Southwest Airlines to Acquire AirTran; Spreading Low Fares Farther 6:55 am - PR Newsw

[FNG320]

I don't think Delta management is quaking in their shoes. This will be a domestic airline with no international feed to speak of. Add to that the "double-dip" or continued recession and we'll see how all this plays out...

True about domestic only. And yes it won't affect Delta's international service. However, you can bet they will make a big dent into Delta's domestic services as the Airtran and Swa networks connect up.

Just my opinion......

FNG

 

[DX Rick]

I hope this doesn't turn out like the ATA buyout in 2005.

 

[ATA For Now!]

And there's a LOT of route overlap...especially in FL. Hope it goes better for the tranny than it did for us at ATA.

 

[kwick]

I'm sure the SWA guys will offer DOH to the Tranny folks:smash:

DOH would screw the majority of AirTran pilots.

A 1 for 1 blend or by relative seniority would be required to make this work.

 

[Frank Lorenzo]

A 1 for 1 blend or by relative seniority would be required to make this work.

Thanks for the morning laugh.

Thread title should read "spreading AirTran cheeks farther"

If you don't know what that means you will soon feel what that means after the SW pilots are done with you.

 

[Gear Down]

AT pilots are screwed..........back to the street

 

[flyingitalian]

DOH would screw the majority of AirTran pilots.

A 1 for 1 blend or by relative seniority would be required to make this work./QUOTE]


That funny. You have been negotiating for how long, and we just handed you across the board raises of 40%. How about we merge by last years w2s to prevent any win fall from either side.

 

[Max Powers]

WOW a huge windfall for AAI crewmembers no matter how a merged seniority list shakes out.!

Not SO...I was set to upgrade next year and get a significant raise. Now no upgrade and the raise only comes after i agree to some crappy SLI. The devil is in the details.

 

[Future SNA]

I got on here to see if this was a positive or a negative for the AirTran guys. Have friends on both sides...waiting to see their response. Good luck Catfish!

 

[Max Powers]

Thank god we got ALPA and their attorneys... and not NPA and our stupid attorney that thank god is no more

 

[johnsonrod]

It was a matter of time... This is no surprise. Alaska was another candidate with its common fleet. Let's face it, organic growth will only go so far domestically for SWA. Most Legacy airlines are looking internationally for growth. Getting rid of another LCC competitor will reduce capacity in the system (good for all airlines and their pricing) and it will reduce competition in some key markets (BWI, MKE, MDW, BOS, MCO) - not sure how the Feds will agree (Oberstar's head will probably explode).

As a regional pilot, I am not so happy with one fewer major airline choice to work for down the line - but at least I understand the rationale. Overall, this should be interesting to watch - the seniority integration alone should be entertaining... Have fun with that!!!!!

 

[GuppyWN]

Alaska was never a player. WAY too much overlap.

Gup

 

[gt1900]

Can someone clarify something for me. With the new laws, I don't think SWA can just staple us to the bottom. I believe there has to be some kind of integration, even if its not favorable to the AAI guys. Is that correct? I know the Frontier situation was a little different, but now that SWA and AAI have agreed to the merger, I believe things are a little different. Looks like SWA and AAI have learned their lessons from past failed mergers.. HOPEFULLY!

 

[BRA]

I don't remember seeing a peep about this earlier in the week. So often we see a thread about a "big announcement" on the 27th or whatever. It seems they sure kept this large thing a secret.

Wonder what happens with the small Regional jet deal Airtran has up in MKE.

 

[Wesb737fo]

My brother works at AMR. He called me at 8:00 am. I figured he only calls that if early if somebody died. After my head spun around a few times, I told him if he was playing a prank it wasn't funny. Well...

Somebody mentioned ATA. Being a former ATA guy I can tell you that was a different story. ATA was in bankruptcy with one MDW hub. That deal was cash for gates and a code share. The Airtran deal is a little different.

It is definitely an understatement to say I am pleasantly suprised. wow