No Fees or No MX?

[BILL LUMBERG]

Why do people dislike Southwest at all? They have one of the highest paid pilot groups in the industry. That helps bring the averages up come contract time.

I'll never be jealous of a successful airline as long as they pay their pilots well.

I'm not jealous....I used to work for the highest paying airline in the world also....it comes and goes. I am happy they make what they do...

I didn't know how they do it.....the leases explain it, I was just wondering.....

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

Didn't Southwest pay the highest fine ever administered by the FAA? Is that a slap on the wrist?

Yeah but considering the scope of what was happening in the MX department that resulted in that fine?? What's a fine to a company who prints money, hence my slap on the wrist comment.

My equation being: Large Major airline+LGA,BOS,DEN,SFO,IAD+ High labor costs+ no fees+always New planes delivered+stupid cheap fares+Actually using VNAV/RNAV RNP+All the MX issues-hedges expiring=X

X= How do they stay profitable?

Good answers from those who posted earlier, never thought about the leases, but that seems like a small piece of the pie.....

 

[Benjamin Dover]

Bill,

I know bashing Southwest is trendy these days, but having worked at Delta and Southwest my pilot view of things is Southwest line maintenance is every bit as good as Delta. In fact, I'm not sure if things have changed, but during BK when I left Delta we were carrying many more MEL's for longer periods to cut $. Mechanics were frustrated and pissed because they used to pride themselves in a clean log book as well, but marching orders from above. Pretty rare at SWA even on old 300's that we have MEL's for more than a day and maybe twice in 4 years have I had APU inop. Not so rare on MD-88.

I think Delta has first rate maintenance and I have a couple very good friends who are mechanics. They also are bummin about what used to be at DL - pay/staffing cuts, bean counters making decisions for them, etc., and of course outsourcing jobs.

Yes, I know we outsource most of our heavy checks at SWA, but this has always been the case. Delta and others have increased this trend quit a bit themselves. In fact, the "New Delta" will have much more increased outsourced maintenance % when Northwest gets added in:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10418992/airline-maintenance-outsourcing-stabilizes.html

The days of all work in house are behind us I'm afraid, and this includes your airline. And just ask someone at Boeing how that's working out for them on the 787.

And if you think with the current spotlight on SWA with new POI and PMI that we somehow get a secret handshake deal then you are dreaming. Even that fine was bs - Southwest was fined by the FAA for a maintenance repair plan that was approved by the FAA. Face saving for FAA under scrutiny by Orberstar, et. al...

Hammer SWA if it makes you feel better, maintenance is just fine here and much more scrunity from feds these days if that makes you feel better too.

BD

 

[RedBelly]

Plus, having heavy checks done in Central America cant hurt either. I wonder where all those unapproved, unblessed parts come from?

It was a US vendor that SWA used for flap overhauls. That vendor subcontracted out the work to another US vendor who installed the unapproved parts. I don't think either vendor is going to get anymore work from SWA.

My equation being: Large Major airline+LGA,BOS,DEN,SFO,IAD+ High labor costs+ no fees+always New planes delivered+stupid cheap fares+Actually using VNAV/RNAV RNP+All the MX issues-hedges expiring=X

X= How do they stay profitable?

Stay tuned to the next couple of quarterly reports, they are probably going to be losses. For the full year, SWA may be in the red. It is gonna be close.

 

[fiel12]

Bill,

I know bashing Southwest is trendy these days, but having worked at Delta and Southwest my pilot view of things is Southwest line maintenance is every bit as good as Delta. In fact, I'm not sure if things have changed, but during BK when I left Delta we were carrying many more MEL's for longer periods to cut $. Mechanics were frustrated and pissed because they used to pride themselves in a clean log book as well, but marching orders from above. Pretty rare at SWA even on old 300's that we have MEL's for more than a day and maybe twice in 4 years have I had APU inop. Not so rare on MD-88.

I think Delta has first rate maintenance and I have a couple very good friends who are mechanics. They also are bummin about what used to be at DL - pay/staffing cuts, bean counters making decisions for them, etc., and of course outsourcing jobs.

Yes, I know we outsource most of our heavy checks at SWA, but this has always been the case. Delta and others have increased this trend quit a bit themselves. In fact, the "New Delta" will have much more increased outsourced maintenance % when Northwest gets added in:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10418992/airline-maintenance-outsourcing-stabilizes.html

The days of all work in house are behind us I'm afraid, and this includes your airline. And just ask someone at Boeing how that's working out for them on the 787.

And if you think with the current spotlight on SWA with new POI and PMI that we somehow get a secret handshake deal then you are dreaming. Even that fine was bs - Southwest was fined by the FAA for a maintenance repair plan that was approved by the FAA. Face saving for FAA under scrutiny by Orberstar, et. al...

Hammer SWA if it makes you feel better, maintenance is just fine here and much more scrunity from feds these days if that makes you feel better too.

BD

Good post.

 

[FlyinGuy]

Bottom line is SWA has people on the inside. A few bucks in the pockets of the FAA goes a long way.

 

[learherkjay]

Bottom line is SWA has people on the inside. A few bucks in the pockets of the FAA goes a long way.

Where's your proof of that? I think that is pretty irresponsible to throw out there unless you have facts to back it up.

According to one of our mechs, the FAA has known about this for 6 years, approved it, and never had problems with the parts - until last week. Sounds to me this is more about FAA - POI chest beating and guys stepping over each other in the FAA bureaucracy to make a name for themselves.

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

Bill,

I know bashing Southwest is trendy these days,

Hammer SWA if it makes you feel better, BD

Not my goal here, you mistake me for a hater and frankly I could care less what is "trendy" to do.....good luck on your new career, but don't goto battle stations if you don't know who you're fighting.

 

[Kharma Police]

Not my goal here, you mistake me for a hater and frankly I could care less what is "trendy" to do.....good luck on your new career, but don't goto battle stations if you don't know who you're fighting.

"What?!?!, little old me!?!?, I'm just asking innocent thought provoking questions, in no way was I trying to start a fight with SWA!"

Man, thanks for the laugh!!!

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

"What?!?!, little old me!?!?, I'm just asking innocent thought provoking questions, in no way was I trying to start a fight with SWA!"

Man, thanks for the laugh!!!

Kharma....you got your own inadequacies to work with....Let the adults talk ok???

I get it, suck up and SWA won't staple you when they buy into ATL....

Now I made myself laugh!!