You Guys Ought To Buy The Shuttle.....

ELP_WN_Psgr

ELP_WN_Psgr

Senior
Nov 29, 2003
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Having given the matter some thought on a boring Sunday afternoon, I have arrived at the conclusion that WN ought to buy the shuttle.

In fact, I've even arrived at a fair market value for it, which US Airways would probably reject. $ 330 Million.

You don't need, want, or get planes, employees, or anything tangible in the transaction....gate and counter space, slots at the 3 airports, and the name.

For all the hoo-rawing this will get from the so-called experts who don't think that WN appeals to businessmen (and women)......there is no carrier better suited in the industry to run short haul commuter type flights. None.

I would expect Southwest to roll in there and chop the price to levels emulating the Dallas-Houston deal....and then await the influx of passengers. Can't be done? Of course it could. And should.
 
ELP_WN_Psgr said:
Having given the matter some thought on a boring Sunday afternoon, I have arrived at the conclusion that WN ought to buy the shuttle.

In fact, I've even arrived at a fair market value for it, which US Airways would probably reject. $ 330 Million.

You don't need, want, or get planes, employees, or anything tangible in the transaction....gate and counter space, slots at the 3 airports, and the name.

For all the hoo-rawing this will get from the so-called experts who don't think that WN appeals to businessmen (and women)......there is no carrier better suited in the industry to run short haul commuter type flights. None.

I would expect Southwest to roll in there and chop the price to levels emulating the Dallas-Houston deal....and then await the influx of passengers. Can't be done? Of course it could. And should.
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As a US Airways employee, I would love to see LUV own the Shuttle. My only concern is....would LUV provide the free newspapers and magazines, and coffee/juice, as well as bagels on the aircraft? Would they adjust to the boarding procedures? :up: I know the biz travelers are going to the LCC, however we are talking CEO's that make millions and many politicians and press that like to be pampered.

And you know, DAL uses 737-300's, so any aircraft you use would be equal if not better. Just take on the 300-400 f/a's needed to fly the routes. I mean, you don't have any furloughed f/a's, so why not save a few jobs? Fence me in...fine...I'll even sacrifice senority...flying the Shuttle as SWA could be very entertaining. I'll take your contract. Our CEO has been cramming it down our throats anyway. Cultural difference? Love the relaxed policies...ready for a change. Where do I sign up? :up: :up:
 
ELP_WN_Psgr said:
You don't need, want, or get planes, employees, or anything tangible in the transaction....gate and counter space, slots at the 3 airports, and the name.
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WN would only need to buy slots at TWO airports--LGA and DCA.
BOS is not slot restricted at all--anyone can fly there, as long as they have gate/counter space.
And I'd disagree that WN would need to pay anything for the name. "Southwest" would do just fine.
 
I think that WN should go after the slots at LGA and that is all. If they could land about 40 flights out of LGA, just imagine the damage that WN could do to everyone else's yeilds! That would be worth even more to WN. LGA is limited to the perimeter rule and that fits into WN's game plan. You think DL lost money now, if they had to match WN at LGA, OUCH!! Just my 2 cents on paper.......
 
For all the Southwest can do no wrongs out there, LGA is a beast and you won't be able to change it. Flights take long to turn around, and people in New York are demanding. What is the point of buying the shuttles slots and flying else where? The point of buying THE SHUTTLE is the high yield it has and the limited entry at LGA and DCA. I know someone wil say" BOS is not slot restricted" but it does LUV no good if they can't land in LGA or DCA. If LUV wants to try NYC and it should, then try EWR or JFK. Forget about the 29 minute turnarounds though more like 79 minutes. I think LUV should try ATL first and lock up the South, they do well in the Southwest and California, they do well in MDW, BWI, PVD but NYC is still missing. 10,000,000 of the nations richest sounds like something worth it to me. Imagine if General Motors didn't make Cadillacs, they would make and money from rich people, LUV go to NYC, in some form.
 
Except for PHL where WN is arguably going up against a cripple, they stay away from hubs. And they pulled out of DEN and SFO because of the many delays that rippled thru their system. So I think LGA is unlikely. But its fun to speculate! However, if U has any gates at Midway, or Providence, say...
 
