could happen. There are so many variables, but it would all be tied into how the deal was brokered from the two companies standpoint and the unions. You can bet SWA (the company, not pilots) would have a solid gameplan decided upon before they ever launch into something.

In the end, I don't think anything will happen with AAI-SWA. You can look at 3 pages on FI and get a glimpse of how things would turn out.

 

[DonVerita]

Since there is so much talk regarding the potential problem surrounding the integration of "culture" between AAI and SWA...let me just say this:

AAI pilots do not share the same culture philosophy of AirTran Management, AirTran Operations, and especially AirTran Gate Agents. For those three groups, SWA management would have to clean house. The AAI pilots would transition nicely into SWA because most of us are customer focused. If SWA took over, we would finally have operations folks running these stations that we could count on to do their jobs correctly and support us. As it stands now, our pilots have to make sure everyone else does their jobs due to the sheer incompetence of the entire operation.

As for stapleing or this previously mentioned "re-interview" nonsense...Fuhgetabout it. You don't just take 1600 major airline pilots and tell them they have to re-interview. If these airplanes come onto your property then we go with them. Anything other than that would create animosity and division that would eclipse even AA/TWA.

That wouldn't be so good for the "culture", now would it?

 

[vixin]

Oh i see....We take an unpaid leave to interview with Southwest. We can just park our 137 planes for a few weeks while we plead for our jobs. I sure hope I fit the profile of the perfect Southwest pilot. We'll also need a few weeks to get our type rating too, right? Will there be second or third interviews offered if I can't adequately solve an inflight problem within 12 minutes or whatever they have ya do at the interview?

Just like when I wasnt good enough for AAI because I didnt have the precious 121 PIC time. What a joke that requirement is. I still dont have the time and wouldnt be qualified to fly at AAI, eventhough I am typed in the 737 and have been flying it for sometime now.

Who cares about this AAI SWA merger thingy anyway. And why worry about something that hasnt even been mentioned by either management. When it does then hash it out.

 

[SkiFishFly]

I have a neighbor whose cousin has a friend who works at SWA. This person has seen the merger proposal. Something about SWA needs to take on debt to prevent a leveraged buyout.

 

[Ty Webb]

What a tool . . . . any SWA HOmeys wanna claim this fool?

What in the world are you people talking about. All i said was that we should reinterview and then merge the list of those that get hired. .

Bravodude:

I have no problem with re-interviewing for my job at a merged carrier, as long as all the SWA guys re-interview too. I suspect that most of SWA and AAI guys would end up still working together . . . but you might not pass muster after a second look, after showing your ass so competely in this string.

I'm thinking that your own pilot group might like to collectively shed themselves of you, after seeing your incoherent half-assed ramblings on here.

Do us all a favor, and go home to your parent's basement, and whack off to your coveted collection of "Airline" DVDs . . . . you won't be missed by either pilot group, I'm sure .


TW

 

[jimcav]

They're probably about as proud to claim him as we are to claim the dude that plays "Bad to the bone" on the f%$kin harmonica.