Merged Airline Faces Competition At Focus City

[StewGuy86]

At some point, SWA will have big problems, i mean , they for sure are not going to go INT, their customer service sucks, i see AIRLINE all the time, the show on a and e, and man do people get pissed on SWA, i know as of rite now, people will start leaving SWA and hop back on the original carriers, then we will see a demise of SWA, whenver teh founder dies of SWA, or the owner etc, the airline will come to a turn point and start coming down, and then all of a sudden, high costs at airports start eating away at SWA, just like at SEA, then SWA will die, DIE !!!

[post="289438"][/post]​

Don't count on it. Folks have been saying that for years and they're still kicking ass. I'm not saying the new US can't compete against them, but the old US has run from LUV every single time. LUV's business model works, it works well, and it has worked for 30 years. How many other airlines can you say that about?

 

[laxtwin]

I don't think SW adding service in PIT caught anyone at HP off-guard. They know their competition. In fact, I'd be surprised if they didn't have a pool going on wihen SW was going to do this.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Ok, what drugs are you taking?

WN has chased US from the west coast and BWI and they are slowy encircling the east coast, they are growing US is shrinking, they have been profitible for over 30 years straight and US is in its second bankruptcy and HP all ready has one under its belt, both carriers are being kept alive by an ATSB Loan.

Don't see WN going anywhere anytime soon.

[post="289442"][/post]​

You are absolutely right. We must give up all hope. Turn in your badge tomorrow.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

One thing we all seem to have in common is we'd like to give Southwest a good stuffin'. I hope the "New US Airways" beats the snot out of Southwest. It's time for the LUVaffair to hit a brick wall.

 

[delldude]

Ditto. We need to give this new company an herbal enema and flush out the malcontents like 700UW. I'm sure WN would love to see his smiling face at work every day.

[post="289314"][/post]​

thought mod scotty slapped everyones pee pee earlier today......i see the cats away eh barbie waa waa ?
speaking of turd flushing...can i buy you a drink??

 

[dash8roa]

Too many bitter comments.Wn is a well run airline with happy employees and a plan in progress to grow at a sustainable pace.I feel doug parker is light years ahead of US execs as they have proven to be lacking in adapting to a changing airline scene,but i feel he has bitten off more than he can chew. The US morale is at a all time low,and customer perception is not good from what i hear from frequent flyers.
I feel awa will sense this soon and try to unload much of US and try to regroup. Wn,airtran,jet blue will continue to gain ground at the expense US and others.Only a matter of time before WN gets gates in clt and completes the strangle hold on US and yields drop even lower.US has high load factors but still loses a ton of money.Most employees i know are looking for other jobs and many have already left.My job search continues. Best wishes to all.

 

[PHX-F/A]

You mean SWA doesn't already fly from PIT to PHX? I guess that will help the passengers from PIT who want to connect to Alcapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Mazatlan, Alaska, Honolulu, Maui.....etc., on SWA out of Phoenix.......NOT!!!!!!

[post="289238"][/post]​

Good point. Don't forget that WN does not interline anything!

 

[wnbubbleboy]

At some point, SWA will have big problems, i mean , they for sure are not going to go INT, their customer service sucks, i see AIRLINE all the time, the show on a and e, and man do people get pissed on SWA, then we will see a demise of SWA, whenver teh founder dies of SWA, or the owner etc, the airline will come to a turn point and start coming down, and then all of a sudden, high costs at airports start eating away at SWA, just like at SEA, then SWA will die, DIE !!!

[post="289438"][/post]​

OK. Your guessing that we will have "Big Problems". Here's my answer to your comments:

1. We don't need to go international it's not in our business model.

2. Our customer service sucks, and your premise is Based on a TV show? Psst.....Things on TV are meant to keep your interest so they can sell you soap, not every thing is true to life.

3. We have two founders Rollin King, who designed the business model,and his Attorney Herb Kelleher. Right now we have Gary Kelly as the CEO and with his insight, we have been able to save alot of money hedging fuel.

4. Southwest has a training program called MIT(Management in Training) that brings future leaders in, and teaches them the culture that has made us successful. No Harvard wonderboys, just people who learned the system by doing, will lead, with strick adhearence to the culture that has made us successful. Employees are just as important as customers. We're airline people, plain and simple.

5. Finally, everthing has a lifespand. Heck they could invent some machine that you step in box "A" in New York City and end up in box "B" in San Diego. Which would put us all out of business. Right now though, WN is very healthy, and lead extremly well. We have problems, but they are not life threatening. We are going to "live" for a long time.

 

[700UW]

You are absolutely right. We must give up all hope. Turn in your badge tomorrow.

[post="289453"][/post]​

Glad to see you add so much valuable information to the topic at hand, simply amazing.

Once again don't let the facts get in your way.

