Widow's Son

I think you are taking this whole thing way too personally, not as an individual, but as an AA employee.

I don't think SWA is "going after" anyone. They are just trying to do what is in their own best interest and what is fair. In the process they could very well end up helping AA by stimulating traffic at both airports and forcing AA to abandon the legacy operating models that no longer work.

SWA has always been the type to focus on building itself up rather than tearing others down. No airline in industry has more of a history of "going after" competitors than AA. Read books such as "Hard Landing" and learn of all kinds of nasty even illegal tactics employed over the years, or just ask any former Braniff employee. SWA doesn't operate that way. It was AA's throwing SWA out of Sabre a few years back that forced SWA to pioneer alternative ticket distribution models that have swept the industry and it was the Crandall led coalition that changed fees and taxes to being segment based that forced SWA into long haul. Both have been hidden blessings for SWA just like opening Love could end up being a hidden blessing for AA. When someone gives SWA a lemon, they have an amazing knack for turning it into lemonade. Other carriers would do well to learn the same.

AA767AV8TOR

SWA not going after anyone! Don’t kid yourself. I guess going into Phili and Pittsburg was just coincidence. Under Kelly, SWA has gotten very aggressive, almost morphing into the old Crandall mode.

What is fair is for SWA to go to DFW. The leaders of Dallas and Fort Worth did not want competing airports. That was the whole idea behind building DFW.

Here is a quote from AA VP of Marketing this morning:

Fort Worth-based American said Southwest competes successfully against all carriers.
"Southwest is neither small nor weak, nor are they the underdog that they like to play," said Dan Garton, American's executive vice president of marketing. "When they decided to 'take us on' in San Jose and Nashville, they did just fine. When they decided to take on entrenched carriers in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Orlando, they did just fine. And presumably, they feel pretty good about their chances of succeeding against 'fortress hubs' in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh."
Given Southwest's success, Mr. Garton said, "it is hard to imagine what they are afraid of at D/FW, except that – given a choice – they would prefer to grow their monopoly at Love to the challenges of the level playing field at D/FW."
As for any operational issues about D/FW's size and scale, Mr. Cox described them as "red herrings." These factors include:
•Taxi times. Planes take an average 29 minutes to get between gates and runways at D/FW. That won't work well with Southwest's model, in which planes spend as little time as possible on the ground.
But Southwest operates at airports where some of the average taxi times are even longer than at D/FW. Data from February to March showed that Southwest planes had longer taxi-out times (going from the gate to the runway) at Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., than what American saw with its planes at D/FW.
However, the same data showed American's planes at D/FW had about double the average taxi-in time than most of Southwest's airports during February and March.
•Costs. It will cost about $6.33 to fly a passenger from D/FW once its new terminal is open. That's among the lowest fees for a major airport. Southwest pays less to fly from Love Field, though the airline didn't have a precise figure Wednesday.
The greater cost for Southwest would be in splitting its operations between two airports, which would not only involve a lot of new infrastructure but considerable confusion for its customers.
Southwest estimates that it's invested tens of millions of dollars in Love Field that it prefers not to walk away from.
Still, D/FW officials say they're convinced that Southwest would succeed at D/FW and should fly there in the interest of doing what's best for North Texas.
"A company's business model should not dictate public policy," Mr. Cox said.

Freighter Captain

The extension to the Wright amendment allows Southwest to fly to Mississippi, Kansas, and Alabama, and guess what? They haven't even touched that new route authority. Hmmmm.

If the amendment is appealed I see the following shakeout. American moves in to match Southwest's new longhauls, providing a better passenger experience and stimulating traffic in that market.

av8r4aa

Swa wont stop till they rule the world.
Ask any "other carrier" about the preferential treatment that SWA enjoys.
I can not tell you how many times I have had to turn 30 degrees to "make way"
for SWA.
Just the other day in STL we were told to hold short for crossing traffic.
waiting to join the taxiway,
3 and 1 half minutes later SWA comes by . looked just short of "airspeed alive" to me.
This kind of treatment is Bull $@&%
You guys are the primadonna of the airline world,
SWA can do no wrong just ask anybody.

Personally I think its Bull %#(^ that SWA pays for parties for all the center controllers.
That is exploiting the Government.
There should be rules against that.

SWA is just another airline , but now that they have the attention they need they are AGAIN trying to exploit the government (see repeal Wright Amendment)

WatchThis!

Agreed...but until it is illegal you may want to start sending a case of Wild Turkey to center controllers. After all - you only have to walk accross the street from the AA "schoolhouse" to deliver it.

av8r4aa

Wild Turkey is Herb's choice.
Not sure what the ATC likes.
probably cold beer and hot FA's
Neither we have here at the Goliath Air.

We all just need to laugh a little here
Look at Herb, that guy is always smiling and happy.

WatchThis!

Great Point...all over the industry - pilots are fighting the same race to the bottom from our respective managements. The last thing we need to do is beat up on each other, after all we're doing the same job just wearing a different uniform.

The ability to laugh goes a long way.