Southwest will 'make every effort' to keep smaller AirTran cities

[DieselDragRacer]

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/04/southwest-airlines-smaller-cities/155439/1

 

[relief tube]

sure....just like AA made every effort to keep STL, DL made every effort to keep CVG and United probably with Cleveland.

 

[Kharma Police]

sure....just like AA made every effort to keep STL, DL made every effort to keep CVG and United probably with Cleveland.

If SWA can make money at those cities then they probably will keep them.

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

The cost of oil is going to make or break everyone! It is gonna have a huge determining factor for smaller cities!

Some are in a better position than others (and I'm not talking about hedging because some tool on here is gonna bring it up!)

Kbb

 

[jonjuan]

If SWA can make money at those cities then they probably will keep them.

i.e. if they can keep the subsidies at those cities as well (which helps with "making" money.)

 

[Crzipilot]

Ding Ding....correct answer there. AT was good at getting multiple millions of dollars in subsidies to start service and continue service. I believe when the airports balked at renewing subsidies, you saw the service go away......Or at least get minimized drastically.....

 

[redflyer65]

If SWA can make money at those cities then they probably will keep them.

Completely agree.

 

[Kharma Police]

Ding Ding....correct answer there. AT was good at getting multiple millions of dollars in subsidies to start service and continue service. I believe when the airports balked at renewing subsidies, you saw the service go away......Or at least get minimized drastically.....

We weren't good at getting subsidies, the cities begged and pleaded for us to provide service to them and then threw money at us to make us stay. The moment we pulled out, (insert large airline) would drastically jack up the prices overnight pissing off the local population. End result, less people would travel or drive hours to another airport that we or another LCC served.

 

[Full of LUV]

We weren't good at getting subsidies, the cities begged and pleaded for us to provide service to them and then threw money at us to make us stay. The moment we pulled out, (insert large airline) would drastically jack up the prices overnight pissing off the local population. End result, less people would travel or drive hours to another airport that we or another LCC served.

Right, so your saying a legacy airline operates for years trying to earn a profit by actually charging a rate that will pay the bills, and AT takes handouts by the city to start LCC service charging $39 each way (which the legacy has to match to stay in competition) but when the "pent up" $39 demand is dried up and the subsidies run out, AT pulls service or "drastically reduces" service unless the city ponies up some more cash. So I guess there are two ways to look at the situation.

 

[JetMonkey]

Southwest said the same thing when they bought Morris Air. FAT, EUG, COS all got the axe..