SWA now getting involved with slot (s) possibilities

[robbedagain]

Swamt that was a good article I think ld3 posted not sure though but it seems to explain the doj side in delta view but what I find very ironic is that ual has been very very silient and delta is the only one doing all the talking thats odd bit then again ual has a large hub at iad
kev ill have to try harder on my tablet bro 🙂

 

[Kev3188]

Lol. There's a reason I don't use a touch screen. 🙂

 

[robbedagain]

Lol touch screen is not bad but I do like the auto correction 🙂

 

[swamt]

How incredibly hypocritical of you to decide to take up the cause of the widows and orphans while summarily tossing hand grenades out of your car.

robbed is a big boy. He got the message. And he does post comments relevant to the topic which is more than some mechanic in Texas.

you and about a dozen other people have posted the same article in the last few hours.

Do you think you could add a little critical thinking of your own or do you just post articles?

Oh gee.  I did not realize that was the same article.  So sorry folks, didn't mean to do that; BUT;  It was worth reading again, don't you all think?  BTW the article was not for robbed  (see there, it worked and took a whopping 1 whole minute, LOL!)
Now for your final request, and yes I can ablige.  And since the article is already posted I will just use the blurps from it:-
 
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL  ) isn't very happy with the Department of Justice right now.
*** This is where Delta is beginning their whining ***
 
Delta would love to bid for slots at Reagan Airport, as well as some of the other gate space becoming available. However, the DOJ seems intent on limiting the sales to low-cost carriers, in an attempt to boost competition. That leaves Delta out in the cold.
*** Now this is where Delta's whining gets a little louder. Therefore the DOJ got a little louder about awarding to LCC's.  And you gotta just love the quote about "leaves Delta out in the cold" ***
 
Delta has been very vocal about its belief that it should be allowed to bid on an equal footing with low-cost carriers. However, its protests are unlikely to succeed. More than anything else, the DOJ is worried about the growing oligopoly of "The Big Three": American, Delta, and United Continental (NYSE: UAL  ) . Transferring slots within that oligopoly would not solve the problem.
***First and foremost, this para should have started out;  "Delta and World Traveler (WT) has been very vocal..." once again Delta and WT cannot take a hint,   "protests are unlikely to succeed." The continued growing oligopoly of "THE BIG THREE"  seems to be on the hot lists of the DOJ to slow it down.***
 
Now here's where it gets interesting; you still with me WT?
 
Delta's demands
After the merger settlement was announced on Tuesday, Delta put out a press release saying that it looked forward to bidding for the slots that would be divested, particularly at Reagan Airport . As it became more clear that the DOJ wasn't interested in bids from legacy carriers, Delta put out a second, more combative press release on Wednesday.
*** After merger settlement was announced is where WT started to lose it.  Then when Delta got word the DOJ was not interested in their bids, then WT fell off the cliff ledge and went bonkers, or as most his Delta employees stated "UNHINGED"***
 
The DOJ doesn't want to let Delta buy slots at Reagan Airport.
*** What part of this do you not understand?  Grasp?  Or just plain git?  <Tx mechanic lingo there chief.***
 
On Thursday, Delta was at it again, with a press release announcing new service at Love Field that will start next October, when restrictions on long-haul flights will be lifted. Delta plans to add 18 daily nonstops, including enhanced service to Atlanta, and new service to New York, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Los Angeles. There's just one catch: Delta will need to bid for and win access to the gates American is giving up !
Nice try, but no luck
On Thursday, a senior official in the DOJ's antitrust division threw cold water on the idea that Delta and United could qualify to bid for slots and gates. DOJ lawyers think that the legacy carriers are already tacitly "coordinating" when it comes to setting fares, fees, and schedules. By contrast, the low-cost carriers have shown more of an inclination to compete in those respects.
*** On Thursday Delta was whining even more, and so was WT.  Delta tried a costly and stupid tactic to try and help convince the DOJ to allow them to keep the gates at DAL and expand,  LOL. Nice try, but no luck, I believe were the words used.  Then, also on Thursday,  a senior official in the DOJ's antitrust division threw cold water on the idea that Delta and United could qualify to bid for slots and gates. (yes, WT, the gates at DAL Love Field.  And this is where WT and Delta completely lost it, over the deep end.***
 
By contrast, a low-cost carrier like Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV  ) would be likely to add flights to larger cities that have no competition today. Dallas, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Hartford are some of the larger metro areas where a single legacy carrier has a monopoly on service to Reagan Airport. Stiffer competition on high-traffic routes like these is what regulators are really hoping for.
*** No points to be made here. Speaks for itself, and just sounds good to hear, don't you think WT??***
 
