Originally Posted by
BiggAW
They [Delta] have stretched themsevles thin to the point where they are a mess, and are just losing more in the big markets.
I must have missed the memo on that amid all of Delta's recent profit
and loss reports.
Originally Posted by
BiggAW
Of course Delta has long-haul international, which doesn't fit in the Southwest model, but domestically, the Southwest model is winning, and it will continue to push out the legacy models that the dinosaurs are clinging on to until they are fully dead.
... drawn to its logical conclusion, that means we would end up with another Pan Am -- an international airline that couldn't survive without a domestic network. I don't see that happening. As competition and the market place reduce the number of players, the survivors will adapt.
Southwest is no longer a domestic airline. With their acquisition of AirTran, Southwest is starting to serve Caribbean and Latin American destinations. Once those are integrated into Southwest's network, other international destinations will be ripe for consideration.
Southwest has already moved away from the all-138-seat 737 model with their orders for larger 737's. I will not be at all surprised if regionals are also in their future. They almost acquired them when they considered buying Frontier out of bankruptcy. In Australia Virgin Blue (originally modeled after WN with an all 737 fleet) has evolved to flying Embraers as well as 737's and has made some other non-Southwest-ish changes as well. The Southwest example is not necessarily a universal solution.
Over the long run you're going to see DL & WN (& UA & US/AA) evolving to be more competitive with each other. What most people think of as Southwest today is not the answer. Southwest is already evolving well past that.
Change happens to everything, and will continue to happen.
Originally Posted by
BiggAW
Delta should realize that a market not worth flying a dozen 737's into isn't a market worth serving.
That's why they are contracted to regional airlines with smaller planes and different cost structures. Only a few years ago a Mesaba first officer new on the job could have earned more money as a WalMart greeter. Their pay scales are higher today but still much lower than the major airlines.
Originally Posted by
BiggAW
Apparently a lot of people agree with me, since Southwest is now number one domestically.
It's not a matter of agreeing with you. The numbers have said that for years. Delta (w/ NW now counted as DL) is still 2-3% ahead in enplanements, but that counts international passengers. And that
without counting AirTran, which is still reported separately.
Originally Posted by
BiggAW
What I wish is that there was another airline that got it like Southwest, so that there were more options.
That was known as Song. Technically they were not a separate airline: They flew planes repainted with Song logos & colors under Delta's operating certificate, and they tried to emulate Southwest -- and they flubbed.