Southwest Airlines post good 2nd qtr numbers

[Dude]

I can only hope GK and company puts the same gun to your head on your next contract, you guys are in for a rough ride. Pain is coming, mark my words.

You act like we've never seen Gary in action. Um, thanks for the tip.

If I had the opportunity I would have given you the same advice about a year ago. Southwest don't play, they take away when you say no.

 

[Hose A. Jiminez]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that new SWA employees weren't eligible for profit sharing until their first anniversary. So every SWA employee worked for the company for a year without profit sharing contributions.

True,

A new hire is not eligible for profit sharing until the completion of their first Jan 1st - Dec 31st year. If you are hired on January 2nd, you are not eligible for PS for almost 2 years. That is the way it has always been. No one is being singled out.

 

[Dude]

Give me back my avatar Paco.

 

[Bill Nelson]

This is BS. Everyone knows that without hedges SWA is dead.

 

[learherkjay]

Typical SW "Get over it" Response. You have no idea whats going on over here. Until you walk a mile in another mans shoes as they say.

First off, you have no idea what my life experience is so I would hold on assuming. Second, go ahead and cry in your beer; it won't make life any better for you. By all means, if this is so bad for you then look for work somewhere else. There are a lot more people dealing with worse in this country than your pay raise being delayed because you approved a letter stating that it would be that way. If you really wanted the pay you should have ponied up and bid 737. Get a grip...I am just remembering why FI has been pretty worthless since about 2005....

 

[AFcitrus]

Bull$hit! Gary made no secret of looking for a replacement.

Actually, that's not totally true. Timing is everything in this instance. GK said they loved the 717 and had every intention of flying it through lease expiration. Based on those comments SLI 2 was passed. Then within weeks he and VDV started talking about negotiating with Boeing to get rid of them early. Trust me when I say there is no chance in heck AirTran pilots would have accepted the massive seniority loss had they known GK's real plans. We would have demanded much better global seniority since the 717 captain seats would have been going away.

 

[General Lee]

Doesn't Delta has like 15 billion dollars in debt they need to manage while using bankruptcy as a way to stay in business?

Oh....Just sayin....uke:

Not really. DL had $18 billion in debt in 2008, but that will be widdled down to about $10 billion by next year. Pretty darn good, and I am sure ancillary revenue helped, but as the dumb People's Court SWA TV commercial states, "SWA would NEVER do that " (charge for bags----only at our subsidiary that we treated poorly). Oh yeah, and thanks for reducing the number of flights in ATL after your merger. What a complete build up to a let down for you guys. Thanks for that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[waveflyer]

AFcitrus- do you have timing on that "we love the 717?"
Bc I was in the room months before sl2 hearing GK announcing very publicly that the 717 would not be part of SWA's plan.
This article was in August 2011- the tentative agreement was reached in sept'11, and voted in by 84% in November -
Now can we dispense with the bs that somehow AT was mislead?
Here's the public part:
http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10372945/southwest-boeing-717-not-part-of-future-fleet-plans

TERRY MAXON
SOURCE: THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
CREATED: AUGUST 30, 2011
--

Aug. 30--ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Southwest Airlines Co. has concluded that the small Boeing 717s that it picked up in the AirTran Airways Inc. merger don't really fit into its fleet plans, chairman and chief executive Gary Kelly said Monday.

"It's not different enough or unique enough that it really brings any advantage beyond what a 737 would do," Kelly said at the Boyd Group International aviation conference at a resort near Albuquerque.

With leases expiring between 2017 and 2024, the airplanes may stay in the Southwest fleet for quite a while, but Kelly said the future of the 717s, which it leases from Boeing, is among the matters under discussion as Southwest talks to Boeing about future aircraft orders.

"It's a good airplane, but not one that I see we have to maintain for the next 20 years," Kelly said.

Kelly noted that Southwest didn't see a need for anything smaller than its 137-seat Boeing 737-700s before deciding in 2010 to buy AirTran. Southwest operates 25 Boeing 737-500s, which has 122 seats, but hasn't bought any that size in two decades."

Also:
Aug 5, 2011: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/southwest-appears-less-bullish-on-717-360443/

Aug 30, 2011- USA today- Are air tran pilots the one pilot group that doesn't read the mcpaper?
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/08/southwest-boeing-717/545260/1

CAPTIONBy Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
Southwest CEO Gary Kelly says the Boeing 717s acquired in his airline's acquisition of AirTran will disappear from the company's fleet sooner than later.

 

[Crash Pad]

We are company men at AirTran. We thought GK offered too much in AIP 1 and told the MEC to shoot it down. GK then offered us a deal that we thought would be best for the company. SWA has a cost problem and at AAI we are working hard to fix it. I'm glad our efforts are already bearing fruit.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Not really. DL had $18 billion in debt in 2008, but that will be widdled down to about $10 billion by next year. Pretty darn good, and I am sure ancillary revenue helped, but as the dumb People's Court SWA TV commercial states, "SWA would NEVER do that " (charge for bags----only at our subsidiary that we treated poorly). Oh yeah, and thanks for reducing the number of flights in ATL after your merger. What a complete build up to a let down for you guys. Thanks for that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

They just shifted the debt to unfunded Pension obligation. It will only affect the formed northwest pilots so I know you are not sweating it.