Southwest Airlines post good 2nd qtr numbers

[Dude]

I can only hope GK and company puts the same gun to your head on your next contract, you guys are in for a rough ride. Pain is coming, mark my words.

You act like we've never seen Gary in action. Um, thanks for the tip.

If I had the opportunity I would have given you the same advice about a year ago. Southwest don't play, they take away when you say no.

 

[Hose A. Jiminez]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that new SWA employees weren't eligible for profit sharing until their first anniversary. So every SWA employee worked for the company for a year without profit sharing contributions.

True,

A new hire is not eligible for profit sharing until the completion of their first Jan 1st - Dec 31st year. If you are hired on January 2nd, you are not eligible for PS for almost 2 years. That is the way it has always been. No one is being singled out.

 

[Dude]

Give me back my avatar Paco.

 

[Bill Nelson]

This is BS. Everyone knows that without hedges SWA is dead.

 

[learherkjay]

Typical SW "Get over it" Response. You have no idea whats going on over here. Until you walk a mile in another mans shoes as they say.

First off, you have no idea what my life experience is so I would hold on assuming. Second, go ahead and cry in your beer; it won't make life any better for you. By all means, if this is so bad for you then look for work somewhere else. There are a lot more people dealing with worse in this country than your pay raise being delayed because you approved a letter stating that it would be that way. If you really wanted the pay you should have ponied up and bid 737. Get a grip...I am just remembering why FI has been pretty worthless since about 2005....

 

[AFcitrus]

Bull$hit! Gary made no secret of looking for a replacement.

Actually, that's not totally true. Timing is everything in this instance. GK said they loved the 717 and had every intention of flying it through lease expiration. Based on those comments SLI 2 was passed. Then within weeks he and VDV started talking about negotiating with Boeing to get rid of them early. Trust me when I say there is no chance in heck AirTran pilots would have accepted the massive seniority loss had they known GK's real plans. We would have demanded much better global seniority since the 717 captain seats would have been going away.

 

[General Lee]

Doesn't Delta has like 15 billion dollars in debt they need to manage while using bankruptcy as a way to stay in business?

Oh....Just sayin....uke:

Not really. DL had $18 billion in debt in 2008, but that will be widdled down to about $10 billion by next year. Pretty darn good, and I am sure ancillary revenue helped, but as the dumb People's Court SWA TV commercial states, "SWA would NEVER do that " (charge for bags----only at our subsidiary that we treated poorly). Oh yeah, and thanks for reducing the number of flights in ATL after your merger. What a complete build up to a let down for you guys. Thanks for that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[waveflyer]

AFcitrus- do you have timing on that "we love the 717?"
Bc I was in the room months before sl2 hearing GK announcing very publicly that the 717 would not be part of SWA's plan.
This article was in August 2011- the tentative agreement was reached in sept'11, and voted in by 84% in November -
Now can we dispense with the bs that somehow AT was mislead?
Here's the public part:
http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10372945/southwest-boeing-717-not-part-of-future-fleet-plans

TERRY MAXON
SOURCE: THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
CREATED: AUGUST 30, 2011
--

Aug. 30--ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Southwest Airlines Co. has concluded that the small Boeing 717s that it picked up in the AirTran Airways Inc. merger don't really fit into its fleet plans, chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly said Monday.

"It's not different enough or unique enough that it really brings any advantage beyond what a 737 would do," Kelly said at the Boyd Group International aviation conference at a resort near Albuquerque.

With leases expiring between 2017 and 2024, the airplanes may stay in the Southwest fleet for quite a while, but Kelly said the future of the 717s, which it leases from Boeing, is among the matters under discussion as Southwest talks to Boeing about future aircraft orders.

"It's a good airplane, but not one that I see we have to maintain for the next 20 years," Kelly said.

Kelly noted that Southwest didn't see a need for anything smaller than its 137-seat Boeing 737-700s before deciding in 2010 to buy AirTran. Southwest operates 25 Boeing 737-500s, which has 122 seats, but hasn't bought any that size in two decades."

Also:
Aug 5, 2011: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/southwest-appears-less-bullish-on-717-360443/

Aug 30, 2011- USA today- Are air tran pilots the one pilot group that doesn't read the mcpaper?
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/08/southwest-boeing-717/545260/1

CAPTIONBy Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly says the Boeing 717s acquired in his airline's acquisition of AirTran will disappear from the company's fleet sooner than later.

 

[Crash Pad]

We are company men at AirTran. We thought GK offered too much in AIP 1 and told the MEC to shoot it down. GK then offered us a deal that we thought would be best for the company. SWA has a cost problem and at AAI we are working hard to fix it. I'm glad our efforts are already bearing fruit.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Not really. DL had $18 billion in debt in 2008, but that will be widdled down to about $10 billion by next year. Pretty darn good, and I am sure ancillary revenue helped, but as the dumb People's Court SWA TV commercial states, "SWA would NEVER do that " (charge for bags----only at our subsidiary that we treated poorly). Oh yeah, and thanks for reducing the number of flights in ATL after your merger. What a complete build up to a let down for you guys. Thanks for that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

They just shifted the debt to unfunded Pension obligation. It will only affect the formed northwest pilots so I know you are not sweating it.

