Other Airlines Suit Up To Play Southwest's Game

[Whine Lover]

"...all because someone was afraid Southwest would dominate the world, all with a 737."

Yes Canyon, they should be afraid...very afraid.

Because, they are going to dominate the world with a 737 and a "lil' friend" called ATA.

Do you smell what Gary Kelley's cookin'?

Take Care,


YKW

 

[Whataburger]

Why don't you guys go get the big bucks out of SWA? Get the total pay and benefit metrics the cargo guys have, or what DAL and UAL got 8-9 years ago. Your only on top because everyone else came down. We could all more easily tolerate Canyon's low fare arguement and your harshness toward ALPA if you had actually accomplished something in earnest yourselves.

lol. We are not "the cargo guys" and dont make 1B a Quarter. So, I dont believe our company can afford the cargo pay. I think DAL and UAL taught us a lesson NOT to get their pay scales. How'd those parity + 1 scales work out for them? How are those pay scales working out for the thousands furloughed? We would prefer to stay out of bankruptcy. If pilots want UPS and FDX pay, go to UPS or FDX.
PS> ALPA is the most crooked, laughable joke of a union on the planet. I enjoy my 1% SWAPA dues.

 

[blzr]

The SWA pilots make a fairly good wage AND don't get treated like crap by management.

If other airlines want to play SWA's game, the pilots and F/A's are already in the ballpark with the pay. Management will have to come WAY down(in salary) at those other companies to play SWA's game.

 

[The Prussian]

Your only on top because everyone else came down.

Flopgut...we are where we're at with or without you. We've always been a discount airline. No secret here.

What has changed is that all the majors have forced themselves into playing the discounter game and abandoned their premium service models and fare levels. Legacy managements have decided to chase after passengers at discount fares, when in reality they don't have discounter's cost structures.

Yes, it's true that we're "only on top because everyone else came down". Meanwhile, we're looking around, scratching our heads and thinking, "What's up with that??!?"

With regard to our fuel hedges...yes, we're very fortunate to have locked into some attractive oil prices a few years back. If we can control our costs we'll do it, whether by increasing efficiencies, or through controlling oil price increases, etc. We then price our product to cover those costs, and then some. The "and then some" part is the profit part which is the end game in any well-run business. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Flopgut]

lol. We are not "the cargo guys" and dont make 1B a Quarter. So, I dont believe our company can afford the cargo pay. I think DAL and UAL taught us a lesson NOT to get their pay scales. How'd those parity + 1 scales work out for them? How are those pay scales working out for the thousands furloughed? We would prefer to stay out of bankruptcy. If pilots want UPS and FDX pay, go to UPS or FDX.
PS> ALPA is the most crooked, laughable joke of a union on the planet. I enjoy my 1% SWAPA dues.

Allright then, when engaged in your non-stop we'rethebestintheworld mostprofitable&productivepilotswhoevertooktotheairbanter don't forget to mention that you don't make a billion a quarter and that your adverse to push your employer for the wages of days gone by. And definitely refrain from assailing another airline that just wants to find a way to reinvent the success you enjoy. It is poor form to the extreme.

Yeah, ALPA has lots of problems. But remember this, when it was a race to the top of the wage curve, they were in the lead. In a race to the bottom, your leading. Nice job. Obviously your proud of it. I don't have all the answers, but I don't think you doing quite as well as you think.

 

[Flopgut]

Flopgut...we are where we're at with or without you. We've always been a discount airline. No secret here.

What has changed is that all the majors have forced themselves into playing the discounter game and abandoned their premium service models and fare levels. Legacy managements have decided to chase after passengers at discount fares, when in reality they don't have discounter's cost structures.

Yes, it's true that we're "only on top because everyone else came down". Meanwhile, we're looking around, scratching our heads and thinking, "What's up with that??!?"

With regard to our fuel hedges...yes, we're very fortunate to have locked into some attractive oil prices a few years back. If we can control our costs we'll do it, whether by increasing efficiencies, or through controlling oil price increases, etc. We then price our product to cover those costs, and then some. The "and then some" part is the profit part which is the end game in any well-run business. Nothing more, nothing less.

I got nothing to say about the fuel hedges. They're brilliant, the person at SWA that handles that should be the highest paid at the company. Conversely, the person at DAL who SOLD the fuel hedges should be exiled to Mars. I don't know why poor mgts (legacies) are not more enthusiastically revealed to the boards and to shareholders. ALPA should be doing that.

I'm just trying to check Canyonblue on his characterization that USAir, or other airlines', cheap airfares were a burden to SWA's financial performance. Newsflash: Your airlines cheap airfares were a burden to EVERYONES financial performance! It should be NO surprise someone wants to do the same thing to you. Should it?

 

[SWA/FO]

Flapgut,

You weren't always a freight dog.... you got smart later in life.

 

[Flopgut]

It doesn't really matter if SWA can say that they've lowered airfares while being consistently profitable, if another airline can come along and again lower airfares and start to create a profit. That's the whole problem here. As carriers emulate things like: low fares, point to point, streamline fleets, and maybe even hedge fuel, they will make a profit. And then they will bring pay up to somewhat closer to you but still less, and so on and so forth. Good, bad, whatever, YOU can't hate em for it. YOU started it.

 

[Flopgut]

"...all because someone was afraid Southwest would dominate the world, all with a 737."

Yes Canyon, they should be afraid...very afraid.

Because, they are going to dominate the world with a 737 and a "lil' friend" called ATA.

Do you smell what Gary Kelley's cookin'?

Take Care,


YKW

Ooooooh, afraid, yes very afraid. SWA will dominate the world! No, the galaxy! And all star systems that surround us! With no more than 737s!

Greatest airline ever!



*just don't compare them to FDX or UPS,...kinda spoils the fun.