No growth at SW until 2016 now

[freightdogfred]

Well, here's some leverage for you-- Southwest has several hundred 737-Max's on order. Our CBA doesn't allow anyone to fly them yet; the CBA would have to be opened and terms agreed upon. The verbiage says that any other plane other than the 737-300, -500, -700, or -800 requires a reopener. Those planes are supposed to hit our pavement in early 2017, so they'll want agreements sometime in 2016. According to GK, they are the future of Southwest.

I guess we'll see what happens.

Bubba

So let me get this straight. Hard line SWAPA MEC members are going to hold up delivery of 737-Max by playing hardball with GK?

Did you know Pinocchio was a good motivational speaker

 

[PCL_128]

"You have potential! And you have poten....uh oh." Love that commercial.

 

[Tripower455]

And our weak ass union will send 21-0 just to fly shiny new jets.

Exactly.... Pilots like shiny jets!

I bet they can get us another useless GDO.

I'll take that bet....

Heck, I bet we give up a "GDO", and other stuff so Gary doesn't "shelve" the SHINY JETS! Maybe we can even get another contract extension! Maybe we'll even give up a few hard won SWApA "gains", like DTC.

 

[Tripower455]

They are still having a FLAP vs speed break discussion on the SWAPA forum that has more importance.

Don't forget the multi page forum discussions about the all important van times, putting money on a giveaway trip, vacation block bidding and the "unfair" distribution of POT......... All of which will be MOOT points once "we" vote in PBS........

The sad thing is that the forum participants are the most "plugged in" SWApA members, and even they will argue incessantly about whether or not it's OK to operate the airplane within Boeing's limitations, limiting "cartel" activities (as long as it doesn't affect "me") and the morality of putting $200 on a giveaway trip.

As soon as something comes up for a vote, the spin starts, and the "smartest men in the room" starts selling it.

 

[vetrider]

....... They are still having a FLAP vs speed break discussion on the SWAPA forum that has more importance.

Landing gear

 

[HowardBorden]

I didn't say that you're performing bad. But you're not performing like the other legacies, and that's what the NMB is going to look at. The company is going to make the case to the Board that you don't have the cost competitiveness that you used to, and without the global route network to get the highest yielding business passengers, they won't be able to grow unless they regain that cost advantage. They'll show the Board your profits in the few hundred millions range, and put them on a bar graph with Delta's eclipsing them by several times. The Board will nod and tell SWAPA to get real. That is the reality of bargaining under the RLA. Welcome to the club. The days of asking for a raise and getting it are over.

If SWAPA can't effectively make the argument to the NMB that we don't have the cost competitiveness that we used to is solely because of lack of ancillary fees i.e. BAGGAGE FEES, then we are doomed. If you added in bag fees and then placed our revenues on a bar graph with Delta it would be a much different graph. We don't have a cost problem, our CASM is near industry leading. We have a revenue problem.

 

[fr8doggie]

You are sadly mistaken if you think the NMB is going to go to bat for SWAPA. That's not their function.

 

[HowardBorden]

You are sadly mistaken if you think the NMB is going to go to bat for SWAPA. That's not their function.

Not asking for them to go to bat for SWAPA, but simply be able to look at our CASM compared to the industry and realize we do not have a cost problem.

 

[PropPiedmont]

Well, here's some leverage for you-- Southwest has several hundred 737-Max's on order. Our CBA doesn't allow anyone to fly them yet; the CBA would have to be opened and terms agreed upon. The verbiage says that any other plane other than the 737-300, -500, -700, or -800 requires a reopener. Those planes are supposed to hit our pavement in early 2017, so they'll want agreements sometime in 2016. According to GK, they are the future of Southwest.

I guess we'll see what happens.

Bubba

Bubba,

You might want to check with SWAPA about this. You won't be happy with what they say.

 

[PCL_128]

If SWAPA can't effectively make the argument to the NMB that we don't have the cost competitiveness that we used to is solely because of lack of ancillary fees i.e. BAGGAGE FEES, then we are doomed. If you added in bag fees and then placed our revenues on a bar graph with Delta it would be a much different graph. We don't have a cost problem, our CASM is near industry leading. We have a revenue problem.

Sorry, but the Board doesn't care. They don't tell airlines how to manage their revenue (or their costs). They simply look at the picture that is presented in the facts and figures. If the revenue and profits aren't there, then they just aren't there. The reasons for it are beyond their function. Welcome to the frustrating world of real RLA bargaining. It'll make you want to bang your head against a brick wall until it bleeds, but you have to learn how to deal with it.