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Southwest wants to go International

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jetpilot243

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Joined
Feb 17, 2003
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Southwest Airlines wants to add international service

May 11, 2007 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In a few years, Southwest Airlines could make Philadelphia International Airport a key connecting point for a type of customer it doesn't have now -- travelers headed to Europe, its chief executive officer says.
But Gary C. Kelly, in an interview here yesterday, said Southwest had a more immediate need: the four additional gates in the airport's Terminal E that it has been promised, so it can add domestic flights.
Southwest, the airport's No. 2 carrier in passengers behind US Airways Group Inc., has never flown outside this country, so it is making a careful study of how to offer international service to Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, Kelly said.
Southwest itself probably would not operate the international flights, instead forming a partnership with another airline with overseas experience, said Kelly, who was in town to give an address Wednesday to a gathering sponsored by Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Both Philadelphia and Baltimore-Washington International Airport would be logical places for Southwest to "code-share" with an international carrier, meaning that both airlines could sell single tickets that provide for connections between the two, Kelly said.
Southwest now has a code-share agreement with ATA Airlines Inc., linking passengers at Chicago Midway Airport, but ATA is not the only airline with which it could form a partnership for international travel, starting in about two years, he said. US Airways has a similar code-share deal with United Airlines, and other carriers have hundreds of such agreements with one another.
On the domestic front, Southwest cannot say where or when it may add flights from Philadelphia because it is waiting for Delta Air Lines Inc. to move out of four gates next to those Southwest already has in Terminal E.
"The last thing we want to do to our customers is promise flights that we can't deliver," he said.
Delta is scheduled to vacate its Terminal E space by Oct. 15, said Charles J. Isdell, the city's aviation director. It will move to Terminal A-East.
Southwest now has 66 flights a day to 18 cities from Philadelphia, and it has to split its operations between the Terminal E gates and four in Terminal D. The airline, which started flying to Philadelphia three years ago, carries 17 percent of the passengers who start or end a trip at the airport.
"We want to be here, and we're trying to make it work," he said.
Kelly spent most of the hour-long interview talking about a detailed process Southwest has undertaken to find ways to increase revenue while trying to cope with a 25 percent rise in its costs -- mostly because of high oil prices -- over the last four to five years.
While Southwest still is strong financially and has one of the industry's best reputations for customer service, some Wall Street analysts have recently criticized it for lagging other carriers in revenue growth in the first quarter. Jamie Baker of J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. described it in a research note last month as "a growth story comes to a close."
Kelly said Southwest's study of the best way to offer international service is only one of several efforts to increase revenue, including offering in-flight wireless Internet access for a fee, using its Web site to sell services or products other than its own tickets, and offering assigned seating.
Airline analysts "as a group are preoccupied with quarterly earnings," he said. "As a group, they don't seem to know the airline industry's history very well. It's cyclical, and it's a discretionary product, and you run into these inexplicable soft patches."
Southwest's long-range planning for increasing revenue started long before the last quarter and will take several years to complete, which is in keeping with the history of the Dallas-based company, Kelly said.
Southwest has never operated like other airlines, and it has no intention of changing that, he said.
The airline has no assigned seating and flies its planes for more hours per day than most others. It has taken years to build its fleet, boost the capabilities of its Web site, and expand the number of cities it serves.
"There is an impatience on Wall Street for change," Kelly said, "and all of our changes require some construction."
Contact staff writer Tom Belden
at 215-854-2454 or [email protected].
 
travelers headed to Europe,


Key point, passengers going to Europe, NOT SWA pilots... For a very long
time I'm afraid. I'm patient...
 
"Southwest itself probably would not operate the international flights, instead forming a partnership with another airline with overseas experience, said Kelly, who was in town to give an address Wednesday to a gathering sponsored by Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Both Philadelphia and Baltimore-Washington International Airport would be logical places for Southwest to "code-share" with an international carrier, meaning that both airlines could sell single tickets that provide for connections between the two, Kelly said. "


Don't worry guys, you still have LBB!! And the ATA guys are probably better at making position reports, while you guys learn how to use VNAV and the autothrottle... (just jokin!! ;) )


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
General Lee,

You never "joke," you just say that to soften your often caustic remarks. SWA will move into the 21st Century tech wise when it pays them to do it.
You are right it will be ATA dudes doing the International Operations. So what. Unless you like time zone crossing, you can have it for your work day life. Me, I go to Europe for vacation.