Delta has a better shot at getting a spot at the table for the Love Field gates. There, it plans to serve high-traffic routes, where it would compete against American's flights from nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (and possibly Southwest flights from Love Field).
Still, with the exception of Los Angeles, Delta already flies from Dallas-Fort Worth to all the cities it listed for its Love Field expansion. So while a Delta Love Field expansion would give travelers a new option, it wouldn't increase the number of airlines flying from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Atlanta, Detroit, New York, or Minneapolis.
*** Now here is where the DOJ tossed out a little carrot or should I say tease for Delta.  Sure come on in and bid Delta, but your just claiming the same flights you currently fly out of DFW, therefore no increase in comp on any different routes, and we shall conclude to give (insert LCC carrier here) the gates as it will better increase the competitive rates here at Love Field.  And remember, it really is just a tease--trust me***
 
Foolish conclusion
Delta is doing everything in its power to get a seat at the table as American and US Airways dispose of assets to satisfy regulatory concerns. However, the DOJ seems dead set on ensuring that the assets up for sale go to low cost carriers.
The DOJ's stubbornness is understandable: after all, one of its complaints has been that the legacy carriers are tacitly coordinating to avoid sparking fare wars. Since the DOJ's mandate is to protect consumer interests, it makes sense to get slots and gates into the hands of the airlines that will compete most vigorously. Right now, only low cost carriers fit the bill.
*** Just gotta love the heading on this one.  "Foolish conclusion"  Delta and WT will continue to whine there little buts off until they get there way to the table.  And here's another fabulous quote, "The DOJ's stubbornness is understandable"  meaning they have merit.  Hey WT did I spell that correctly for you?  And the final quote in this para says it all, "Right now, only low cost carriers fit the bill."  That, WT, is why Delta  will not qualify...***
 
 
Do you think you could add a little critical thinking of your own or do you just post articles?          
*** Why sure, as you wish.  I dunno about critical thinking, but how bout creative thinking.***
 
Oh gee, I am sorry, is that the third time this article was posted?  Well shoot, my bad.  But you know WT, you personally asked for it, so I did as you wished. 
You can forget about slots at any of the airports that AA/US had to divest, ANY, including Love Field.  Now do you want to bet on the Love Field gates,  I will...  You wanna wager on a for sure thing before, that Delta would be allowed to bid, we all already know this, maybe not you, but we do.   I am willing to bet that Delta DOES NOT get the 2 gates that AA has to divest at Love Field.   I think the 2 gates will go to another LCC. 
Hope you all have enjoyed this little request by WT.  I know I have...LOL...   PS:  I refuse to fix any spelling, punctuations, errors as most were done on purpose, just because it bothers you...

 

[robbedagain]

Swamt can u see if u find out if dl is going to file a lawsuit dec 9th is within sight n the turkey holiday is now one week and 3 days time is of the essence 🙂

 

[WorldTraveler]

First robbed, thank you for working on increasing punctuation and caps to your posts... the improvement is noticeable. We want your points to be seen by those who read. The same principle applies here as when someone speaks too softly that others can't here... they just tune out if it is too difficult to read what is being wrote. We want your ideas to come thru.


You don't need to look for a lawsuit, robbed, because I have repeatedly told you that DL hasn't filed suit yet. DL simply made clear that it wants to be able to bid on assets that are deployed. We haven't seen the results of DL's request yet so how about you sit tight just a little longer.


IF DL does get the right to bid on DAL gates, which is by far the biggest strategic opportunity DL wants to pursue, then DL gained and I was right.

It also doesn't change that the greatest impact on AA/US will be a massive addition of low fare carrier seats at DCA, not by the addition of RJ flights by DL to small/medium sized cities.

DL only said it was interested in picking up slots for small/medium sized cities.

And I still have to chuckle that AA/US execs and their fans here gloat about locking DL out of bidding for DCA slots only to face instead the addition of thousands of new seats from DCA, a market that many people here noted was US' highest profit margin hub on its system.

The addition of thousands of new seats is exactly what the DOJ wants in a market where US had the lowest average aircraft size per flight and where they used RJs to fly to many key markets. The settlement puts an end to that, regardless of what happens to DL.

 

[robbedagain]

I dont think the execs are gloating bout anything theyre preparing to begin the strenous job of combining and this week iam141 goes to phx for a series of federal mediated talks.. I apologize in advance for veering off course. I do think it is possible dl will be able to bid for 1 or 2 slots at dal... but not at dca or lga. U would be half right judging by ur posts that dl should bid or get the dca slots....

 

[WorldTraveler]

thanks for robbed for your acknowledgement that I might be right.... but you are either pregnant or you aren't (well may not you PERSONALLY. 🙂 but if I am even partially right that DL would be able to bid on assets, then that statement would be true if it included only the DAL gates, wouldn't it?

BTW, I'd like to toss a question out there for swamt.

Even before the settlement agreement, WN was already positioning 2014 as being an importantly strategic year for WN in branching out into new markets.

The WA has been coming for years. Latin/Caribbean opportunities are available as WN gains the technology to sell that type of service and take over what FL did. Hawaii has been on the rumored list... the 738s are ETOPS, right? and now we have a massive opportunity for WN to grow its presence on the east coast.

WN will be removing nearly all 88 of the 717s from the fleet by the end of 2014 in the contract with DL. How many aircraft does WN have coming into the fleet?

