SWA down the road - RJs?

[BeerNear]

Howdy,

Sorry to bug everybody about Southwest. Do ya'll think with the recent boom in RJ traffic, Southwest will eventually fly RJs? It seems as though the average trip leg and numbers of passengers per trip that Southwest flies, the RJ aircraft would be a great fit in the battle plan. It would open up many more cities and alterante airports to big cities for SWA. I know it is contrary to the SWA school of thought, keep it simple. Thanks for any input.

Adios,

BN

 

[Hovernut]

Lil' 73

If they did, the now defunct DO-428J would've been a cute little sister to the 737 fleet! Just think, SW could finally have "Baby Shamu!"

 

[captjim]

Never! They are the only airline really making money. No reason to change things now when its worked for so long.

 

[flint4xx]

Why use an RJ if you can fill a 737?

 

[RedBelly]

Another thing to consider.... how much less is an RJ to buy than a 737? I think boeing lists a 737-700 for about $40 million. I bet that SWA gets a discount though. Anyone know how much the different RJ's cost?

 

[hyper]

1 type, same parts, same maintenance, same certificates.....I think they broke the code with over simplification which may be a good reason why they're so successful.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[chawbein]

If I were SWA, I wouldn't go with RJ's. If they were going to add another type to their inventory, they should go with a larger aircraft. I would look at 75's. I would only fly them on a few select routes. SWA does have a few routes where every flight is filled every day. On the other hand, is it hard to load and unload a larger plane?

Just my $.02

 

[na265]

I am a former SWA FA. When I left the co. 2 yrs ago, Colleen Barrett(sp?) had an article in the inflight mag. It delt with the topic of RJ's and why SWA didn't have them. If I remember right, her response was that the formula the co. had at the time was working well (all 737's). However, she also stated that in order to grow and continue to lead the industry, change will always be necessary. If this change involved RJ's, it was tough to say. She finished the article by saying anything is possible.

 

[BeerNear]

Flying into smaller airports

These are great points. You are absolutely right. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I was just trying figure out where SWA could be in 20 years. Just imagine SWA flying RJs into smaller airports in big cities that might have been inaccessible(sp) with 737s i.e. Provo, Centennial in Denver, North Las Vegas etc... I think that expanding to bigger aircraft might be harder than smaller aircraft. I just truly believe RJs are going to be the powerhouse of domestic flights in the future.

Thanks for your inputs. Take care and ya'll lfy safe,

BN

 

[BeerNear]

Sorry, I forgot to mention.....

Sorry, I forgot to mention..

Growing up in PHX and watching my father's company expand was a great lesson for me. In the 70s and 80s, they were constantly trying to figure where to go next while they mastered what they did best. I don't have an MBA and I may be wrong, but if you are not trying to think of new ideas of expansion and growth, you will stagnate and eventually run a company into the ground. I watched this happen to my father's company in the 90s when they merged with other larger companies. Sad sight.

Take care,

BN