Originally Posted by Brown Dog
It just seems to me that there's an undertone that everyone is waiting for SWA to trip, so to speak.
Mark my words, Brown Dog. SWA
will trip. It's inevitable that they'll catch a toe on the curb or a wrinkle in the carpet or something because it's awfully hard to see the ground when you're carrying that tall stash of cash to the bank!
SWA's proclaimed operational agenda is to manage in the good times to prepare for the bad times. Knowing that the industry is cyclical, it isn't rocket science to predict that a downturn isn't far away. SWA is successful today because they didn't squander all the money they made during the last airline boom. That cash has allowed them to take actions that insulate them from many of the harsh factors that are weighing on the industry.
It's amazing what a company (in any industry) can do when its recognized purpose is to make a profit for its shareholders and provide decent wages and benefits for its employees. Once the ego gets hold and the goal changes to being the biggest or flashiest or whatever all bets are off for both the shareholders and the employees.