Southwest Edges out AA as Worlds Largest Carrier

[WingNaPrayer]

Airline Traffic Edges Higher Jan-May; Southwest Claims No. 1


DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Traffic on U.S. airlines edged up 1.8% in the first five months of the year, lifted by a 3.8% rise in international travel and a 1.6% increase in domestic travel, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Thursday.

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) edged out AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines main unit in carrying the most total passengers, though American led in international travel.

Airlines maintained the same number of domestic flights as a year ago while international flights rose 1.3%.

Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, rose 2.7%, just outpacing the 2.5% increase in available seat miles.

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UPDATE: Southwest On Pace To Be Biggest Airline, Traffic-Wise



WASHINGTON (AP) --Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) is on pace to unseat American Airlines this year as the world's biggest airline, measured by passenger traffic.

The domestic-only discount carrier already has eclipsed American's combined domestic and international traffic during the first five months of 2007, according to a government tally released Thursday.

Southwest carried 40.3 million passengers on domestic routes between January and May, an increase of 4.2% from last year.

"We're thrilled to watch our customer base grow," said Brandy King, a Southwest spokeswoman, who attributed the growth to the company's tradition of friendly customer service. "With so many airlines offering low fares, I think customer service makes all the difference in the world."

American, owned by AMR Corp. (AMR), carried 40 million passengers during the January-May period, down 1.8% from last year's levels. American's international traffic for that five month period was 8.7 million, up 0.3% in the first five months; its domestic traffic of 31.3 million was down 2.4%.

Last year, Dallas-based Southwest was the No. 2 airline worldwide, according to International Air Transport Association passenger traffic statistics. It carried about 96.3 million passengers, ranking behind Fort Worth, Texas-based American, which carried about 100 million passengers.

American, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has been the top U.S. airline for the past five years, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Rounding out the top five were Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United Airlines and Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA).

Overall passenger traffic on U.S. airlines in the first five months of the year was up 1.8% from last year, with 307.9 million total passengers.

In May, U.S. airlines carried 64.7 million passengers, up 0.4% from the same month last year.

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My take on this is the employee morale at AA that the executive level has all but destroyed is finally starting to catch up to them. You can only crap on your labor force for just so long before it begins to rub off on the passengers, and they stop coming back.
Kudos to you Southwest!

 

[swflyer]

"We're thrilled to watch our customer base grow," said Brandy King, a Southwest spokeswoman, who attributed the growth to the company's tradition of friendly customer service. "With so many airlines offering low fares, I think customer service makes all the difference in the world."

Thanks for your nice wishes. It's only a cool number if we continue to offer a product we're proud to offer. I'm glad that I'm in a position to have a direct effect on the Customers perception of us.

Biggest isn't always better. And it's kind of amazing to serve that amount of people. :blush:

 

[magsau]

And it's kind of amazing to serve that amount of people. :blush:

Serve????? What does SWA serve???

 

[ramper_in_las]

Serve????? What does SWA serve???

and of course life wouldn't be the same without mags dishing out his two pennies of flame bait!!! :huh:

 

[FWAAA]

My take on this is the employee morale at AA that the executive level has all but destroyed is finally starting to catch up to them. You can only crap on your labor force for just so long before it begins to rub off on the passengers, and they stop coming back.
Kudos to you Southwest!

Yes - congrats to Southwest for doing what they do better (and for more bodies) than anyone else.

Still, only a brain-dead half-wit would think that this has anything to do with how AA has treated its agents in MIA (like Wing) or any of its other employees.

AA has parked airplanes due to extreme fuel costs in an effort to return to sustained profitability, while WN has taken delivery of two to three dozen new 737s each year while reaping the benefits of its fuel hedging program enabled by great management and huge cash balances and high credit ratings.

Anyone surprised that WN will transport more humans this year than any other airline? Not me.

Meanwhile, AA is still managing to increase its unit revenue (yield and RASM) while trimming capacity slightly. On top of that, its load factor continues to increase. Passengers aren't fleeing because of terrible labor relations - quite the contrary: AA fired them. Yep, that's right - AA fired a few of the lowest-fare passengers. So far this year, it's working, as AA has piled up nearly $400 million in net profits and will probably earn another $400 million in the third quarter. Total 2007 net income is likely to exceed $1 billion for the first time in nearly a decade.

