Originally Posted by e6bpilot

WRT the Max, this too shall pass. It is definitely temporary. The problem is, the feds will not say “the max is coming back in x month” because then they are dictating a timeline and we all know that they are mainly concerned with safety (yeah right).
When the max comes back, expect swa to go on a capacity expansion tear. Look at the long lead indicators:
Pilot hiring is spooled up and the schoolhouse has literally knocked the wall down on a 2 year old building to put in more sims.
Denver is doubling in size. This has been announced in the media.
Hawaii is a priority right now and will remain so in the near future.
We are cannibalizing profitable routes to feed the west coast and Hawaii due to lack of aircraft.
I am a glass half empty kind of guy, but when I look at Gary Kelly's strategic plans and the max situation, right now the only thing holding us back is the feds blessing an aircraft program that a large part of the US economy depends on. I think the future is pretty bright at SWA. That said, if I were a 25 year old regional captain, I would be putting my eggs in the United or AA basket. You can’t argue with math.