Looks like GK wants to keep AT's ATL, but change schedule a bit

[laker4284]

SWA doesn't perform many ultra quick turns any more. I believe they fall mostly into the 20-25 minute turn category. Even so, that easily beats normal turns at other airlines. The biggest multiplier re pax carried is the turn time and GATE UTILIZATION, which also far exceeds most other carriers. Together they dramatically ramp up the number of flights they can operate and pax carried. Add to that their continual aircraft flow, rather than the hub and spoke with its large slack periods and SWA's.1.5 concourses will effectively be far larger.

Now figure in the number of international flights Delta operates, and the impact of SWA's schedule on Delta's remaining domestic system is likely to be dramatic.

It's a scenario that has been played out before.

As for a couple of dropped flights in Philly, I would hazard that it merely shows a case of market optimization. If SWA can dump a couple of unproductive routes and make more money with those assets elsewhere, then that's what they' ll do.

Might be those assets are headed to ATL.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

GODSPEED TO THE CORNDOGS!


OYS

In Your Six, "Corndogs" is a name that General Lee uses all of the time. You're getting sloppy and forgetting which screen name you're signed in under.

 

[Whataburger]

SWA doesn't perform many ultra quick turns any more. I believe they fall mostly into the 20-25 minute turn category. Even so, that easily beats normal turns at other airlines..

Most of our turns are 30-35 minutes.

Only smaller stations with anticipated light loads schedule 20-25 minute turns.

 

[Whataburger]

“The immediate danger is to smaller cities,” said Brett Snyder, a former airline manager and author of a blog at crankyflier.com.



Bye Bye--- OnYourSix/General Lee

I bet he is right. I HOPE that if a profit can't be made and/or a small city does not fit into our master plan that it gets the ax. We will reallocate those planes to more profitable routes w/o shrinking.

We don't farm out a high percentage of flying to commuters like Delta does, and we have NO codeshare partners like Delta does. We either attack a city Southwest style or we don't do it at all.

This game plan has provided over 35 straight years of profits for us.
How do the financials look for Delta's last decade or so?

I am truely happy for the city of Atlanta because ultimately the Customers win. We will run low fares to every city we serve starting next year, and other airlines (Delta especially) will lower their fares (probably at a loss) and the customer gets to go see Grandma in LBB for $69 each way.

Just like American when we went to Missouri from Love Field, Delta will attack our markets with RJ's and small mainline jets until the loss cannot be sustained any longer, then you will retract from the battle after sending your RJ's (not Delta) to compete with us.

It's just business. Don't hate the player, hate the game. I hope all airlines turn monster profits from now until eternity.

PS. I will not comment on any SLI/future arbitration issues.

 

[Flycatcher99]

Gee, I'll bet OYS sure is glad GL came onto this thread to help out with the "logic".

Dude, you really are a complete tool. Do you sit around your apartment talking to yourself in two different voices like you do on here?

 

[Ty Webb]

Just like American when we went to Missouri from Love Field, Delta will attack our markets with RJ's and small mainline jets until the loss cannot be sustained any longer, then you will retract from the battle after sending your RJ's (not Delta) to compete with us.

Delta often does the opposite, using 757 and MD80's to put a large number of mainline seats onto the route, "book-ending" our flights, and will fill up most of the seats at or below the LCC price to keep the folks off of our flights. This leads to some odd situations, like seeing a 757 and two MD80's overnighting in small stations like Pensacola.

 

[Whataburger]

Delta often does the opposite, using 757 and MD80's to put a large number of mainline seats onto the route, "book-ending" our flights, and will fill up most of the seats at or below the LCC price to keep the folks off of our flights. This leads to some odd situations, like seeing a 757 and two MD80's overnighting in small stations like Pensacola.

This is precisely where historic great customer service and no bag fees will pay large dividends.

Worst Major Airlines

#5. Delta

AQR Score: -1.22
Delta had the highest customer complaint rate (2.00 per 100,000 passengers) of all airlines in 2010, including regional carriers. Additionally, Delta placed in the number six spot on Business Insider's "Worst Companies" list. Take note of Delta's baggage fees below, as they can get quite cumbersome if you're checking heavy or large bags.
Domestic Baggage Fees

• 1st Bag: $25 ($23 if checked online)
• 2nd Bag: $35 ($32 if checked online)
• 3rd Bag: $125

 

[madjack]

I miss Lear, does anyone have any details of the swa SL proposal??

 

[Ty Webb]

The only info we've been getting may have come from a fortune cookie:

"Future look unclear. May be yes, may be no. Beware mother-in-law offering help. Year of Panda good for you. Your lucky numbers are 200, 350, 2014".

 

[Dan Roman]

I bet he is right. I HOPE that if a profit can't be made and/or a small city does not fit into our master plan that it gets the ax. We will reallocate those planes to more profitable routes w/o shrinking.

We don't farm out a high percentage of flying to commuters like Delta does, and we have NO codeshare partners like Delta does. We either attack a city Southwest style or we don't do it at all.

This game plan has provided over 35 straight years of profits for us.
How do the financials look for Delta's last decade or so?

I am truely happy for the city of Atlanta because ultimately the Customers win. We will run low fares to every city we serve starting next year, and other airlines (Delta especially) will lower their fares (probably at a loss) and the customer gets to go see Grandma in LBB for $69 each way.

Just like American when we went to Missouri from Love Field, Delta will attack our markets with RJ's and small mainline jets until the loss cannot be sustained any longer, then you will retract from the battle after sending your RJ's (not Delta) to compete with us.

It's just business. Don't hate the player, hate the game. I hope all airlines turn monster profits from now until eternity.

PS. I will not comment on any SLI/future arbitration issues.

There's another way of looking at that from the customers point of view. Having service to many cities, not just the one's SWA wants to cherry pick from, is a better option. If DAL gives the option of everywhere from Macon to Europe to wherever they are providing a very important service that breeds passenger loyality. The thing that SWA has to be careful about is if they can maintain the cheap fares. If they raise them it could backfire and drive pax's back to the full service airlines.
Historically SWA has created new markets with low fares, the jury is still out how well they will compete with the full service airlines in head to head competition.
Also DAL has substantially lowered their operating costs while SWA has lost the fuel hedge advantage and their costs are going up (employees no longer work for less than the competition, more mature airline, etc.)

And no I am not a SWA "hater". Just making an observation.