Even though a few of AA's employees are among the most bitter in the industry, nearly all of them continue to act like professionals, enabling their employer to move from constant losses to almost predictable profits. Why Wing thinks that's bad is beyond me.

Again, congrats to WN.

 

[citrus jock]

Serve????? What does SWA serve???

Passengers from cancelled United flights? Sorry, Mags; I waited for almost 7 hrs. for someone else to post that. They didn't, and I just couldnt resist.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

Blah Blah Blah

Same old management level bullshit. WN's successes are just as attributable to it's well rounded professional work force, and a leader that knows what his people go through day in and day out to earn a living, as AA's failures are equally attributable to a down-trodden, beaten and abused labor force. Making wage and benefit concessions to save an airline, then have to sit back and watch as only company executives pocket the majority of the millions in profits, sharing none with the employees who made the profits possible through their own sacrifice, is bound to create failures systemwide.

Corporate excuses aren't going to save the airline this time. When AA labor gets cheated out of it's next profit sharing (and it will), you'll see a much different scenario, another more PR minded set of excuses than what you've regurgitated here. Remember, you don't have to be unionized to strike. In fact, its easier to walk the line without a union contract.

WN deserves the accolades. Sure they have added capacity, because unlike AA, WN has the demand. AA keeps it's tin artificially full by cutting capacity without admitting that what they are really doing is getting rid of more and more seats that are no longer in demand at Abussed labor Airlines. They continue to oversell the snot out of the seats they do have, stranding scores of passengers at airports. Employees then get to watch as their wage concessions cover the cost of hotels, transportation and meals for all those stranded passengers, all of which ends up costing all of the profits of the flight the passengers were dumped from and more. This isn't just occasional, this is daily.

Agents are left facing angry, near riotous mobs while management runs and hides, and Arpey takes off for another 4 day weekend in PVR. Most of you dont' see it because you avoid MIA like the plague. I invite you to come and watch the results the next time AA cancels an oversold PAP flight because their busted down POS aircraft that they continually fail to maintain, won't get off the ground . . . again! It isn't a pretty picture and for the sane passengers, the best thing to do is leave the gate and quickly call Spirit Air.

Agents can't wait to transfer out of MIA, and when they do, the company does NOT replace them. Automating the agent job is AA's top priority now.

So FWA, enjoy your nice bowl of shared sacrifice for brekkie this morning. I'm sure it will taste so sweet you won't even have to add sugar!

 

[FWAAA]

WN deserves the accolades. Sure they have added capacity, because unlike AA, WN has the demand. AA keeps it's tin artificially full by cutting capacity without admitting that what they are really doing is getting rid of more and more seats that are no longer in demand at Abussed labor Airlines. They continue to oversell the snot out of the seats they do have, stranding scores of passengers at airports. Employees then get to watch as their wage concessions cover the cost of hotels, transportation and meals for all those stranded passengers, all of which ends up costing all of the profits of the flight the passengers were dumped from and more. This isn't just occasional, this is daily.

Hey, Wingy - I figured you couldn't write a post without using your favorite terms, "tin" and "snot." For a while, every one of your posts used to use those two words.

About MIA: I fly there often from LAX. About 30 times so far this year. After the abuse heaped on my spouse and children by an A-Hole Agent in MIA a couple weeks ago prior to F class (Paid F class, at that) boarding, I won't cry if each and every one of them walks and is replaced. Or if AA fires all of them and replaces them with robots. They can all go straight to hell, just like the A-Hole I encountered. Think agents walking will bring the airline to its knees? Good luck with that. I'll help you print and assemble the picket signs.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

Hey, Wingy - I figured you couldn't write a post without using your favorite terms, "tin" and "snot." For a while, every one of your posts used to use those two words.

