SFOintern From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 770 posts, RR: 5 Posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 923 times:
To summarize a key point of a recent WSJ article regarding WN, Southwest seems to do best when everyone else is hurting.
As case examples, it mentions WN's move into the dying hubs of SJC, BNA, and BWI. It mentions WN's lightning-quick foray into markets money-losing airlines pull out of, like the California corridor and Midway Airlines I's markets.
Now that United Shuttle and MetroJet are being phased out, and DLX is reducing operations by more than half, will we see WN expansion yet again?
The article entertained the possiblity of WN acquiring "surplus" aircraft, even though it is already deferring 7 737-700 deliveries to next year.
How could a potential WN ramp-up be made possible? Do you see WN acquiring parked 737-200, even though they might be costly to maintain?
Falcon Flyer From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 1292 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 887 times:
There's been a Midway -700 parked on the SWA mx ramp at Love for over a week now. That handful of ex-Midway planes could bring some short-term lift.
My definition of cool ? Not trying so hard to be cool.
Mah4546 From Sweden, joined Jan 2001, 31113 posts, RR: 74 Reply 2, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 878 times:
Southwest is reducing it's schedule by 1%, including the loss of 19 weekly flights (of 200!) between Houston Hobby and Dallas Love. Still, that's nothing compared to other airlines.
Tango-Bravo From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 3725 posts, RR: 31 Reply 3, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 841 times:
Posted by SFOintern: Southwest seems to do best when everyone else is hurting,
I would state it this way: Southwest does well when everyone else is hurting; they do even better when everyone else is doing well. My guess is that we are on the same page; just wanted to state my take on how Southwest performs relative to the the "full-service" majors.
SFOintern From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 770 posts, RR: 5 Reply 4, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 811 times:
Tango-Bravo... Agreed. It may cause to much discomfort to think that WN has expanded most rapidly at the expense of the "Cartel Six"
That Midway -700 news is certainly news to me... anyone know what happened to Eastwind's -700s from way back when? (Did WN pick those up as well?)
Spinkid From United States of America, joined Jul 2001, 1000 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 804 times:
I read back here a while back that a memo was circulated around Southwest stating that the Midway planes are only being stored their temporarily and not going into service with Southwest.
DCA-ROCguy From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 4402 posts, RR: 38 Reply 6, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 778 times:
SFOIntern, it seems to me that Southwest will likely ramp up at BWI when MetroJet shuts down. On some routes Metrojet competes heavily with WN--six daily flights, for instance, on BWI-PVD. MetroJet has been packed every time I've flown it or seen their BWI departure lounge this year. They're carrying pax (tho probably fewer right now). MJ's cost structure doesn't allow it to make money at WN fares. It seems to me Southwest could easily add three or four flights on BWI-PVD (factoring in post 9/11 traffic drop) and make money.
Multiply that to three quarters of MJ's 55 daily flights at BWI, and you'd see a 20 percent ramp up (approx 150 daily WN departures to approx 190). My own eyeball assessment of BWI suggests that WN could put 20 percent more flights through its 21 gates. It'd be a bit of a squeeze, but it could be done.
Figure that US will pull the 1992 a**hole maneuver again and sit on empty gates at BWI....let them. The new concourse A expansion will be done in 2002 (things are *really* moving at BWI, has anyone seen it recently?). Southwest will have room.
Now they just need to backfill ROC, SYR, and other medium-haul markets at which they'd make a killing from BWI.
SFOintern From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 770 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 772 times:
Jim,
Thank you for that BWI update. What about NE-Florida routes... do you know if WN plans to expand at BDL, ISP, etc.?
LV From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 1808 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 766 times:
If DLX does drastic cuts or shuts down all together, do you think WN will ramp up at MCO to fill that tourist pax void that will be left? How about TPA or FLL?
737doctor From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 1332 posts, RR: 48 Reply 9, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 763 times:
We are just storing that Midway aircraft. At this point we have no intention of incorporating it into our fleet.
SFOintern From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 770 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 762 times:
Jim--
One more thing... isn't AirTran coming in to fill in some of MJ's void?
LV--
DLX is already halving its operations. From what I understand, the Orlando heart of the DLX system will not be dramatically ramped down; it is the NE-Florida flights like flights from BDL, BOS, and JFK, that will be cut.
I think WN would do well to increase operations at FLL, given the gate space that has been/is being added there. Miami can never use enough competition. I have no idea about TPA though...
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