Buying other airline's assets brings in too much trouble and too many problems. This is the way to grow....in latest earning's announcement:

"Southwest Airlines buying five ADDITIONAL Boeing 737s

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines said yesterday it will acquire five additional Boeing 737-700 aircraft in 2005, increasing capacity 11 percent for that year.

The Dallas-based discount carrier earlier said it would increase capacity this year by 7 to 8 percent.

"We don't need to carry $2 billion in cash, so we'll invest some in aircraft," said Chief Financial Officer Gary Kelly.
 
Luv did buy Morris Air...and gates don't bring employees of other airlines, just real estate. LUV needs to grow faster as a way to keep average costs from growing--new airplanes are efficient, and cause the hiring of new employees at new hire rates.
 
IF Jetblue gets slots at LGA, then SWA is going to have to think seriously about trying the same at LGA. IF Jetblue is able to establish a presence(sp) atLGA and JFK, then pax will not drive out to ISP. IF USAirways does sell off the shuttle for necessary cash to survive, although it would be helping a competitor, I think SWA must do it. What if Jetblue gets a financing package to pull it off? Sometimes I say it is better to spend money and have extra then to let your opponent have it. With all the a/c that jetblue is adding they could open up a lot of competing routes very quickly. Neeleman says he is not going to go head-to-head with SWA, but it is inevitable that these 2 LCC's will collide in the near future. Just my nickel.......
 
IF Jetblue is able to establish a presence(sp) atLGA and JFK, then pax will not drive out to ISP.

I would venture to guess that there are not that many Manhattanites schlepping to ISP as it is. ISP was opened to tap into the extensive customer base that exists right there on Long Island. This is why WN has thrived at ISP and B6 has had such success at JFK. Metro New York and the outlying Burroughs have sufficient popluation density to keep both airlines fat and giggly for years to come.
 
Also, the JFK Airtrain is now operational (finally). Long Islanders who live near a LIRR station can take AirTrain to Jamaica and then the LIRR -- no more stupid airport shuttles or taxis (JFK or ISP).
 
JS said:
Also, the JFK Airtrain is now operational (finally). Long Islanders who live near a LIRR station can take AirTrain to Jamaica and then the LIRR -- no more stupid airport shuttles or taxis (JFK or ISP).
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You know, the more I read about New Yorkers, the weirder that they seem. First, it's a pain to get from NYC to Islip, so people won't drive to ISP to fly Southwest. But Long Island has a population of over a million, and it's not at all incovenient for people who LIVE on Long Island to tote their bags on to one train, then change to another train to go to LGA.

The aversion to airport shuttles is hard for this midwesterner to understand...Our airport is 50 miles from my home, and shuttle service is quite convenient, and less costly than parking.
 
i am sure its all nice and dandy to think that wn will buy the shuttle. but i hate to burst your bubble. wn will not buy the shuttle. u will continue to own the shuttle. u will pull through this again. and it will piss off all those other airlines that want u gone. my bets are on u . everyone is writing u off. we will see in the end who wins. do not write them off yet. as for wn ,they better get ready in phl if they think that they could just walze right in and take over. aint gonna happen. we got a plan. and you guys at wn ain't gonna like it. it will be a huge fight and we will see who wins in the end. for that employee who said that he/she is a u employee and would love wn to buy the shuttle. you should be ashamed of yourself. where is your loyalty. even if you don't agree with our garbagement you should be loyal to your fellow u employees. if wn takes the shuttle its your job that they are taking too in some form or other. but that will not happen because wn is not going to buy the shuttle.
 
etops1 said:
i as for wn ,they better get ready in phl if they think that they could just walze right in and take over. aint gonna happen. we got a plan. and you guys at wn ain't gonna like it.
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All I can say is: Bring it on.

"Shuttle by United" and "Metrojet" ring a bell?

And what's this: "We got a plan" Yeah, right. It's not hard to read the US Airways board and see that chaos is rampant.

When has Southwest ever run away from a fight, nevermind lost?

Keep dreaming.
 
"We got a Plan"- California
"We got a Plan" - BWI
"We got a Plan" - MetroJet
"We got a Plan" - United
"We got a Plan" - Philly
 
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