Ny Times Article

[wwtraveler99]

Well I have been in this industry for 17+ years. I can tell you that since day one I have heard these stories time and time again. The subject may have been a little different but the gun pointed at the same thing. The demise of Southwest.

So I suppose there are always going to be naysayers. Nothing can be done about that. Folks will not believe thier own managment is to blame for anyone going broke (chapter 11 or 7). I will just go on about my business and wait for the eventual demise of Southwest. Yes it will one day happen. But if TWA, PAM Am, Eastern, Braniff 1, 2 and 3 can last for the many decades they were around, then Southwest has about 20 to 30 years to go. Best of luck to Southwest and the rest.

 

[markkus757]

I would like a link to the article if anyone has it. It's more than likely the same morons that think they should have been out of business years ago. Last time I checked, their CASM minus fuel was going down even though their wages are going up. How can this be? First, they keep adding new markets meaning they are hiring more people on the lower scale of their wages. Second, they are adding a lot of revenue. Cash is king. They can keep hedging and prepay large items to save money that other airlines have dreams about doing. The larger markets that they are adding are driving growth and revenue in order to stay ahead of the game. Plus, if Southwest did raise fares another $5, they would still have major loyalty with the travelling public. They are usually not the lowest fare in a market, but everyone still recognizes the fact that their presence is the reason the fares are low.

 

[Bagbelt]

I remember almost 15 years ago Crandall saying we needed to cut everything because LCC's were set to expand. The hey-day of the late 90's sidelined the effort. I don't think anyone has ever predicted the demise of southwest, perhaps just the change.