SWA can't do what it wants to do without some change or without help. Period. Other countries will not surrender it to you like was once done with PanAm.
Like usual you are uninformed and wrong. The changes in Mexico are already a done deal and go into effect January 1, 2016.
"A newly revised air services agreement between Mexico and the US that eases limits on the number of airlines allowed to operate on routes between the two countries is a welcome development for airlines operating in both regions. But it is particularly interesting for Mexico?s airlines given that their penetration in the transborder space still pales in comparison to US airlines operating between the two countries.
But in the meantime, Mexico?s airlines are looking to build on their current transborder expansion now that city pair restrictions are being eased."
http://centreforaviation.com/analys...y-await-a-new-bilateral-to-take-effect-199310
SWA will expand from HOU and FLL to their hearts content in Mexico and will face very little competition from Mexican carriers at their departure airports.
It really is a genius plan that will work very well if the pilots stand strong and keep the current section one language forbidding any codeshare agreements. SWA has also faced little problem attaining other Latin American destination authorizations.
I suspect Flop's consternation comes from the fact that SWA will be greatly encroaching on Uniteds market share.
United is the main victim.
Among the top three U.S. carriers, American Airlines has by far the largest presence in Latin America (including the Caribbean) due to its its hub in Miami. On a combined basis, American and US Airways deployed 40.1 billion available seat miles to Latin America last year. By contrast, No. 2 United Continental had just 20.
By contrast, United Continental operates just half a dozen daily flights to Brazil and southern South America. Most of its Latin American capacity is devoted to Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean -- which makes sense given that Houston is its main Latin American gateway.
United waged an intense (unsuccessful) lobbying campaign in 2012, urging Houston to maintain its ban on international flights at Hobby Airport. This effort spoke volumes about United's fear of a Southwest Airlines international expansion in Houston.
By 2017 or 2018, Southwest could operate 30 or more international flights per day from Hobby Airport. Since United Continental faces competition on just a few of its Latin American routes from Houston today, the new Southwest service will break a number of monopolies, which are presumably quite profitable.
http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...est-airlines-goes-international-who-will.aspx