Originally Posted by Scoop

You could have easily replaced "Southwest" with "Delta" 20 years ago and most of what you said would still be true. Guess what - things change. Southwest has always been a very well run and disciplined company - will this continue for the next 10, 20, or 30 years - I doubt it. If the economy stays in the tank and oil stays expensive they will start to feel the pain. Face it 10 years from now people will refer to SW as a "legacy" low cost carrier. As a matter of fact I think they are already starting to adopt to the weak US economy and are starting to look at their options. For now they are the hands down hegemon of the U.S. domestic industry, but no one stays on top forever and they wont either.
Looking back throughout the history of the airline industry it seems pilots always want to get hired by whatever airline is on top at that moment (understandable after all) and then they mentally extrapolate that snapshot over their projected 25 or 30 year career. Well guess what - by the time an airline is the most sought after employment prospect, it is too late. The guys who got hired at SW 30, 20, and 10 years agos scored big time. The guys who were hired a few years ago will do well. Anyone who is getting hired today - who knows?

Scoop