View Poll Results: Which will it be?
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Ok—What’s The New Base?
01-30-2026 | 03:21 AM
#312
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
01-30-2026 | 05:27 AM
#313
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,588
Likes: 430
The thing is, DEN is booming. I was there during a bank of flights the other day and it was packed to the gills with planes occupying the vast majority of gates. Departures are fairly level, slightly down. We aren’t losing real estate in Denver. We are in those other bases. ATL, OAK, and to an extent LAX are looking pretty slim these days. LAX has construction woes to blame it on. The others, not so much.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
01-30-2026 | 06:07 AM
#314
Line Holder
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 764
Likes: 220
The thing is, DEN is booming. I was there during a bank of flights the other day and it was packed to the gills with planes occupying the vast majority of gates. Departures are fairly level, slightly down. We aren’t losing real estate in Denver. We are in those other bases. ATL, OAK, and to an extent LAX are looking pretty slim these days. LAX has construction woes to blame it on. The others, not so much.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
01-30-2026 | 06:18 AM
#315
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,687
Likes: 319
The thing is, DEN is booming. I was there during a bank of flights the other day and it was packed to the gills with planes occupying the vast majority of gates. Departures are fairly level, slightly down. We aren’t losing real estate in Denver. We are in those other bases. ATL, OAK, and to an extent LAX are looking pretty slim these days. LAX has construction woes to blame it on. The others, not so much.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
The company will eventually start closing bases. If I lived in ATL, I would be very nervous. It has no future outside of being a tiny crew base with no growth allowed by a competitor that SWA chooses not to compete with quite on purpose.
01-30-2026 | 06:58 AM
#316
Line Holder
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 654
Likes: 132
From: 737CA
If operating margins in 2026 are in the low double digits and net margins are within high single digits, I think the competitive stuff will take care of itself. You can’t play that game with the margins we had. Throw in the fact SWA also has lower unit costs than DAL. DAL has the highest unit costs of the big three but also has the best margins in the business. So it should be fun.
01-30-2026 | 07:09 AM
#317
On Reserve
Joined: Sep 2025
Posts: 37
Likes: 17
From: 737
ATL as a containment zone makes sense for some time, but they will have to pull the plug on that base at some point.
01-30-2026 | 06:25 PM
#319
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,687
Likes: 319
If operating margins in 2026 are in the low double digits and net margins are within high single digits, I think the competitive stuff will take care of itself. You can’t play that game with the margins we had. Throw in the fact SWA also has lower unit costs than DAL. DAL has the highest unit costs of the big three but also has the best margins in the business. So it should be fun.
01-31-2026 | 03:54 AM
#320
Line Holder
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 654
Likes: 132
From: 737CA
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