Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
That is simply not true. None of them wanted to move out of the close in Love field. They wanted Love expanded. But government refused. Those airlines had a political gun to their heads. Their choice was to do what the government demanded, or face intolerable restrictions that didn't exist previously. The word "forced" is exactly correct.
Carl
You just repeated what I said except for the word "forced". There's always a choice even if the options are not optimal.
"That's incorrect. The airlines would have faced shrinkage and operational restrictions targeted toward forcing them to leiave. Government was the ultimate "landlord from hell" at a time when the industry hadn't yet been deregulated."
I agree, and they chose to go to DFW rather than put up with the conditions at Love.
"Totally incorrect. No airlines' future plans include shrinkage and operational restriction. They had no choice but to move because government had the power to break them if they didn't see the light."
Like I said, the conditions at Love did not suit their purpose so they left. Zero possibility for expansion at Love was a reality they couldn't live with. Southwest could.
"So what? If the federal and local governments said SWA had to cut their DAL operation in half, you wouldn't be saying so what. That unattractiveness would result in SWA saying a lot more than so what."
The gov't didn't cut their operations, they just refused to allow any expansion.
"That is true. That's the part that neither governments nor airlines foresaw. Everyone assumed they knew all the airline industry players, and would be able to keep the noise out of Love field with their agreement of 1970. Nobody foresaw a new airline starting up the very next year to fill the void left by the contractual forced departures of the majors. "
"Correct, but all sides felt cheated and swindled because nobody foresaw an upstart airline taking advantage of a loophole."
"No, it was to limit SWA's enormous competitive advantage attained at the expense of the previous tenants. The Wright Amendment leveled the playing field as much as was possible given the situation."
You call it expense of previous tenant, I call it capitalizing on someone else's failed foresight.
"Yes they can...anytime they want. Either through eminent domain, or regulation. In this case government made it so impossible, they effectively forced them out."
No, they can't. They can forbid you from operating (Wright Ammendment),but they can't force you to operate.
"No question it fit SWA perfectly. It fit the others perfectly as well. Having no competition also fit SWA perfectly."
What prevented anyone else from operating - other than those who willingly signed over their right to do so?
"You guys were apparently told a story of David and Goliath during indoc. The story of little SWA slaying the Goliath of government and major airlines. Sorry to bust the fable, but the truth is you exist only because of a series of enormous good fortune and loophole exploitation. Good on you. But you're no David and Goliath story. You're the story of placing a roulette wheel bet on 36 black, and the marble stopping on 36 black."
Sorry, haven't been to indoc yet, just a student of politics and history.