SWA to AA (Pros/Cons)

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  #51  
Traffic Alert , 03-11-2024 08:16 AM
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Originally Posted by e6bpilot
Its a terrible analogy. I agree there is a lot of institutional inertia at SWA, but it stops there. No offense to pilots, but we are idiots when it comes to the ins and outs of running an airline and a major corporation.
SWA is a big ship with a tiny rudder, but if you get your head out of your a$$, you can see it is in a turn to avoid the iceberg. Things are changing....slowly. The things that pilots want most (another type, long haul flying, a complete overhaul of our cabin product) are incredibly complex and difficult to do. Right now they are repairing the bones of the operation and trying to build the network they need to grow. Unfortunately, they partnered with an airplane manufacturer that has forgotten how to manufacture airplanes. This too shall pass.
Here's an analogy for you. SWA is a house. It's a nice house, maybe just a little on the outdated side. It works great, people stay there and pay the rent. Right now it is getting some electrical and plumbing work done in the kitchen. It is ripped down to studs and needs new counters and backsplash when the electrical and plumbing guys finish. Pilots are wanting the owners to slap on a fresh coat of paint and have picked out all the latest colors, but there's just no walls right now. Give it time.
I’ve got over 2 decades of management experience and an MBA. I know a few things about how publicly traded businesses run.

SWA is stuck in a rut and the only way to get out of one is to do something big. Btw.. heard we are updating our snack mix soon. Must have taken years of testing for that!
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  #52  
Smokey23 , 03-11-2024 11:49 AM
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Pretty much what e6 said.

I often get a chuckle over the number of amateur airline CEOs on these forums who believe the way forward for SWA is to be more like the Legacy airlines: "Assigned seats!" "Bag fees!" "Premium Class!" "787s!"
Newsflash: The biggest part of our success over the last couple of decades has been through not trying to beat the Big 3 at their own game (jetBlue has been trying to break into that club for a long time...doesn't seem to be working out all that well for them these days.) DAL/UAL/AA pretty much move in lock-step with one another...while we do our own thing in the space between Legacies and ULCCs. If that's a 'rut', well so be it. It's been serving us pretty well for a long time now and doesn't show much sign of faultering, especially with the rise of bleisure travel and the stumbles of the ULCCs.

The "We Sure Do Suck" crowd doesn't want to hear it, but we are a much-improved airline from this time last year. Change never happens fast enough for us line pukes, but change is happening.
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  #53  
Otterbox , 03-11-2024 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by RJSAviator76
So we need to turn everything on its head because of yet another MAX 7 delay because we are antsy about "no growth" because we paused hiring?

Wind your watch, take a few deep breaths.
Whats the SWA obsession with the Max 7? It carries less people an extra 300 miles compared to the Max 8. What does the 7 bring that the 8 can't? UAL seems to have decided to go with Max 8s and weight restricted cabins (open seats) to replace lift of it's 700s. Why is that not a viable option for SWA?
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  #54  
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at6d , 03-11-2024 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Otterbox
Whats the SWA obsession with the Max 7? It carries less people an extra 300 miles compared to the Max 8. What does the 7 bring that the 8 can't? UAL seems to have decided to go with Max 8s and weight restricted cabins (open seats) to replace lift of it's 700s. Why is that not a viable option for SWA?
The 7 can do DEN to Hawaii. Also gets more options to South America.
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  #55  
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mulcher , 03-11-2024 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by at6d
The 7 can do DEN to Hawaii. Also gets more options to South America.
It’s also a turn time issue. I’ll be surprised if it’s on property and flying in 26’
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  #56  
tallpilot , 03-11-2024 02:13 PM
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Originally Posted by at6d
The 7 can do DEN to Hawaii. Also gets more options to South America.
South America? Doesn't that require a currency conversion?
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  #57  
PartlySunny , 03-11-2024 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by tallpilot
South America? Doesn't that require a currency conversion?
Anyone care to wager which comes first? Southwest converts currency or boeing certifies the max 7?
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  #58  
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WHACKMASTER , 03-11-2024 07:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e6bpilot
Its a terrible analogy. I agree there is a lot of institutional inertia at SWA, but it stops there. No offense to pilots, but we are idiots when it comes to the ins and outs of running an airline and a major corporation.
SWA is a big ship with a tiny rudder, but if you get your head out of your a$$, you can see it is in a turn to avoid the iceberg. Things are changing....slowly. The things that pilots want most (another type, long haul flying, a complete overhaul of our cabin product) are incredibly complex and difficult to do. Right now they are repairing the bones of the operation and trying to build the network they need to grow. Unfortunately, they partnered with an airplane manufacturer that has forgotten how to manufacture airplanes. This too shall pass.
Here's an analogy for you. SWA is a house. It's a nice house, maybe just a little on the outdated side. It works great, people stay there and pay the rent. Right now it is getting some electrical and plumbing work done in the kitchen. It is ripped down to studs and needs new counters and backsplash when the electrical and plumbing guys finish. Pilots are wanting the owners to slap on a fresh coat of paint and have picked out all the latest colors, but there's just no walls right now. Give it time.
See the first sentence of your response for my opinion on the last paragraph of your response.
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  #59  
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WHACKMASTER , 03-12-2024 12:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smokey23
Pretty much what e6 said.

I often get a chuckle over the number of amateur airline CEOs on these forums who believe the way forward for SWA is to be more like the Legacy airlines: "Assigned seats!" "Bag fees!" "Premium Class!" "787s!"
Newsflash: The biggest part of our success over the last couple of decades has been through not trying to beat the Big 3 at their own game (jetBlue has been trying to break into that club for a long time...doesn't seem to be working out all that well for them these days.) DAL/UAL/AA pretty much move in lock-step with one another...while we do our own thing in the space between Legacies and ULCCs. If that's a 'rut', well so be it. It's been serving us pretty well for a long time now and doesn't show much sign of faultering, especially with the rise of bleisure travel and the stumbles of the ULCCs.

The "We Sure Do Suck" crowd doesn't want to hear it, but we are a much-improved airline from this time last year. Change never happens fast enough for us line pukes, but change is happening.
One only needs to look at our profit sharing from the last two years to see just how “healthy” this airline is, but if you’re content and think nothing’s wrong with how this ship is being steered then hey, more power to ya.
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  #60  
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Mozam , 03-12-2024 12:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e6bpilot
Its a terrible analogy. I agree there is a lot of institutional inertia at SWA, but it stops there. No offense to pilots, but we are idiots when it comes to the ins and outs of running an airline and a major corporation.
SWA is a big ship with a tiny rudder, but if you get your head out of your a$$, you can see it is in a turn to avoid the iceberg.

By your own admission, we have a flawed design, and eventually aiming towards disaster. There is more than one iceberg in the seas. I like your optimism, and we do have some awesome top managers, sadly GK is calling all the shots. As you like to say, our large ship has a small rudder , GK is hindered the replacement of that rudder .
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