Interesting perspective. My apologies to the good folks at SWA, but some pretty ugly attitudes seem to be rearing it's head from your ranks. This is a tough business, you don't have the same cost advantage you used to have (some of you guys bragging about your pay sound like the UAL guys in 2000) and the legacy airlines our consolidating and becoming much stronger. It's not out of the question that the surviving full service airlines could come back and squeeze you very very hard. They have route systems that you will never be able to duplicate and they appear to be coming out of this round of mergers much stronger. You would be well advised not to be so cocky. SWA today compares to DAL or UAL like USAir did in the 1980's and 90's. USAir was a very good "smaller" airline that was doing very well. Watch out, you may think you can conquer the world, but it's a delusion. You succeded mostly by avoiding head to head competition with the legacies, you are headed to uncharted territory and the legacies you want to take on haven't been this strong (due to consolidation) in a long time.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/experts/grossman/2010-10-05-southwest-airtran-merger_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/experts/grossman/2010-10-05-southwest-airtran-merger_N.htm