PS: I am very pleased Delta is doing well. I don't think you would fit anywhere else with your attitude.
 
Just ignore that moron. It makes this board so much more enjoyable. I used to think Lillte lady GL was entertaining but now that I ignore him FI is much better. Try it for awhile and see.
 
General Lee;1326976 Don't worry guys said:
Your right GL, we'll always have LBB, what will Delta have when they enter BK again in two years after SWA crushes them at LAX? (just jokin!!;) )
 
General Lee,

You never "joke," you just say that to soften your often caustic remarks. SWA will move into the 21st Century tech wise when it pays them to do it.
You are right it will be ATA dudes doing the International Operations. So what. Unless you like time zone crossing, you can have it for your work day life. Me, I go to Europe for vacation.

PS: I am very pleased Delta is doing well. I don't think you would fit anywhere else with your attitude.

Man alive, I really get to some people. The fact of the matter is that a lot of people do not want to fly for Southwest. Not because they don't want a stable company, or great money, or even fun stews and crews, rather because they have already flown at a regional and don't like multiple leg days. To say that you don't do those types of trips, is well, a fib. Not everyone wants to be exhausted when they come home from a super productive 3 or 4 day. I enjoy my trips, and when I do layovers (most of my trips are one day turns to the Carribbean) I enjoy them, with long layovers in nice places. I will be moving on to the INTL side shortly, and I will enjoy Delta paying me to go to Venice and see the canals and great food one week, the next go to Nice and see the babes at the beach, while the next week I will see the Haufbrauhaus in Munich and try a stein, and the last trip will see the Louvre in Paris and I will try some tasty escargo. Yes, I will fly via Delta's dime and might even bring my wife and "get some." Hasta la pasta.


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
Your right GL, we'll always have LBB, what will Delta have when they enter BK again in two years after SWA crushes them at LAX? (just jokin!!;) )

Crushes us at LAX? Maybe you didn't read the part about Expressjet (who will start some ERJ flying from LAX on July 1st to PHX, DEN, SFO, SJC, OAK, RNO, PDX, SEA, YVR, GEG, MFE, ACA, HMO, ZLO, LTO, LAP, MZT, and BOI) is that they will take most of the risk, and allowing Delta to back out if needed. Most of those flights will connect with inbounds from Mexico, and pax then going onto N. California and other US cities. But, the main reason we are having them do this is to keep the gates occupied and not allow Alaska airlines to get the terminal, and we will do this until we get our own mainline planes doing it, which will be sooner than later. More info to follow later....


Bye Bye---General Lee
 
Folks,
You got to just admire the Lee. He is one of those guys who once he is on a team he is on it for life. Sure he only looks at the good, he doesn't stand by his own words (example, additional scope is not something I will vote for), and does everything he can to shoot down others; but if he is on your team you love him. He is a good team player who will always see his team as next year's champ.
 
Folks,
You got to just admire the Lee. He is one of those guys who once he is on a team he is on it for life. Sure he only looks at the good, he doesn't stand by his own words (example, additional scope is not something I will vote for), and does everything he can to shoot down others; but if he is on your team you love him. He is a good team player who will always see his team as next year's champ.

You got that sport! Hey, I enjoy the whole industry, and I enjoy this board. Yeah, I slam some people and maybe slam their airline, but all in the spirit of good debate. If you want to join "my team", we are hiring. I will even buy the third and fifth beers on our layovers when I am your Captain.

Bye Bye--General Lee
 
General,

Got my DAL app in. It's a deal if you agree to the 1st, 3rd and 5th beers. I do it for my FO's now. :)

Kinda getting tired of EUG layovers. I'd rather do Rome or Lisbon or Tegucigalpa or something like that.

Cheers.
 

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