SWA/AT traffic way off in ATL

[SWA Bubba]

More frequency, more choices of destinations.

Direct flights are great, but often you have three choices- painfully early, painfully late, or painfully absent.

I think you missed the point.

When AirTran reduced ATL traffic to provide more point-to-point instead of hub-and-spoke, it's considered good, but when Southwest reduces ATL traffic for more point-to-point, it's considered bad? Make up my mind already!

Bubba

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

I think you missed the point.

When AirTran reduced ATL traffic to provide more point-to-point instead of hub-and-spoke, it's considered good, but when Southwest reduces ATL traffic for more point-to-point, it's considered bad? Make up my mind already!

Bubba

AirTran reduced frequency, but didn't cut direct city pairs. Big difference from that and what WN is doing now.

 

[freightdogfred]

AirTran reduced frequency, but didn't cut direct city pairs. Big difference from that and what WN is doing now.

Exactly. Reducing the frequency of certain city pairs is exactly how they did it, and it varied seasonally as well. In addition they'd mix in a 737 here and there to lessen the pain. But cutting completely the short block hour flights (ATL-MEM, ATL-CLT, ATL-PNS) which were always full seems like just giving those passengers away to Delta. I always thought those to be the high-yield flights due to such short block times shows how little I know.

 

[redflyer65]

Southwest has been transitioning from very short haul carrier to more and more long haul over the past 5-6 years. There's just not that much revenue in the short haul anymore. Gary has been very forthcoming about how the market has changed and how he intends to change with it.

Southwest routing, IND-MDW (just one example) has been gone for awhile. Just not enough yield there and you can make more using those planes for long haul.

If they can't make money on it, they won't do it. Just utilize the equipment someplace else.

 

[freightdogfred]

Southwest has been transitioning from very short haul carrier to more and more long haul over the past 5-6 years. There's just not that much revenue in the short haul anymore. Gary has been very forthcoming about how the market has changed and how he intends to change with it.

Southwest routing, IND-MDW (just one example) has been gone for awhile. Just not enough yield there and you can make more using those planes for long haul.

If they can't make money on it, they won't do it. Just utilize the equipment someplace else.

Really. Delta now charges 485$ for a 1-way flight to MEM now, it's the cheapest walk-up fare, the premium time slot is over 800$. All for less than 1 hr of block time. You do the math

http://www.delta.com/air-shopping/s...&checksum=2075956119&cacheKey=yvgdLQQ0mQxGdGc

 

[redflyer65]

It wasn't my decision Freight. I'm just trying to give you a little background on what's been going on here long before AirTran was involved. If it's lucrative, maybe they will add it back in.

 

[freightdogfred]

It wasn't my decision Freight. I'm just trying to give you a little background on what's been going on here long before AirTran was involved. If it's lucrative, maybe they will add it back in.

Understood. It just seems crazy to give up market share on these short, high yield runs that were full every flight. (at least the ones I flew)

 

[SWA Bubba]

Understood. It just seems crazy to give up market share on these short, high yield runs that were full every flight. (at least the ones I flew)

We're doing that a lot-- give up money-making routes (mainly short haul) to use those planes to run higher money-making routes instead. Of course that begs the question, why don't we buy more planes and do all of the money-making routes, but you'd have to ask GK about that. <ahem> <15%ROIC> <cough, cough>

Bubba

 

[Crash Pad]

Wait. I see. You then expand. Multiply that by 4 airlines and suddenly those routes get real thin. Profits dwindle and airlines go bankrupt. Almost like a cycle that's in every text book. Good job smart guys you just cut our wages, lost our profit sharing, and allowed Spirit to grow and claim they have the highest paid pilots!

 

[wood pecker]

Southern Airways out of PDK in Atlanta is starting back up. They will be doing MEM and a few FL places. $200-300 each way and no TSA.