 

[sfb]

What I think is most telling about this announcement is what it says about PIT; rather than being a high-cost facility with low O&D (as some in US management and their mouthpieces would have people believe), the airport holds enormous potential for airlines who are willing to come in and stimulate local traffic by lowering fares. While US Airways' traffic is down in proportion with the cutbacks made by the company, other airlines are seeing record traffic at PIT, and Southwest became the third-largest carrier at the airport in their first full month of operation.

I believe it is pretty clear that Southwest is going to proceed with its business plan of more flights and lower fares without regard to the impending HP/US merger. They will continue to build up at PHX and LAS which have made money for them for years, and they will continue to build their presence at large overpriced and underserved markets like PHL and PIT.

Believing that Southwest is going to collapse is foolish, and jetBlue and Airtran are fierce competitors as well. What the new US Airways must do is build a business model that can be successful even while facing LCC competition in virtually all of its markets. Dave Siegel's failure in the first bankruptcy was assuming that US Airways would be able to continue to extract high fares in the markets the airline dominated -- essentially no change to the business plan aside from lower salaries. Hopefully, AWA management has learned from competing with WN at PHX, but they still charge legacy-like fares on uncompetitive routes.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Who cares about Southwest's entrance and meager expansion in PIT? US Airways must compete with LCC's regardless of the market.

In regard to Southwest they offer less than 20 daily flights and have about 40 employees at the station. I find it interesting that the news media is touting this and ClueByFour makes it out as a bid deal -- so what if they add a couple of flights.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[700UW]

They are adding nine flights and people said the samething about WN when they entered the West Coast and BWI markets, now look at them.

 

[ClueByFour]

Who cares about Southwest's entrance and meager expansion in PIT? US Airways must compete with LCC's regardless of the market.

Well, I'd think you should find it kind of interesting. In the past (and I'll go find the quotes if it comes to that) you have said (mostly by parroting the CCY line):

1. PIT is overpriced. No LCC will show any interest in expanding there with the current cost structure.

2. The O&D market is lacking, thus forcing US to look elsewhere.

I guess since both of those "spin myths" have been dubunked, it must sting a bit. Some of us have constantly held that both myths were just that--myths, and the leadership of the most profitable airline in the country seems to agree.

In regard to Southwest they offer less than 20 daily flights and have about 40 employees at the station. I find it interesting that the news media is touting this and ClueByFour makes it out as a bid deal -- so what if they add a couple of flights.

US (and you) went to great pains to tell the ACAA how "PIT must spend extra tax dollars to keep US, since it's not like any LCC will ever serve PIT." Oops. LUV went from nothing to the third largest carrier at PIT in two months. Presumably (maybe even without the announced flight additions) they'll be the second largest carrier in short order--carrying mostly O&D pax. Stimulating the O&D market at PIT was something US was never able (or willing) to do.

By the same token, nobody in PIT (from what I've heard when I'm in town) really cares anymore when US removes flights, although you seem to annouce that fairly quickly. Turnabout is fair play, yes?

And hey--if you actually manage to snag that 330 FO spot, the commute to PHL will be easy--US and LUV are CASS, right?

Since I predicted LUV's entrance into PIT, I'll give you one further--within 36 months, it's between an 80-100 flight/day operation, and the #1 carrier in terms of pax at the airport. It's classic BWI/Florida/West Coast. My only wish is for 1 or 2/day to RDU, so that I can get back to PIT more often without paying US $500 for a ticket on a 15 year old Dash-8.

Finally, care to comment about LUV's fear about the "new" US? Starting 1x/day to PHX and adding a second RT to LAS indicates to some observers that LUV is not overly worried about the HP/US combination.

 

[whlinder]

Good point. Don't forget that WN does not interline anything!

[post="289499"][/post]​

They have the ATA codeshare now, which is techincally interlining. Other than that, no they don't.

Who cares about Southwest's entrance and meager expansion in PIT?

[post="289574"][/post]​

Meager

Sure, 9 flights in and of itself is not much. But at least the airline is growing and adding planes. Nine flights added to how much total expansion in US Airways' key markets recently? Uh huh.

US Airways must compete with LCC's regardless of the market.

Sounds like a nice plan. When do they plan on implementing it? Oh, I bet I have the answer, when US' CASM is less than WN's. Don't forget to let us know when that happens....

 

[MarkMyWords]

Clue -

While I will agree that PIT was over priced, when it comes to O & D I disagree. There is no way that PIT had the O&D to support a 500+ flight operation the same way PHL does. "Rightsizing" the hub was the right thing to do. Rightsizing the number of flights and the fares charged. It is my sincere hopes that the AWA executives will bring their pricing model to US and you will see a more realistic fare with a flight schedule that is convenient to the destinations important to the Pittsburgh area. US, AWA or SWA will never have a 500+ flight operation at this airport again. The local O&D just can't support that at the cost structure associated with operating here.