Originally Posted by e6bpilot

I don't think they are going to go to a strictly hub and spoke at all. That would be a terrible idea. I think point to point will continue with the understanding that mega stations are going to be regional feed centers that do hub and spoke in that region. That's the way they have been operating at least since I have been here, more so now than ever. Customers fly SWA because they can go, for example, BNA to BUR or pretty much anywhere to LAS without having to make a connection. They can do it probably on multiple flights a day and if they decide to not go can get a refund. That's it. That's all we have, because our cabin product is terrible.

Clearly there are markets that have evolved like California where management is going to have to make some decisions going forward about how best to use our market power and scale there to drive more people to buy tickets since business travel has slacked off, at least for the time being. I think the future of our business is going to rely on our strong network and charging people for things that other airlines charge for like a second bag or seat assignment. That is, quite frankly, revenue that we have left on the table for far too long. People are clearly willing to pay for it if you are clear and up front about it. The legacy flex to basic economy has been a smashing success for them and, along with market forces and higher costs, has ended the ULCC market that was supposed to dominate the industry.

Here is what I know for sure, our current set of managers has done nothing to address any of these issues. I don't know if it's laziness or stupidity, and I don't really care. Someone needs to come in and fix us before it is too late. We are in late stage Roman Empire territory here where we just keep yearning for the old days that aren't ever going to come back.