Originally Posted by
Black Coffee
Denver has been one of our most successful cities in the history of Southwest Airlines, if not the most according to Gary Kelly. I think we hit 217 flights a day this month, and we have 820 pilots based in Denver. We add about 20 pilots a month on the vacancy awards. We are adding more gates on the east side of the C concourse and we would grow more if they could hire ground ops faster. We just passed over 1000 rampers and I think they need to hire 350 more. Denver is now a maintenance base for us and I wouldn't be surprised if Southwest doesn't buy or build a hanger. Denver flight ops says the base will be a mega station. Probably over 1000 pilots some time next year. We are flying full in and out of Denver constantly, AM's or PM's it doesn't matter.
Unfortunately, as much as United might like to follow Southwest's success, they cannot adapt their business model. That is why Denver hub has been a consistent looser for both UA and CO.
Sounds like someone looked at SWA in DEN and said " gee, we can do that too". History has proven otherwise.
Certainly an old United 757 can't do what a SWA 737 will produce in RASM's. We will have to learn it the hard way, just like the old days.