You can't understand why people who have had to have their wages cut 50-100% in order to compete with a carrier who decided it would charge $39 for a ticket? The airline didn't charge 20% less. The airline didn't charge 50% less. In many cases it charged 75% less than the incumbents, and due to it's ability to gain market mass it eroded the profitability out of the entire industry to the point that what little there is to be made is being made by that one airline. Even if the incumbent airlines had thrown out all their union contracts and slashed their costs overnight, the people who worked there would still feel the way they do today.
The so-called "Southwest effect" is to train the traveling public that they don't have to pay more than $99 for a flight. Which, if you only want to fly in 737's to less then 70 cities only in the continental US and with limited non-stop service, and you can pay 50% less than everyone else for fuel, maybe under those circumstances you can justify ruining the industry with cheap tickets. But many airlines have higher costs related to providing a wide variety of services from international to small-city service. But those airlines are seen as robber-barons who rip off customers with astronomical fares. One only has to look at the historically thin profit margins the airline industry has lived with, to see that these fares were in line with the cost of production.
But quite a few folks thought that airline people were overpaid and they applied to work for less at Southwest. Now the wages they were willing to work for have become the high water mark of industry wages and you still can't understand why some people harbor ill will towards Southwest? Be proud of your success, but realize that you didn't win the game, you changed it. It went from basketball to football and the 300lb linemen you sent in decimated the other team. Blame the management for failing to adapt? Partially. But a fair measure of blame for this industry's woes can be placed at the feet of a competitor who decided to unilaterally change what airline fare pricing would be.
While a mature industry doesn't need or deserve any regulatory protection, what Southwest did to the industry is precisely why the airlines were regulated in the first place. Now there is insufficient profit industrywide to stimulate investment or much technological advancement. If there was a Southwest 50 years ago, we would still be flying in Convairs and DC-3's.
So in closing be proud of what you've accomplished, take the blame for what you've caused and realize that you can't be the hero to those you've vanquished.
So if I read you correctly SWA is to blame for the legacy's carriers ineptitude to adapt to todays market? I hear you laying blame on SWA for the cost issue but what about your carriers putting blame on 9-11? How about cursing Big Oil? Why not damn the hurricanes as they raised fuel prices even higher? No, its "little ole' SWA" causing everyones problems.
There have been many posts that do not even put us with the "Big Boys"...how can such a little guy cause all of your problems? We are not a real carrier because we don't fly Widebody's or fly overseas, I've heard several posters point out....seems like a like of havoc being caused by such a small airline doesn't it?
You seem to say the flying public is pretty naive with your so called, "Southwest Effect" line. Naive or stupid you seem to be saying. Why is it SWA that is charging too low a fare....Perhaps the flying public isn't as dumb as you imply. I think once SWA arrived and they saw they could afford to fly they started looking at flying to get somewhere without taking out a second mortgage.
I think the flying public got tired of being screwed by the legacy carriers, I think they got tired of paying 1500.00 for a fare when SWA go them there, or a airport pretty dang close, for 150.00.
You can only screw people for so long dude, once they see what the truth is then most move on it. Rock on "Southwest Effect".
Are you the same guy that came up with that crazy analogy about Herb, horse breath, truck drivers, barnes and sniffing your dogs butt in some previoius thread? I think so....LOL. Your posts are improving.
So you can blame SWA for your problems, or even big oil, your own officers or perhaps the hurricanes...fill in the blank, however the bottom line is its the passengers that are to "blame" for your problems. Offer them a superior product, or at least a decent one, then come back and talk.
Corl, are we on the same wave length? We typed almost the same thing, I hope people don't think I copied off of you, lol...I guess if you look at the times of our post they were made at the exact same time, however I took a lot longer to make the same point...good post!!
Incrediable insight! 
