Time For Southwest To Squash Airtran

[FM2436]

Sounds like it may be time for Southwest to squash Airtrain.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/041026/ata_bankruptcy_11.html

 

[wnfan37]

anyone care to speculate on what effect FL will have on us in MDW? from what i can gather, MDW is not a profitable hub for WN - how could it be when we're flying folks from MDW to SAN for $78 as we complete with ATA? Seems like more of the same with FL in MDW. Anyone have any thoughts on MDW with FL and WN?

 

[WNrforlife]

Sounds like it may be time for Southwest to squash Airtrain.

SQUASH EM! SQUASH EM! SQUASH EM!

 

[funguy2]

anyone care to speculate on what effect FL will have on us in MDW? from what i can gather, MDW is not a profitable hub for WN - how could it be when we're flying folks from MDW to SAN for $78 as we complete with ATA? Seems like more of the same with FL in MDW. Anyone have any thoughts on MDW with FL and WN?

[post="195378"][/post]​

Presumably, AirTran's MDW hub will eventually have less seats, which means more pricing power, and a greater likelihood of profitability. AirTran does not appear to be taking any ATA aircraft, but will rather phase-out ATA over time, as it takes deliveries of its B737-700's. This means ATA's fleet of 175-seat B737-800s up to 247-seat B757-300's will be replaced by AirTran's 117-seat B717's and 137-seat B737-700's. The result being that even if AirTran increases flights, it will probably reduce the capacity, allowing AirTran and Southwest more pricing power and better potential for profit. Overall, this should be a good thing for Southwest to have a more rational competitor.

 

[Fubijaakr]

Sounds like it may be time for Southwest to squash Airtrain.

[post="195372"][/post]​

I'll second that motion!

 

[WNjetdoc]

There is a interesting article in the USAToday, friday, about how SWA is going to expand in Midway bigtime. I was wondering how they were going to do this and the article mentioned that the powers to be at Midway Airport said ATA doesn't have the authority to sell those gates. So it looks like AWA, SWA and Airtran, among some others, will be trying for those gates.

 

[mga707]

There is a interesting article in the USAToday, friday, about how SWA is going to expand in Midway bigtime. I was wondering how they were going to do this and the article mentioned that the powers to be at Midway Airport said ATA doesn't have the authority to sell those gates. So it looks like AWA, SWA and Airtran, among some others, will be trying for those gates.

[post="196277"][/post]​

It would be logical for SWA to at least try to obtain the use of the three gates in the 'B' concourse that they do not presently have. These three gates are at the tip of the 'B' pier, and two are used by ATA, far from all of their other 'A' concourse gates. The third gate is AirTran's sole MDW gate, used for their six ATL flights. I've wondered since the new MDW concourses opened why ATA has these two 'B' gates.
Even with just three additional gates Herb could schedule a lot more flights out of MDW.

 

[wwtraveler99]

It would be logical for SWA to at least try to obtain the use of the three gates in the 'B' concourse that they do not presently have. These three gates are at the tip of the 'B' pier, and two are used by ATA, far from all of their other 'A' concourse gates. The third gate is AirTran's sole MDW gate, used for their six ATL flights. I've wondered since the new MDW concourses opened why ATA has these two 'B' gates.
Even with just three additional gates Herb could schedule a lot more flights out of MDW.

[post="196450"][/post]​

With 3 more gates LUV can add 31 more flights to MDW...at SNA LUV runs 31 flights out of 2 1/2 gates.....and will bring that number RUMORED up to 40 next JUNE......notWW...

 

[swflyer]

Here's part of the answer.

Southwest Airlines to Add Sixteen Flights at Chicago Midway Airport;
Carrier Will Grow to 161 Departures From Convenient Chicago Airport


DALLAS, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) Chief Executive Officer, Gary Kelly, announced today that the low fare carrier would add 16 nonstop flights from Chicago Midway Airport to 13 existing nonstop markets. This additional nonstop service to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Manchester, Las Vegas, Raleigh-Durham, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles International, Oakland, Phoenix, Seattle, Providence, Philadelphia, and Columbus will begin in the first quarter of 2005. To take advantage of this new Southwest service and great low fares, visit http://www.southwest.com/jp/luvhome.shtml?...Wservice_110104 .

At a meeting with journalists last week, CEO Kelly indicated that the Company planned to expand "significantly" at Chicago Midway Airport, the carrier's fourth largest market, in the first quarter. He told those in attendance, "Our Number One priority is Chicago Midway."

The 16 additional flights break down as follows:
-- Two additional daily nonstop flights between Chicago Midway and Orlando (for a total of six daily) starting January 16 and February 4, 2005.
-- Two additional daily nonstop flights between Chicago Midway and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood (for a total of five daily) starting January 16 and February 4, 2005.
-- Two additional daily nonstop flights between Chicago Midway and Manchester (for a total of four daily) starting January 16 and February 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Las Vegas (for a total of 10 daily) starting February 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Raleigh-Durham (for a total of four daily) starting February 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Tampa Bay (for a total of six daily) starting February 11, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Los Angeles International (for a total of six daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Oakland (for a total of six daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Phoenix (for a total of five daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Seattle (for a total of three daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Providence (for a total of four daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Philadelphia (for a total of five daily) starting March 4, 2005.
-- One additional daily nonstop flight between Chicago Midway and Columbus (for a total of seven daily) starting March 4, 2005.


CEO Kelly indicated that Southwest Airlines could commence this Chicago service using its 19 existing gates on Concourse B. Southwest Airlines is taking delivery of 29 Boeing 737-700 aircraft in 2005.

Southwest Airlines started service at Chicago Midway Airport in March 1985 with seven daily flights. Today, the carrier has 145 daily nonstop departures and more than 2,900 Employees based in Chicago. With today's announcement, the airline will have 161 daily nonstop departures commencing in the first quarter to 30 cities with additional direct or connecting service to 26 cities.

http://www.southwest.com

SOURCE Southwest Airlines

 

[firstamendment]

Wait a minute, guys, you've gotta finish off US Airways. The O2 is hooked up and we are on life support. but not gone yet.

 

[sfb]

Wait a minute, guys, you've gotta finish off US Airways.

Believe it or not, Southwest is better-off long-term with a weak and uncompetitive US Airways as a placeholder in a number of markets. The longer US holds on, the more time WN has to continue to eat away at the US route network. Take PHL, for example. You can bet that quite a bit of service from all the domestic carriers will be added at PHL if US Airways fails. WN doesn't have the aircraft to replace US there, but you can bet they'd like to pick up the majority of US's traffic over time, just as they did at BWI. And they'd rather be competing against US in PHL (or PIT or CLT), rather than, say, jetBlue.

For a number of reasons that I've outlined on the US Airways board, I still find it unlikely that US will be competitive in the domestic market, even if they manage to reduce labor costs by roughly 1/3.

 

[firstamendment]

Believe it or not, Southwest is better-off long-term with a weak and uncompetitive US Airways as a placeholder in a number of markets. The longer US holds on, the more time WN has to continue to eat away at the US route network. Take PHL, for example. You can bet that quite a bit of service from all the domestic carriers will be added at PHL if US Airways fails. WN doesn't have the aircraft to replace US there, but you can bet they'd like to pick up the majority of US's traffic over time, just as they did at BWI. And they'd rather be competing against US in PHL (or PIT or CLT), rather than, say, jetBlue.

For a number of reasons that I've outlined on the US Airways board, I still find it unlikely that US will be competitive in the domestic market, even if they manage to reduce labor costs by roughly 1/3.

[post="199574"][/post]​

Good Lord, If you eat any more of us you will be eatting the bones.