 

[Hose A. Jiminez]

Actually, that's not totally true. Timing is everything in this instance. GK said they loved the 717 and had every intention of flying it through lease expiration. Based on those comments SLI 2 was passed. Then within weeks he and VDV started talking about negotiating with Boeing to get rid of them early. Trust me when I say there is no chance in heck AirTran pilots would have accepted the massive seniority loss had they known GK's real plans. We would have demanded much better global seniority since the 717 captain seats would have been going away.

There was no deal for the 717s in place when the agreement was reached. It was a well known hypothetical scenario and nothing more.

 

[Flying the Line]

No room at Southwest for crybabies.

 

[Flyer1015]

But you can't pay AirTran pilots the same as a SWA pilot. Just keep listening to the bs phone messages from GK and Bob Jordan that say we are one family.

Didn't SLI#1 offer that same pay right away? And SLI#2 (the one you got) delayed that for 3 years? Why don't you ask your MEC why they turned down SLI#1 without asking or getting a vote from the Airtran pilot group?

 

[27 driver]

No room at Southwest for crybabies.

Plenty of room for ******************************bags though.

 

[scoreboardII]

Says number one on the list...

 

[Dan Roman]

No room at Southwest for crybabies.

Only good little warriors!

 

[Kharma Police]

Didn't SLI#1 offer that same pay right away? And SLI#2 (the one you got) delayed that for 3 years? Why don't you ask your MEC why they turned down SLI#1 without asking or getting a vote from the Airtran pilot group?

I'm sure the lawyers are asking that question.

 

[Andy]

Back on topic.

Congrats to all for a nice earnings beat; 10% better than analyst estimates. Let's hope that these numbers continue for everyone in the industry.

Excluding items, net income was $273 million, or 36 cents a share. Analysts had estimated 33 cents. Including items, primarily unrealized losses related to fuel hedging, net income was $228 million, or 30 cents a share, compared with $161 million, or 21 cents, in the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue rose 11.6% to $4.6 billion, in line with estimates.

Operating income, excluding special items, was $485 million compared with $276 million a year earlier.

"We are producing very strong results despite a fragile economic environment," said CEO Gary Kelly, in a prepared statement. "Record revenues driven by steady growth were sufficient to overcome high jet fuel prices and produce a record operating income of $485 million."

Kelly said the merger with AirTran produced $80 million in net, pretax synergies in the first half of 2012 and is expected to produce $400 million in 2013, excluding acquisition or integration expenses.
*****

 

[27 driver]

Says number one on the list...

See what I mean.

 

[General Lee]

Didn't SLI#1 offer that same pay right away? And SLI#2 (the one you got) delayed that for 3 years? Why don't you ask your MEC why they turned down SLI#1 without asking or getting a vote from the Airtran pilot group?

Apparently sometimes you have to take the first offer from a used car salesman..... The others did well in arbitration, and they expected the same obviously.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

They just shifted the debt to unfunded Pension obligation. It will only affect the formed northwest pilots so I know you are not sweating it.

So wait, they haven't paid down almost $8 billion in debt over 5 years(08-13)??? It's all made up? Riiiight. The pension obligation is like a mortgage, with payments paid out over time, as people retire. The other debt is like a credit card bill, that actually will have $500 million less in interest payment per year when it does get down to $10 billion next year. Maybe that extra money will be used to buy more of your planes, like the deferred 30 738s? You never know.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[waveflyer]

No, they're probably using your pension $ to buy big RJs that you're too cool to fly.
Think that's it, Gen??

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Is that what you tell your former northwest captains. Don't worry, I go mine and we will just screw you to make it all better. Of course you can accelerate payment on one bill when you stop paying another.

 

[General Lee]

Is that what you tell your former northwest captains. Don't worry, I go mine and we will just screw you to make it all better. Of course you can accelerate payment on one bill when you stop paying another.

I think you could easily be an airline CFO, or a lav dumper. You'd probably be a better lav dumper, though. You're full of it.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

No, they're probably using your pension $ to buy big RJs that you're too cool to fly.
Think that's it, Gen??

Nah, we'll be too busy flying your 717s. And yeah, I think that's it. The deal we got was good, it will get rid of twice as many RJs than will be added, and then add your 717s. Thanks so much. Read this again before adding your nonsense please.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[ASADFW7]

General Lee for VP.

 

[Whataburger]

Nah, we'll be too busy flying your 717s. And yeah, I think that's it. The deal we got was good, it will get rid of twice as many RJs than will be added, and then add your 717s. Thanks so much. Read this again before adding your nonsense please.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Looks we are both winners then. We buy one airline at a major international airport and the other carrier is paying us millions a month. Aint bad.

 

[texman]

I think after all is said and done and we pay down AT's debt, synergies kick in we will all be winners.

 

[jonjuan]

I think

lmfao......

 

[texman]

Here we go, one of the idiots of FI is creeping. Just saying JONjuan.