Southwest Line on Credit?

[afhercdriver]

How does the JB pilot contract work? I thought I heard they signed 5 year contracts?? Can they be let go after the contract has expired?

Jim

By the way, I don't believe SWA will buy anyone.

 

[scoreboardII]

SW has always been smaller than the biggest carriers in the industry,

??? Dude, you are so wrong.


Us Domestic enplanements 2012:

AA 55M
US 57M
US air 40M

and the as you put it the "always been a smaller airline":

WN 100M

I'll even be generous and add in international to AA, another 17M, still lags WN by 25%

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Oneway...m&Data_Type=CAT&Percent_Flag=0&Display_Flag=0

 

[scoreboardII]

By the way, I don't believe SWA will buy anyone.

you are correct, low hanging fruit gone, everything from now on will be a merger.

 

[fam62c]

??? Dude, you are so wrong.


Us Domestic enplanements 2012:

AA 55M
US 57M
US air 40M

and the as you put it the "always been a smaller airline":

WN 100M

I'll even be generous and add in international to AA, another 17M, still lags WN by 25%

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Oneway...m&Data_Type=CAT&Percent_Flag=0&Display_Flag=0

These other airlines do more than domestic flying, look at total ASM levels. SW has always been a smaller airline than United, Delta and American.

My point is simply that SW doesn't need to be the same or larger than the other carriers just because there has been consolidation. They have never been the biggest carrier and it's never hurt them before. They don't need to do another acquisition to be competitive. Damn, touchy

 

[humveedriver]

Completely agree ~10.

Do any Southwest or Airtran employees want another acquistion? That's probably a huge NO.

But from a business perspective, you need to get in on 'what's left', or just be completely left out to your own devices. This sentiment with the past mergers is here right now. I agree that JetBlue is the most likely candidate. I'd place Hawaiian number two on the list with AK a distant third.


Humvee,

Transistion class? Welcome aboard. You driving to work yet?

Driving to work! And the new DAL terminal is way above what my expectations were. In fact I think I smokes the new int'l terminal in ATL even though they share similar design features.

Yeah, stayin organic would be nice. If you told me we had to merge with JB and that means 787s, western Europe and I would never have to update my resume again, I would be down with it. The AT/SWA deal diluted the seniority list so much that playing the king of the seniority hill game isn't something I can win anymore. So I ain't afraid of what comes down the road. I really don't see it happening soon. I think especially with JB it's more complicated than we think and job preservation may not be attainable like it was for AT.

 

[Flyby1206]

How does the JB pilot contract work? I thought I heard they signed 5 year contracts?? Can they be let go after the contract has expired?

Jim

By the way, I don't believe SWA will buy anyone.

Kinda sorta. At the end of the 5year term the company may discharge for a list of reasons, many are pretty vague like negligence, disobeying instructions, etc. If the person isnt discharged then the agreement auto-renews for another 5 year term.

 

[afhercdriver]

Kinda sorta. At the end of the 5year term the company may discharge for a list of reasons, many are pretty vague like negligence, disobeying instructions, etc. If the person isnt discharged then the agreement auto-renews for another 5 year term.

Thanks for the reply. Now back to lurking
Jim

 

[717capt]

I don't think SW is ready for widebodies, Europe and the like. Not yet. Maybe in 10-15 years. But not now. Not with Gary in charge. They have an agenda and will stick to it. I mean come on. They do proving runs to SJU in October and start service 6 months later? Who does that? You do proving runs and start service the next week. Not half a year later. The biggest thing happening in the next few years, on the international front anyway, will be the opening of the Intl terminal in HOU. That seems to be the game plan for now, but things do change. ATL was supposed to be a "super hub". Hmmm.
As far as other acquisitions go, Don't forget about Frontier. They have a presence in the Caribbean. Granted, not as much as jetblue, but it's there. Maybe, Just maybe, after the AA/US merger was officially announced Gary and co realized that the getting into the near int'l game will be much more difficult. No offense to our friends at DL, but the combined AA/US will own Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. So yeah.. maybe it is $$$ being raised for an established near int'l presence. Personally I think that the day AA announced bankruptcy, Gary kicked himself in the ass for having spent all that money on AirTran. Should've waited it out and gone after AA. After all Parker did it, and he's a drunk.

 

[redflyer65]

I don't think SW is ready for widebodies, Europe and the like. Not yet. Maybe in 10-15 years. But not now. Not with Gary in charge. They have an agenda and will stick to it. I mean come on. They do proving runs to SJU in October and start service 6 months later? Who does that? You do proving runs and start service the next week. Not half a year later. The biggest thing happening in the next few years, on the international front anyway, will be the opening of the Intl terminal in HOU. That seems to be the game plan for now, but things do change. ATL was supposed to be a "super hub". Hmmm.
As far as other acquisitions go, Don't forget about Frontier. They have a presence in the Caribbean. Granted, not as much as jetblue, but it's there. Maybe, Just maybe, after the AA/US merger was officially announced Gary and co realized that the getting into the near int'l game will be much more difficult. No offense to our friends at DL, but the combined AA/US will own Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. So yeah.. maybe it is $$$ being raised for an established near int'l presence. Personally I think that the day AA announced bankruptcy, Gary kicked himself in the ass for having spent all that money on AirTran. Should've waited it out and gone after AA. After all Parker did it, and he's a drunk.

Your right. Nobody said widebodies tomorrow, or even 4 years from now so your timeline might be right.

But think of it this way....SW has the best domestic feed in the US...bar none. Add JB with JFK, BOS, and the Carib and 5-10 years down the road add the widebody. Every widebody would be oversold. Guaranteed.

Launch points....BOS, JFK, BWI, ATL, DEN, MCO, HOU, PHX, LAS, LAX. Other possiblities would be MCI, STL, etc, etc.

When a carrier is only domestic, just thing of the possible growth opportuntities going forward.

 

[Flyby1206]

Your right. Nobody said widebodies tomorrow, or even 4 years from now so your timeline might be right.

But think of it this way....SW has the best domestic feed in the US...bar none. Add JB with JFK, BOS, and the Carib and 5-10 years down the road add the widebody. Every widebody would be oversold. Guaranteed.

Launch points....BOS, JFK, BWI, ATL, DEN, MCO, HOU, PHX, LAS, LAX. Other possiblities would be MCI, STL, etc, etc.

When a carrier is only domestic, just thing of the possible growth opportuntities going forward.

+1

The legacy carriers build their networks around international routes, and half-a** the domestic stuff. WN starts with an incredibly strong domestic network that the legacies can never compare to. If WN can get their house in order in terms of IT department then they could be a serious powerhouse globally.