LUV Will Grow Little Or None In 2009

[AA767AV8TOR]

Thanks Again For Age 65 Southwest!!! Great timing!!!

AA767AV8TOR



Southwest Airlines will grow little or none in 2009, CEO says

0904 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 18, 2008

By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]


Southwest Airlines Co. will grow 2 to 3 percent in 2009 when it receives 14 new airplanes, but may wind up not growing at all if it retires more airplanes as the new ones come in, chairman and chief executive officer Gary Kelly said Wednesday.

Speaking to a Merrill Lynch transportation conference, Mr. Kelly said the carrier will do what it has to do to respond to rising jet fuel prices.

"We have slowed our growth this year to about 4 percent," Mr. Kelly said. "The outlook for 2009 is not set at this point."

Delivery of the new airplanes next year "probably translates to a percentage increase of 2 to 3 percent, but we have not decided how many aircraft we will retire," he said.

And if we have to slow our growth to zero next year, we're obviously prepared to do that," Mr. Kelly said.

While Mr. Kelly had said in late 2007 that Southwest was open to acquiring another airline, he said Wednesday that possibility was unlikely.

Six months ago, he said, the airline thought it could look at buying another airline, with a plan that would work with $90 oil. "At $135, it better be right for us to seriously consider an acquisition or any large expansion," he said.

Mr. Kelly kicked off a full day of presentations by leaders of most of the nation's big airlines.

 

[canyonblue]

Thanks Again For Age 65 Southwest!!! Great timing!!!

Actually you can thank ALPA. Those clowns at SWA were bogged down until ALPA joined the party and had it passed inside of a year. Where was all the pull at APA? Thanks yourself! uke:

 

[LearAv8r]

Probably SWA's fault for his management taking all those bonus' too...........

 

[B727Driver]

Hey AA767Av8tor, how much is AMR growing? Even pre 9-11, upgrade for someone hired in the 90's was a loooooonnnnnnggggg way down the road.

Pointing fingers saying SWA had all to do with 65 and the current economy.....don't think so.

 

[JoeMerchant]

...the biggest push for age 65 actually came from legacy pilots at UA, DL, NW, and CO who lost their pensions....many of whom supported age 60 until they lost the pensions...

ALPA has flip-flopped on the issue 3 times....Against/For/Against age 60 since it started and their position has always been directly tied to A funds....

Of course those who had pensions never cared about those who didn't and had to work past 60....

There is plenty of greed to go around folks....

 

[B727Driver]

There is plenty of greed to go around folks....

now there's a very accurate statement.

 

[Mach 80]

>>>>Southwest Airlines will grow little or none in 2009, CEO says <<<

He's playing a game of poker, putting the legacies to sleep so the Legacies won't worry so much about leaving markets and SWA taking them, then he'll surprise them.

 

[bugchaser]

Ding!!

 

[RJones]

Thanks Again For Age 65 Southwest!!! Great timing!!!

This SWA pilot was against this. It will cost me millions in delayed upgrade.

>>>>Southwest Airlines will grow little or none in 2009, CEO says <<<

He's playing a game of poker, putting the legacies to sleep so the Legacies won't worry so much about leaving markets and SWA taking them, then he'll surprise them.

Actually this is more real than you think. Gary is a bean counter and is VERY cautious... proceeds with extreme care and if he is the least bit scared he doesn't do it. I hope he proves me wrong.

RJ

 

[AA767AV8TOR]

A contingent of Southwest pilots was the ones that got the ball rolling on Age 65 over a decade ago and kept the issue alive all these years. It wasn’t until the bankruptcies post 911 that the legacy pilots starting selling out the junior guys and jumped on the Age 65 bandwagon.

Now the timing couldn’t be worse. The Age 65 legislation will needlessly destroy the careers of many, many junior folks as the industry massively downsizes over the next few years both in furloughs and reduced career earnings.

Instead of fixing their pension problems, retiree medical or worthless stock options themselves via their own contract; Southwest pilots have left a path of destruction in their wake. Now their junior pilots will start paying a price like the rest of us.

Again, great job Southwest.

AA767AV8TOR