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- Joined
- Jan 13, 2006
- Posts
- 1,158
There is no doubt the attitude of the pilots and all the employees have gotten SW where they are today. You all have reason to be proud. Unfortunately, all it takes is a couple of bad decisions by management and things hit the crapper fast. All the rubber gloves and smiles in the world can't change that.
He was right about ATA guys being out there without a net. They've had to sleep in the plane while a revolution is going down at the hotel, out of pocket every mode of transportation you could imagine (rickshaws, fishing boats,...),loads of refugees starting cooking fires in the aisles..... A pilot group extremely dedicated to going above and beyond. It took Mickelsons about a year to piss it all away.
It's going to be a big five years for SWA. No longer the outsider underdog, now you've got the bullseye on your back. Everyone is stealing plays from your book. Everyone has the low prices these days, stole your niche. If you think customers are going to stay loyal to your product when they can save five bucks, you've forgotten how you got here. They've got assigned seating, first class, television, Direct flights.... You're such a lean machine, there's no fat left to trim. Fuel Hedge running out. Legacies are still alive.... Rapid Expansion (where has that gone wrong in the past). Jumping into markets that have been historically shunned by SouthWest, but coveted by "traditional airlines", you know, the ones that love to go bankrupt.
Not nails in the coffin by any means, but don't kid yourself into thinking it can't all go wrong fast enough to make your head spin with just a couple of bad decisions.
A lot of those currently on the bottom have spent their time on top. Granted, you have an extremely good position, but None stay on top forever.
He was right about ATA guys being out there without a net. They've had to sleep in the plane while a revolution is going down at the hotel, out of pocket every mode of transportation you could imagine (rickshaws, fishing boats,...),loads of refugees starting cooking fires in the aisles..... A pilot group extremely dedicated to going above and beyond. It took Mickelsons about a year to piss it all away.
It's going to be a big five years for SWA. No longer the outsider underdog, now you've got the bullseye on your back. Everyone is stealing plays from your book. Everyone has the low prices these days, stole your niche. If you think customers are going to stay loyal to your product when they can save five bucks, you've forgotten how you got here. They've got assigned seating, first class, television, Direct flights.... You're such a lean machine, there's no fat left to trim. Fuel Hedge running out. Legacies are still alive.... Rapid Expansion (where has that gone wrong in the past). Jumping into markets that have been historically shunned by SouthWest, but coveted by "traditional airlines", you know, the ones that love to go bankrupt.
Not nails in the coffin by any means, but don't kid yourself into thinking it can't all go wrong fast enough to make your head spin with just a couple of bad decisions.
A lot of those currently on the bottom have spent their time on top. Granted, you have an extremely good position, but None stay on top forever.
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