Southwest Airlines to cut flights...

[d.fitz]

Southwest Airlines has announced schedule changes for several major cities, including decreased flights from Fort Lauderdale

Dallas Morning News
March 24, 2010


Southwest Airlines has announced schedule changes for several major cities, including decreased flights from Fort Lauderdale and other Florida cities.

Southwest will add flights for several cities, including Denver, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Orange County and San Francisco.

All other major sites are losing flights, or the losses are balanced by the gains. And some of Southwest's Florida cities are seeing big drops, with a net loss of 8 departures at Fort Lauderdale, 15 departures at Orlando and 11 at Tampa. In all, 37 departures from Florida are being eliminated, compared to 26 from California airports and 15 from Texas airports.

Southwest is eliminating nonstop service on eight routes: Fort Lauderdale-Kansas City, Baltimore-Los Angeles, Baltimore-Seattle, Las Vegas-Washington Dulles, Milwaukee-Tampa, Orlando-Washington Dulles, Seattle-St. Louis and Tampa-Washington Dulles. It is beginning nonstop service between Chicago Midway and Orange County, Calif.

For for information, go
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/03/southwest-to-cut-schedule-3-as.html

 

[funnyman12]

Hmmmmm.....maybe lil' Tranny is winning some battles. BWI, Fll, and MCO are doing very well for Airtran. SWA already cutting a flight from MKE too. Not that Airtran is that good of an airline, but interesting to see SWA pull back flights before Airtran. Historically Airtran is the first to flinch.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

Before everyone gets so flak happy, these reductions are for the fall quarter 2010. The 3% cut is for seasonality which their route planner says will be something the company will do more in the future with route optimizer...

 

[Donald]

I think a more appropriate title would be "Southwest to Reallocate flights". They are cutting them here and adding them there. As was stated, the company calls it route optimization. Go were the business is "better". And it can be a seasonal move or not. Nevertheless, they have not announced any real growth this year. I wish that were different. Even though, they have said they will announce some more new cities this year. good luck to all.

 

[Skyboy722]

Before everyone gets so flak happy, these reductions are for the fall quarter 2010. The 3% cut is for seasonality which their route planner says will be something the company will do more in the future with route optimizer...

Blue- Thanks for sticking up for us, and you're right, but the truth is that this is a real bummer. It seems that the tide may be beginning to turn and historically WN jumps right in there, so we were all hoping for a little more. And to the above poster who mentioned Airtran: Make no mistake about it; Airtran is a SERIOUS competitor who absolutely could be shaping our strategy. The day I was hired it was made abundantly clear that Airtran was our most feared and respected competition.

 

[Skyboy722]

Even though, they have said they will announce some more new cities this year.

Donald- Source?? I have heard only the opposite, but I hope you're right!

 

[Secret Squirrel]

They are just getting the routes nailed down for the SWA/Airtran merger. No reason to be competing with our future partner.

 

[clr4theapch]

Southwest dropping some Orlando flights

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/fl-southwest-airline-changes-20100324,0,2142119.story

The Dallas Morning News
4:48 PM EST, March 24, 2010

Southwest Airlines has announced schedule changes for several major cities, including cutting flights to and from Orlando and other Florida cities.
Southwest will add flights for several cities, including Denver, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Orange County (Calif.) and San Francisco. All other major sites are losing flights, or the losses are balanced by the gains.
Some of Southwest's Florida cities are seeing big drops, with a net loss of 15 departures at Orlando International Airport, eight at Fort Lauderdale, and 11 at Tampa. In all, 37 departures from Florida are being eliminated, compared with 26 from California airports and 15 from Texas airports.
Southwest is eliminating nonstop service on eight routes, including the Fort Lauderdale-Kansas City flight.

 

[JerryLundegaard]

More flights to MSP. Cool!

 

[GuppyWN]

And Denver will be our 4th largest station in daily departures by May. Let me think.... who else flies out of Denver? Thinking.... thinking....

On a side note it sucks that we are going to have to go through this with the Tranny dudes.

Gup

 

[Flying the Line]

FYI: Threads were merged as this is an LCC section airline...

Southwest not a major anymore? They do carry the most domestic passengers don't you know.

 

[maxblast72]

Hmmmmm.....maybe lil' Tranny is winning some battles. BWI, Fll, and MCO are doing very well for Airtran. SWA already cutting a flight from MKE too. Not that Airtran is that good of an airline, but interesting to see SWA pull back flights before Airtran. Historically Airtran is the first to flinch.

Historically Airtran may have been the first to flinch, but historically Airtran was higher cost than Southwest. Due to the growth of the last decade, addition of larger 737s, and Airtran management's outhedging Southwest (Airtran's all-in fuel costs were 16 cents a gallon better than SWA's in 2009 if I recall right), Airtran's total CASM dropped below Southwest's CASM is 2009 and is now close to 10% lower. Southwest management is not stupid and is optimizing their schedule to go after weaker competitors like Frontier and United.

 

[Skyboy722]

LCC = Low Cost Carrier

I think SWA fills that meaning... and thus this section... thanks for playing "wheel of forum's"

Well, apch, I think WN also fills the meaning of the term "Major Airline". You guys should change the title of the other forum to "Legacy", and then you'd be right.

 

[GlobeIII]

Well, apch, I think WN also fills the meaning of the term "Major Airline". You guys should change the title of the other forum to "Legacy", and then you'd be right.

:laugh:

 

[Popeye0537]

And Denver will be our 4th largest station in daily departures by May. Let me think.... who else flies out of Denver? Thinking.... thinking....

On a side note it sucks that we are going to have to go through this with the Tranny dudes.

Gup

Two airlines that continue to do better then you in DEN??

MKE-TPA, who else flys that... Thinking.....thinking......

 

[crashpad]

Elsey's getting spanked in Denver and sploodged in Milwaukee.
So much for all the "It's On" trash talk?

I will say it takes a two-on-one fight to win against them. They are some resilliant hombres! I said hi to one of their cowboys in the terminal: He reached in his pocket pulled out a finger and shot me with his imaginary pistol....saying, "KITCHOW!"
I didn't know whether to fall down and play dead....or drop my pants and fire a missle?

 

[Flying the Line]

Two airlines that continue to do better then you in DEN??

MKE-TPA, who else flys that... Thinking.....thinking......

You're basing your comments on droping one flight in MKE and adding 11 in DEN, which makes WN the second largest in DEN. I know what you're thinking - one day Republc will be the new Southwest. Good luck with that.

 

[Flying the Line]

Here is the Hitler "save the animals" campain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpNLdEWgWHw

 

[waka]

Well, apch, I think WN also fills the meaning of the term "Major Airline". You guys should change the title of the other forum to "Legacy", and then you'd be right.

Take your irrelevant BS to the Semantics forum!

 

[Hamburger]

Southwest not a major anymore? They do carry the most domestic passengers don't you know.

Greyhound, with 16,000 departures to 3700 destinations has the most domestic passengers, don't you know?
McDonald's serves a LOT of food, but they don't get confused with a Restaurant.
When you can't cross a border, have customers who use garbage bags as luggage, have never made a position report, and assign seats (no cattle chutes at the gates), you don't get to be a Major. At a Major, nobody in your class bought a type rating as a condition for employment.
I don't work for one either. It's not a big deal.
Feel free to reapply in the future.
They created the LCC model. There wouldn't be an LCC thread without Southwest. Own it.