How WN Will Beat US (And Others_

[WCT]

We need to drill for oil everywhere. Why? News Flash... Because the Middle East is unstable. Drilling will not make the price of oil go down. The price of oil is being caused by a bubble. The same way we had a housing bubble, a tech bubble, and after the oil bubble bursts, there will be another bubble. There are only so many places that the uber wealthy can put their money. They cause the bubbles.

Why drill? Because in a few years, what happens when Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz. The US will have a president that wants to "talk to Iran", Iran will be testing it's first nuclear weapon on Israel, and all the oil from the Middle East has to pass thru the Strait of Hormuz. We're going to have a lot more to worry about than the price of oil... (And I'm a hardcore Democrat - but Iran does scare me, and I don't think the next administration is going to take a hard line with Iran)...

AMEN!! Start now, or we will all be working for Wal-mart, and not just employees at US Airways.. :blink:

 

[mga707]

I really don’t know if they are actually efficient without any subsidies, or if they’re another form of Ethanol.

Wind farms are no ethanol scam. If you want to see them on a mass scale, drive I-10 between San Bernardino and the Palm Springs/Indio area (Calif), or stay on 10 until you're in west Texas, east of Fort Stockton. Giant windmills to the horizon in both locales.

 

[SolidCactus]

AMEN!! Start now, or we will all be working for Wal-mart, and not just employees at US Airways.. :blink:

Isn't that the truth. Maybe that's the solution. Wal Mart could just buy US Airways... That would be a tough act to follow. Pilots would earn about $15 an hour, Flight Attendants would be making $7... Totally world class...

 

[N965VJ]

<SNIP> Wind farms are no ethanol scam.

Sounds good to me if they’re a viable energy source! It’s not uncommon to have sustained winds of around 35 at my home in the upper part of flyover county. As for lowering the bird population, I’m tired of hosing the bird doo-doo off my lawn furniture.

Isn't that the truth. Maybe that's the solution. Wal Mart could just buy US Airways... That would be a tough act to follow. Pilots would earn about $15 an hour, Flight Attendants would be making $7... Totally world class...

A former US pilot posts here occasionally that now flies corporate for Wal Mart. IIRC he’s happy there.

 

[phlus2]

Let's see - how will WN beat US - not very hard to figure out.

Went to book PHL-PVD today - departing 7/8 in the morning - returning 7/11 early afternoon.

The fare on WN was $180 round trip - non-refundable BUT changeable for no penalty.

US wanted $208 for the same itinerary - BUT - changes would require a $150 change fee.

The choice is a no brainer - if something were to come up and I'd have to change my trip - I'd lose $150 on US - but lose nothing on SouthWest.


I am a previous Chairman's - and I am one who never thought I would CHOOSE to fly on SouthWest - but the time has come!

 

[vantheman63]

Let's see - how will WN beat US - not very hard to figure out.

Went to book PHL-PVD today - departing 7/8 in the morning - returning 7/11 early afternoon.

The fare on WN was $180 round trip - non-refundable BUT changeable for no penalty.

US wanted $208 for the same itinerary - BUT - changes would require a $150 change fee.

The choice is a no brainer - if something were to come up and I'd have to change my trip - I'd lose $150 on US - but lose nothing on SouthWest.


I am a previous Chairman's - and I am one who never thought I would CHOOSE to fly on SouthWest - but the time has come!

Me too...that's my story...and I fly that route once every 6 weeks or so.

I'm a CP this year...and I've been CP for years and years. But I've had it up to my eyeballs with how we're thought of. Last year in August was my breaking point....

I'll be Silver Preferred next year...what a fall.

And last week I booked WN, ABQ-PVD....paid more, bought Business Select....'cause I'm just sort of "over" all the leverage on customers and employees at US.

 

[Bobbie]

So if WN is a LCC and offers free drinks, free laptop power & work area, clean planes, free snack and leather seats, please tell me just what is US Airways?

If they cleaned it up a bit, it could pass for a Greyhound bus with wings

 

[sharktooth]

Why drill? Because in a few years, what happens when Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz. The US will have a president that wants to "talk to Iran", Iran will be testing it's first nuclear weapon on Israel, and all the oil from the Middle East has to pass thru the Strait of Hormuz.

You are definitely a "hardcore" something, though the word Democrat does not come to mind.

The White House likes to jack the US citizen by warning of "Irani uranium enrichment", playing on the average citizen ignorance of what that means, reinforced by moronic "pundits", all the while the price of crude skyrockets based on each and every "warning". It is like a symphony, sweet music only for the uber-rich.

Why would you think Iran would "test" a "nuke" on Israel? That makes as much sense as Israel assassinating a Palestinian leader with US supplied F-16s then whining when Gaza sends a missile into an Israeli vacant lot, in retaliation.

WN will beat US on service and highly motivated employees, not the price they pay for fuel.

 

[vantheman63]

The White House likes to jack the US citizen by warning of "Irani uranium enrichment", playing on the average citizen ignorance of what that means, reinforced by moronic "pundits", all the while the price of crude skyrockets based on each and every "warning". It is like a symphony, sweet music only for the uber-rich.