Is it possible that WN might not have enough aircraft to pursue all of these growth opportunities without shrinking its core, established network? Even adjusting for the smaller size of the 717s, WN doesn't have enough capacity coming into the company to replace what is being lost via the 717s plus pursue other opportunities without cutting elsewhere on its network or at least reducing frequencies and upgauging. Where is that all going to take place? what opportunities will be left on the table because there aren't enough aircraft?

Does WN's inability to be able to pursue all of those opportunities without cutting its established network provide an opportunity for DL and other airlines to redeploy capacity into markets where WN might be unable to defend as well as pursue new growth opportunities?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

 

[robbedagain]

Last time I checked no male can get pregnant but then again on the other hand I dont project myself as a know it all or gloat about dl this dl that I simply put my own opin the way I see it whether right or wrong its my own opin

 

[blue collar]

WN is still working on it's ETOPS program.

 

[swamt]

Swamt can u see if u find out if dl is going to file a lawsuit dec 9th is within sight n the turkey holiday is now one week and 3 days time is of the essence 🙂

There is no lawsuit.  Although WT did express that there was one early on he later retracted and admitted that there wasn't one currently, but Delta is looking into their legal options.  What WT doesn't understand is that the DOJ has said from the very beginning that DL and UA can bid on any of the slots all they want to.  Rather they qualify for the slots or not is a complete different story, which the DOJ has already said they more than likely WILL NOT.  With the DOJ and other DOJ officials already putting all of this out after the agreement was announced, there is nothing WT is right about.  Matter fact WT is wrong because he has been saying this whole time that the DOJ is saying that Delta won't even be able to bid on slots.  There is nothing-nowhere from the DOJ claiming that Delta cannot put a bid in on any of the slots, period.
 
Now, if Delta (as well as other airlines) bid on the slots, and do not qualify, then Delta can do whatever they wish, which very well could include a lawsuit, however, they will be just wasting their money.  Little does he know that the DOJ can say who gets certain slots and who does not, it's been done for years in the past and will continue going forward. 

 

[swamt]

WT; Yes we are short on A/C. It is widely known thru-out SWA's financials and year end reports.
The 717's didn't change anything in SWA's flight plans. All 88 717's will be gone by 2017. Each and every one of them will be replaced by a combination of -700's, -800's, 737-MAX, as well as numerous used aircraft that the company is currently bringing into SWA as we speak. I am not aware of any hard numbers as SWA has exercised many options (all options I believe) and changed orders since purchasing AT and in prep of the W/A going away. I have heard rumors of 12-24 used aircraft this year alone. And a lot of them are being looked at from out of the country do to the lack of used 737's in the US. SWA was originally going to keep the 717 but after doing the cost analysis of maint, parts (engines in particular), training, and of course the number of seats as well as the fuel burn, it would have cost more money to keep them than basically give away, especially comparing them to the incoming 737-MAX and the 800's. It was a no brainer to rid the 717's.

There's a lot coming in the next couple years. So don't you worry your little self about it. If need be, to get the required number of a/c, SWA is able and can purchase another airline just for the a/c and maybe some routes and gates, or maybe even purchase another entire airline, we all know they have the money to do so, not to mention the growth opportunity once we start international flights. Then the southwest affect will be in effect for the international community as it has been for the domestic communities over the past 4 decades. But to answer your question, yes we are short on a/c, Boeing cannot keep up with SWA's demand and growth opportunities. Hopefully this will change with the search of used a/c...

 

[WorldTraveler]

I always noted the * next to "DL could bid on slots" to include but they aren't likely to win as being the issue.

And, again, DL's interest was in serving small and medium-sized cities while the DOJ indicated that preserving service to those cities is not important in light of throwing thousands of new low fare carrier seats into the market, which is exactly what the settlement agreement does.

I still am more than happy to see WN and B6 add plenty of low fare capacity into DCA where it will impact AA/US significantly.

I also still believe that DL will be able to bid on DAL slots and will succeed, allowing DL to compete directly with WN in top N. Texas markets to DL hubs, NYC, and LAX, in many cases from both DAL and DFW, something that neither AA or WN can do.


actually, I believe the 717s will be delivered by the end of 2015.

It will indeed require lots of used aircraft in order to accommodate the growth on top of what WN has on order.

You go with the southwest effect on int'l flights all you want since the primary focus of WN's int'l growth is likely to be in gateways other than DL's.
Interesting that both DL and WN, two of the most profitable airlines in the western world, have no problems acquiring used aircraft.

DL's analysis showed that the 717 will lower DL's costs esp. in markets that are served with RJs as DL upgrades service to mainline, uses its own employees more efficiently, and brings mainline service to many communities for the first time in years.

I'm glad to hear that there should be plenty of used aircraft coming to help ensure growth continues.

 

[robbedagain]

Wt I dont think u used quotation marks when u said delta could bid on slots....

 

[WorldTraveler]

maybe it was my not so smart dumbphone? 🙂

my smartphone and your tabret.