About MIA: I fly there often from LAX. About 30 times so far this year. After the abuse heaped on my spouse and children by an A-Hole Agent in MIA a couple weeks ago prior to F class (Paid F class, at that) boarding, I won't cry if each and every one of them walks and is replaced. Or if AA fires all of them and replaces them with robots. They can all go straight to hell, just like the A-Hole I encountered. Think agents walking will bring the airline to its knees? Good luck with that. I'll help you print and assemble the picket signs.

I hope you promptly and accurately reported them for their actions! Keeping in mind that everyone has a bad day, you may have gotten an agent who just finished up an oversold widebody on which they had no coverage, and had to do do everything themselves, which is SOP for Miami anymore. They just love to put a single agent on just such a flight, then body slam them into the wall for taking a 2 minute delay!

When it comes to less than standard treatment by any employee, nothing is excusable until you find out why, then you make the call.

As to terminology; 'tin' and 'snot' are much easier to use than 'busted down pieces of sh1t just waiting to fall out of the sky' don't you think? No one can deny that since depeaking, AA hasn't taken care of their 'tin' maintenance-wise, and every mechanic has a horror story to back it up. Other than kick-off, when was the last time you stepped on a clean AA aircraft? I've taken that MIA/LAX flight on many occasions myself, on each the 77s 76s and 75s and for the average age of AAs 77s, being a relatively young fleet, they look like they are ready to retire. The 'tin' isn't on the ground long enough to clean and they certainly aren't making interior repairs. I can't for the life of me understand why a kick-off flight, that utilizes an aircraft that has been sitting on the ground all night, can't be clean when I step on board. Either cabin isn't doing their job, or AA, in it's zeal to slash wages and headcount, isn't staffing cabin overnight. Which do you thinnk it is? If I were carrying the paper on AAs 'tin', I sure as hell wouldn't want to see my collateral in such abused shape and taken care of so poorly.

AA can't compete with the likes of Southwest on product, so they slash prices, bringing every greyhound hillbilly out of the woodwork who doesn't know how to use onboard equipment and ends up breaking it only to have AA put the repairs on their "someday" list.

If you got coaled by an agent, chances are you got an agent who has not only been overworked for the day, but had their fanny run off under threat of 1st step if they take any delays, regardless of the fact that they are running the operation of a widebody all by themselves. Your first complaint should be to ACC, then local management.

I've taken more than my share of WN flights, not so many so far this year but I have never run into an agent who was a sour puss, they have all been eager and jovial. Why do you suppose that is? WNs 'tin' is certainly better maintained to the naked eye and definitely much cleaner. Their color scheme is uglier than Betty however

The hub or station shouldn't matter, every employee at AA (every carrier for that matter) is on the same team and y'all should get along. That being said, I've never seen a company where they employees despise each other so much as they do at AA, and even moreso by department let alone station. You yourself proved that with your comment of I won't cry if each and every one of them walks and is replaced. Or if AA fires all of them and replaces them with robots. They can all go straight to hell It's like they all think they are on some big bowling team or something! That has a lot to do with much of the morale problems against which AA is fighting a miserably loosing battle.

So, if you have any level of clearance, you'd be able to look into the myriad of problems that all the customers can see at AA/MIA and have a much better understanding of the fact that AA is two separately run airlines . . . MIA, then everywhere else combined. Put yourself in the position of rather than working for the airline, you are good friends with many who do, and you see how they are being treated both as a labor force by management and as a fellow employee by others at the company. Your tune might change about agents in MIA, and everywhere else. There aren't too many at that company now who don't know for a fact that when the other collective bargaining contracts start negotiations next year, that agents are going to take it up the tail pipe big time! The agent group at AA represents it's largest group. It is unrepresented and therefore the deepest pocket the company has to dip into, and you'll get to see them do it again next year.

WN definitely has a lot of advantages over AA in equipment, employee morale and a much more human-friendly management style. If you had your choice between AA and WN, who would you rather work for?

 

[magsau]

WN's successes are just as attributable to it's well rounded professional work force,

You mean the professional workforce that showed up drunk to fly a flight, flew naked, conducted an amazingly unstabalized approach into BUR and a similar event on an icy runway? Or the professional First Officer that posted the blog and photos in sterile cockpit area while bashing the competition and wishing they "would just go away". That is the professionals I presume you are referring.