Why would you think Iran would "test" a "nuke" on Israel? That makes as much sense as Israel assassinating a Palestinian leader with US supplied F-16s then whining when Gaza sends a missile into an Israeli vacant lot, in retaliation.

WN will beat US on service and highly motivated employees, not the price they pay for fuel.

I agree with every syllable of this post.

I'm so sick of the "politics of fear" and politicians pandering fear to get us to step in line, I could scream.

 

[Travels2mch]

Just to support Van a bit here.

I was in OKC today and in the WN boarding area at Will Rogers Int. Airport each gate hand a table/kiosk with about 10 double outlets. Each outlet had a business traveler dressed in a suit and tie doing work on their laptop or Blackberry was charging.

Bear in mind this WN a LCC. No F, yet wall to wall business people going to Dallas. I saw more Doony & Bork, Coach, Hartman bags in the WN boarding areas then I've ever seen in my life. Not to mention Rolex's and such.

Visit a US boarding area for contrast.

So if WN is a LCC and offers free drinks, free laptop power & work area, clean planes, free snack and leather seats, please tell me just what is US Airways?

As a WN newbie myself, I have been very impressed. They just remodeled all of their gate lounges in PIT and those leather seats with the tables and power outlets (USB too) are great. I spent the whole day recently at the airport thanks to US, and my blackberry died. After I went over to WN and bought a ticket there, I was able to charge up while I waited. I've gone down from CP to GP to now SP and so far DP (dirt preferred) for next year. Business Select is worth it too, for $15 board first and a free drink and additional Rapid Rewards.

 

[roadtrip]

Priced a ticket the other day on WN from PHL to PBI it quoted me a fare online web price of 64 dollars


How the He!! do you make money on a fare like that?

If the fares dont start to go up I would expect many parked planes in the future for many airlines.

The fares runining one airline at a time........

 

[vantheman63]

Priced a ticket the other day on WN from PHL to PBI it quoted me a fare online web price of 64 dollars


How the He!! do you make money on a fare like that?

If the fares dont start to go up I would expect many parked planes in the future for many airlines.

The fares runining one airline at a time........

I actually didn't believe this when I first saw it, so I checked it, you're right...$64....works out to about $0.067 per mile on yield. Not sure what WN's CASMs are...but for some reason $0.08 rings a bell.

I do believe WN will actually grow during this meltdown....they are perfectly positioned and managed to do it. And the scary thing is, their product continues to improve. Their new Business Select and boarding procedure makes it unnecessary to get to the airport 2 hours early. And their "elite" customers get A boarding passes no matter when they buy or check in. AND, at 100 flights, their elits customers can bring a guest, no charge.

Frankly, if I didn't do so much long haul traveling, I'd make them my #1 carrier.

 

[SolidCactus]

Priced a ticket the other day on WN from PHL to PBI it quoted me a fare online web price of 64 dollars


How the He!! do you make money on a fare like that?

If the fares dont start to go up I would expect many parked planes in the future for many airlines.

The fares runining one airline at a time........

Its just a special. This isn't the normal PHL/PBI fare. And it's only one way. You pay the full fare coming back, but it is still cheap.

 

[SolidCactus]

You are definitely a "hardcore" something, though the word Democrat does not come to mind.

The White House likes to jack the US citizen by warning of "Irani uranium enrichment", playing on the average citizen ignorance of what that means, reinforced by moronic "pundits", all the while the price of crude skyrockets based on each and every "warning". It is like a symphony, sweet music only for the uber-rich.

Why would you think Iran would "test" a "nuke" on Israel? That makes as much sense as Israel assassinating a Palestinian leader with US supplied F-16s then whining when Gaza sends a missile into an Israeli vacant lot, in retaliation.

WN will beat US on service and highly motivated employees, not the price they pay for fuel.

I'm a hardcore democrat, but unfortunately I'm the socially liberal, fiscally conservative type - and we're not represented by this government, in any capacity.

What I meant by Iran "testing" a nuke on Israel is, when Iran gets their first nuke, they're not going to bother testing it, they're going to drop it on Israel and hope it works. There are thousands of years of hatred here - no amount of talking is going to work.

 

[WCT]

I actually didn't believe this when I first saw it, so I checked it, you're right...$64....works out to about $0.067 per mile on yield. Not sure what WN's CASMs are...but for some reason $0.08 rings a bell.

I do believe WN will actually grow during this meltdown....they are perfectly positioned and managed to do it. And the scary thing is, their product continues to improve. Their new Business Select and boarding procedure makes it unnecessary to get to the airport 2 hours early. And their "elite" customers get A boarding passes no matter when they buy or check in. AND, at 100 flights, their elits customers can bring a guest, no charge.

Frankly, if I didn't do so much long haul traveling, I'd make them my #1 carrier.

Bottom line, Southwest Airlines is the Walmart, or maybe even Target of the industry, and will always be around! Disney is even better example. Kudos to there perks and friendly employees! I want to work for DisneyWorld Airlines someday!!???