Elliot

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ma...-s-l-10-a.html

Sniper

This is the same group that got EWR slots b/c UA and CAL were merging, moved into LUV knowing the airport was prohibited from serving most domestic markets and now has essentially eliminated those same restrictions, and appears to have undermined the very intent of federal legislation designed to ensure merged employee groups are treated equitably.

They'll get more LGA and DCA slots too out of this too. Just wait.

Pretty impressive, honestly.

Why would US Airways give up their superior LGA presence to a competitor to get more of a lock on DCA - except for a merger set-up? Even if it is for a merger, who wants DCA over LGA?

forgot to bid

The way to solve this is flood BWI with flights, demand slots to deal with delay issues, demand a fair share, sue.

Jughead

Nevermind...

acl65pilot

LCC may just want to get this deal done to get on with the next deal they have been sitting on since this thing was announced in 2009. It really has slowed/stopped the M and A's that involve DAL and LCC.

Once this deal is done, I see a few more tie ups.

As for AMR, their market cap is under a billion dollars. Fragmentation, or a hostile stock buyout are very real possibilities before a CH11 filing. One in CH11 anyone could offer a better offer to the creditors. The one airline in position to do much of this is DAL.

Many of the creditors would like one less airline, and less capacity as result. AMR is very aware of this, and IMO will do anything they can to avoid CH11. B6 and LCC are to very likely tie ups. With LCC depending on who is in the divers seat; AMR or LCC, DFW or PHX would be up for sale.

LCC getting rid of the LGA slots makes perfect sense if the next move is AMR/B6.

gloopy

IMO DCA compared to IAD/BWI is way more desirable than LGA is compared to JFK (EWR is another story as calling it a "New York City Airport is laughable at best).

For a long time airlines scoffed at the idea that JFK could be a viable domestic hub and other than the big international push bank it was a ghost town. Then JB came along and showed all the airlines that while people may theoretically prefer LGA, in the end no one really cares; its all about fares, network and service.

For anyone going anywhere in the DC area other than the burbs near IAD, Dulles is a joke. DCA is where its at, by far, and unless scheduled service to Andrews starts anytime soon (ha!) it will remain the exclusive preferred domestic airport in the DC area by a wide margin.

Its smart for USAir because not only do they get to set themselves up for a merger with someone with a NYC network, they also lock in their next bailout because the congress critters LOVE their nonstop DCA service to little podunk towns far and wide and with such a massive DCA network, USAir will be "too DC to fail".

I agree that SWA will likely get even more charity out of this deal, although their days as "most favored nation" are coming to a close. Not to mention its high time someone force them to divest LUV slots. Maybe if Delta revamps Dallas as a legitimate focus city, we can shift everything to LUV and squeal unfairness and get a nice chunk of slots..like a third to half. They should be OK with that, right? We can throw in a complete and instant repeal of Wright, which they want so we will be more than willing to compromise!

Can't wait to hear them querying in ATL and soon much more in NYC about why they aren't getting the preference they are so used to and entitled to.

iceman49

Look at the National/Pan Am merger...Pan Am had a large number of pilots on furlough, they were not able to come back and displace working pilots....even those on the bottom of the list.

forgot to bid

Gloopy,
I don't think DAL should make Luv a focus city, I think Allegiant should and we should help them get those gates.

SWA would be begging us to come to LUV if that was on the table.

tsquare

Makes zero sense. Unless you think that since GK has broken the SWA model he would go for broke.. than maybe, but otherwise, nope.

gloopy

Their model has many elements, but the main one is to be a domestic powerhouse. They can't fulfill their manifest destiny without a massive NYC presence. The paultry LGA and token EWR presence they have isn't going to cut it. They can't do it "organically" anymore. Its too late. They had their chance when JFK was a ghost town and they blew it. Now they will have to make a far more ambitious move or be locked out of ever having a significant presence in the most vital market in the country.

They are the biggest domestic airline in the world. NYC is the biggest, and most vital, domestic market in the world. SWA has a tiny NYC presence. A legacy fragmentation or liquidation or buying JB are the only ways SWA can ever get a significant share of NYC traffic.

The failed model of distant secondary airports to serve major markets is in the past. ISP won't cut it and SWA knows that.

Fares are low all over the place and SWA's costs aren't what they used to be. The level of presence they have only affords them the ability to do extremely limited service relative to numerous other NYC airlines like DL, AA, JB, UCAL, etc. To give NYC customers a significant market network with the level of NYC presence SWA has will require a massive percentage of customers to have to change planes in a SWA hub. That won't work anymore. SWA isn't cheap like they used to be. Far from it actually. And NYC customers can enjoy far superior networks from DL, JB, AA and UCAL. SWA needs NYC and there are very, very few ways for them to get what they need.

As for SWA being "too busy" for another integration move, JB is 100% non union. That puts SWA more in the driver's seat than any other move they could make short of picking up the pieces of a legacy liquidation. That appears unlikely at best. SWA has an amemic and flimsy presence in the most crucial market in the country and they are out of airspeed and ideas getting that organically. JB is the only realistic way for them to be a player in the number one market in the nation. If they can't/won't/don't then they will likely forever be a distant 4th or 5th rate choice in the number 1 market, which is fine with me. I just don't see them being OK with that.