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Outlook for SWA?

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Snaab

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Posts
372
As someone who desperately wants to be a part of SWA one day, I'm inquiring about the current outlook of the airline and how they are positioning themselves to stay competitive and grow.

I was talking to a friend recently who ran into a SWA f/o, and my friend picked his brain about what's up there. Anyhow, some concerns the f/o mentioned were: upgrade time was going to grow considerably, deliveries were slowing down a lot in '08, and no one is sure what'll happen when the 737 production line shuts down.

I always take rumors, etc., with a grain of salt, but I was curious what take SWA pilots have on this. It won't keep me from wanting to work there at all, but I wanted your candid point of view- just trying to stay informed. Thanks a lot!
 
Plan on the occasional LBB, MAF, AMA or HRL layovers. Plan accordingly: Bring some Mylanta.


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
Southwest is a great company. It's well run, it has a winner of a business model and has a relatively happy workforce. It has enjoyed a huge expansion that lasted many years and will be around for a long long time.
Having said that, the big picture is that SWA is going to slow down for a while. Fuel prices are rising beyond its control and at some point, SWA will lose pricing power. It's no secret that many of SWA's routes are unprofitable and the new leadership is going figure out a way to get costs under control and grow earnings. The best way to do that is to become more efficient and focus growth carefully.

Yes, upgrades will slow and I have some friends that are about to get some bad news, but if you like the airline, I would keep trying.
 
Southwest is a great company. It's well run, it has a winner of a business model and has a relatively happy workforce. It has enjoyed a huge expansion that lasted many years and will be around for a long long time.
Having said that, the big picture is that SWA is going to slow down for a while. Fuel prices are rising beyond its control and at some point, SWA will lose pricing power. It's no secret that many of SWA's routes are unprofitable and the new leadership is going figure out a way to get costs under control and grow earnings. The best way to do that is to become more efficient and focus growth carefully.

Yes, upgrades will slow and I have some friends that are about to get some bad news, but if you like the airline, I would keep trying.

...as the playing field levels. i'm no MBA, but it's pretty simple. if operating costs increase (fuel, etc) then consumer prices increase.

soon all the airlines will have to charge what it costs to ship a human organism around the country. FedEx added a fuel surcharge long ago. time for the self-loading cargo to feel the pinch of the real world as well.

enough has come from the pockets and backs of the airline worker. charge what it costs to travel in an airplane. pretty simple.
 
A level playing field will favor the network carriers. SWA used to be able to enjoy pricing power because it hedged fuel and the majors couldn't compete with low fares. As ticket prices rise, other carriers will put pressure on SWA. How much? We'll see.

In the past, as fuel prices rose, fares actually dropped as the airlines were trying to kill eachother over market share. I hope those days are behind us.
 
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Plan on the occasional LBB, MAF, AMA or HRL layovers. Plan accordingly: Bring some Mylanta.


Bye Bye--General Lee


Ahhh, how cute. Look who's back from his trip. We missed you and your BullSh!t Genital. Once again, youv'e outdone yourself with your intelligent post's.

:rolleyes:

Atleast with SWA, you don't have to pay for your hotel room while in training and make a livable wage.
 
Ahhh, how cute. Look who's back from his trip. We missed you and your BullSh!t Genital. Once again, youv'e outdone yourself with your intelligent post's.

:rolleyes:

Atleast with SWA, you don't have to pay for your hotel room while in training and make a livable wage.

Ah yes, ANC was great, again. I had some real Alaskan King Crab legs. Wow.

And yes, Delta makes you pay for your hotel or pad after the first two weeks, but then Delta pays for hotels at every hot spot in Europe, South America, Asia, and everywhere EXCEPT LBB, MAF, AMA, and HRL. If you want to see the world on someone else's dime, come to Delta. If you want the chance to see Midland or Lubbock, go to Southwest.

Have a great one 328 dude.

Bye Bye--General Lee
 
General:

I can't believe you sucked into these spats ...

After reading some of your posts which support your well reasoned approach on a variety of subjects ... you throw barbs about some of our RONs (LBB, MAF).

I have been doing the 121 Bag Drag for many years and have come to one irrefutable conclusion ... every carrier has +s and -s. So long as the paycheck clears I would fly a C150 for what I make to fly the 'guppie'.

Take the high road ... your BP will be better for it.

As it relates to our competitive position and business plan ... I know 1/100th of what I need to know to make a empirical conclusion on our future success ... but having experienced the SWA culture I feel confident we are well armed to excel.

I am happy DAL is on its way to recovery. I took no pleasure in watching my fellow pilots/friends give as much as was required by the 'Bankruptcy Process' only to watch some managements never let go of their sense of entitlement.

If you ever find yourself needing to go to LBB or MAF and I am signing the release ... let me know I will take you to a steak dinner that just might chance your mind about TX.
 
General:

I can't believe you sucked into these spats ...

After reading some of your posts which support your well reasoned approach on a variety of subjects ... you throw barbs about some of our RONs (LBB, MAF).

I have been doing the 121 Bag Drag for many years and have come to one irrefutable conclusion ... every carrier has +s and -s. So long as the paycheck clears I would fly a C150 for what I make to fly the 'guppie'.

Take the high road ... your BP will be better for it.

As it relates to our competitive position and business plan ... I know 1/100th of what I need to know to make a empirical conclusion on our future success ... but having experienced the SWA culture I feel confident we are well armed to excel.

I am happy DAL is on its way to recovery. I took no pleasure in watching my fellow pilots/friends give as much as was required by the 'Bankruptcy Process' only to watch some managements never let go of their sense of entitlement.

If you ever find yourself needing to go to LBB or MAF and I am signing the release ... let me know I will take you to a steak dinner that just might chance your mind about TX.

Thanks. I probably won't go to any of those places, but I appreciate the offer. I have many great things to say about Southwest, like the great pay, the management (for now) and the fun stews. I just stated that there are a few things some of us would not want to do with Southwest, just like there are some people out there who don't want to see the world once a week. The problem I have had on this board is that there are some people on here who get livid if I state anything I don't like about Southwest. It is like I am going against their religion, and they are militants. Different airlines have different flying, and I recognize that, but others on here should take that into consideration when looking at future employement. That is all I am saying, not everyone wants to fly Southwest schedules, routes, or one aircraft type.

And, I would not want anyone to go through a BK. It was not fun and hopefully we will return to greatness soon. Also, you are welcome on our jumpseat to any INTL destination also, and if you are interested just PM me and I will give you the details. We also hit every major island in the Caribbean, along with Hawaii. Take care.


Bye Bye--General Lee
 

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