Has anyone heard of any 2017 supposed hiring numbers being thrown around out there? I think at some point once the Classics go buh bye we'll be down a net 30 airframes.

 

I heard 600.

 

3300...after the JetBlue acquisition announcement.

 

Yea, because the last purchase was so successful?

 

The official word is down 23 airframes for some portion of 2017. Most likely the draw down of -300's would take place after the busy summer schedule and then flexed back up before summer 2018. They are adding 67 aircraft in 2017 and currently there are 78 -300's in the fleet which are now scheduled for retirement by third quarter 2017.

Long story short, there most likely will be a steady need for pilots to compensate for retirements and attrition. A short term loss of 23 airframes most likely will not deter hiring because the staffing model is predicated on flying the busy summer schedule and that schedule will most likely not be effected by the short term drop in fleet totals. The fleet is reported to be at 730 to 750 in 2018.







"This year and next, the Dallas-based carrier plans to boost deliveries, in part to compensate for the previously announced early retirement of about 50 older-version 737s by 2017. It will add 67 planes in 2017, compared with the previously envisioned 61. Some of the additional planes are used 737-700s Southwest has found on the market at good prices. Others are new 737-800s it had on firm order and the third tranche, starting next year, are Boeing’s new-engined version of the 737, the Max-8."

"The deferral of 67 firm deliveries over the next several years supports the goal of 2% annual net fleet growth."

"Southwest, which flies only variants of Boeing 737s, expects to end this year with 723 planes in its fleet, a number that will dip to 700 in 2017 before rising again to between 730 and 750 aircraft in 2018."

Southwest Airlines Revamps Aircraft Order Book - WSJ

 

Here's better question. Why the frak do we need 18 simulators for in the new building when we only have 11 now?

And before one of the jetBlue conspiracy nuts starts explaining that we need it to train their pilots... JetBlue has a sim facility in Orlando that is far and away better than ours. 8 bays, plus 2 full motion cabin sims, a ditching pool, a cafeteria, a company hotel... and no pictures on the wall that make it look like Grandpa's attic where he keeps all of his Air Force junk.

So even if the conspiracy theory turned out to be true (I don't buy it) there's no reason to build a bunch of new space for sims right away. They could continue to use the JetBlue facility until they decide whether it is better to grow their facility, grow ours,or use both.

 

The new codeshare language in the AIP would force the company to ditch a lot of jet blues codeshare. Not saying an acquisition of them won't happen, it's just why would they agree to that language knowing they would lose those revenue streams

 

You're funny Zap!

It is absolutely impossible for Southwest Airlines to train anywhere other than Dallas, Texas.

The space time continuum would implode at the mere mention of such heresy.

 

And if Amadeus is up and running by then...red-eye utilization of current airframes might also increase enough to cover the drop? Lots of metal that sits in big coastal markets for about the same time as a transcon??

 

That depends on who you ask and their perspective. There were certainly some positives that came out of it for SWA as a company specifically.