You may be right in one respect. You do have a varied cast actors in that play.

 

[ramper_in_las]

You mean the professional workforce that showed up drunk to fly a flight, flew naked, conducted an amazingly unstabalized approach into BUR and a similar event on an icy runway? Or the professional First Officer that posted the blog and photos in sterile cockpit area while bashing the competition and wishing they "would just go away". That is the professionals I presume you are referring.

You may be right in one respect. You do have a varied cast actors in that play.

your post is about as asinine as saying that United's professionalism caused all their mishaps. We all can dig up skeletons in our closets but in the end Southwest is still a far superior product than United has ever offered. Do you need proof? Just ask America. Who has carried most of them? GO PLAY ON YOUR BOARD MAGS

 

[magsau]

your post is about as asinine as saying that United's professionalism caused all their mishaps. We all can dig up skeletons in our closets but in the end Southwest is still a far superior product than United has ever offered. Do you need proof? Just ask America. Who has carried most of them? GO PLAY ON YOUR BOARD MAGS

Well you are sadly mistaken on why SWA is carrying pax in the numbers they carry them. You can do the math on why and what but it is amusing none the less for you to think in this manner.

As to a superior product to the legacy carriers? I hardly think so. When I trot downstairs and look at the lie flat seats full of pax in F class on the 400 I don't think any of those folks would prefer to be sitting in a SWA jet across the Pacific. With lie flat coming to both F and Business classes I think the product will continue out pace any SWA offering. SWA is a bus service and like a public bus they get the public transportation riders.

Your question about asking America about SWA is fair. Care to ask those folks on a global scale what they think about SWA? SWA is not a player on the global arena and still does not have breadth and scope to serve the majority of the US. With the fuel hedgings evaporating, too many airplanes and too few destinations the critical mass of SWA has been reached. The remainder is going to be the slow roll into the bowl.

I just left the FBO where I keep my plane. Was sitting in the public area waiting on a friend to go to breakfast. While I perused the newspaper sitting opposite me was a new hire SWA pilot. He was clad in his dandy SWA polo shirt and sat blaring his voice into his cellphone. How do I know he was a new hire? Well anyone within 4 city blocks could have heard him. He talked about the collaborative effort the class did on the testing that was supposed to be individual. He said it would have been different had the FAA been observing but they were given the nod and the wink test by the instructors. He discussed the fact that they have him moving domiciles from DAL/HOU to OAK or LAS, that he will have 150 pilots behind him and that he flew 98 hours in July ( I almost spewed my tea at his pride in flying this many hours). His was a real shining example of SWA. Loud, obnoxious and over the top, sounded more like a Frat boy with all the "dude's" he was using. When my friend arrived, who happens to fly for American, showed up and he could not help but notice the blaring voice and conversation. As we walked out he looked at me and asked, "what was wrong with that guy? Too much free coffee and cookies?" I said, "nope, Southwest pilot". My friend, "Figures".

What I found amazing was his willingness to discuss in public transgressions of FAA training! The trend at SWA continues!

 

[tulswa]

If this indeed was the case, why don't you call the FAA. I invite you at anytime , unannounce to visit and observe SWA's training. If you can find something wrong with it, I am sure they will welcome any intelligent input that you may have.

 

[magsau]

If this indeed was the case, why don't you call the FAA. I invite you at anytime , unannounce to visit and observe SWA's training. If you can find something wrong with it, I am sure they will welcome any intelligent input that you may have.

I personally don't care about the group participation in a classroom. However, if they are going to do this I would suggest that those associated with that type of "training" would keep their big mouths shut in the busy lobby of the FBO. There were numerous people in the room that could have heard this guys conversation and any of the people milling around could have been from the FAA.

My opinion of SWA has been sealed for quite sometime. I think others were given a good taste of the type of people that SWA hires today in the lobby of the FBO. Knowing when to use and inside voice is not a trade secret, too bad this guy was not privy to common sense.

 

[swflyer]

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