SWA to have a Q1 loss?

[Jon Rivoli]

NO, it was your RJ that was the beginning and end of this profession. :smash:

NO, the RJ was a response to the competitive pressure from LCCs, shedding flying that could not be done profitably in the new market place. Legacy's focused on the flying that they can consistently do profitably and outsourced the rest.

Ever read NUTS? Southwest was THE main force driving down fares, they boast of it. Deregulation brought flying to the masses wearing flip flops and and track suits, that is what was intended. If not Southwest, it would have been someone else.

The fact is that there are far more people flying today than ever and there are far more pilots employed today than would be without deregulation. Flying just doesn't pay near what it used to, and never will again. The term "Jet setter" is obsolete.

You didn't destroy this profession any more than I did. It was forces beyond the control of all of us and it was inevitable after deregulation. We both owe our current jobs to the results of deregulation.

Peace

 

[OurMoney1]

Yeah but one thing you guys fail to see is that the other airlines have conditioned the consumer to pay for bags. So Gary always has this card in his back pocket and when he decides to play it SWA will once again be filling up the money bags. Even if he decides first bag flies free he still has millions of ancillary revenue to capture. The LUV machine has options and when the time is right they will execute.

 

[UALjan15]

Plus adding 6 more seats to their existing 700 line.

Really? Ouch!!

I thought SWA had decent, but not really generous seat pitch (I'm tall, so I definitely notice these things). I don't like the idea of adding an extra row. Then again, I'm just a freeloading jumpseater.

 

[On Your Six]

Yeah but one thing you guys fail to see is that the other airlines have conditioned the consumer to pay for bags. So Gary always has this card in his back pocket and when he decides to play it SWA will once again be filling up the money bags. Even if he decides first bag flies free he still has millions of ancillary revenue to capture. The LUV machine has options and when the time is right they will execute.

From the SWA "People's Court" TV Commercials----"No, Southwest would NEVER do that...." Aren't they charging for bags now via Airtran?


Godspeed!


The OYSter

 

[The Prussian]

Baffling. Curious if the SWA pilots support taxiing with both running?

Umm...yes...I do. 90% of the time, our taxi time to the end of the runway is 5 minutes or less. This means during 4-5 minutes of aircraft movement, you're multi-tasking and/or heads down for that other engine start...recipe for trouble with 3500 aircraft movements daily, day in, day out. We do allow for engine shutdown during long delays...both 1 and/or both when appropriate.

 

[PCL_128]

This means during 4-5 minutes of aircraft movement, you're multi-tasking and/or heads down for that other engine start...recipe for trouble with 3500 aircraft movements daily, day in, day out.

We've been doing it safely for years without any problems. It saves tons of money. With no demonstrated reduction in safety, it's crazy not to implement it.

 

[The Prussian]

We've been doing it safely for years without any problems. It saves tons of money. With no demonstrated reduction in safety, it's crazy not to implement it.

OK...tell me...how many "tons of money"?....


and...let's talk SWA systemwide,...not just ATL..

 

[j41driver]

Even if you delay by 2-3 min the savings are large.

2 minutes x 3500 flts/day = 7000 minutes or 116.67 hrs
Whats idle fuel burn? Lets say 700lbs/hr at idle. That's 81669lbs or 12189 gal PER DAY
Over an entire year its almost 4.5million gallons or $15,500,000 savings at $3.50/gal.

Not insignificant and we've been doing it SAFELY on the AT side for years.

 

[j41driver]

It's over $23M annual savings if the delayed start is 3 min per flight. Whether were talking $15M or $23M they're both "tons of money" to me.

 

[The Prussian]

and....taxiing, crossing runways, getting cleared to line up and wait...in idle power, all within 5 minutes, while ascertaining the F/A's have secured the cabin....For those 5 minutes, which is a significant portion of SWA's schedule....things happen...