Southwest Edges out AA as Worlds Largest Carrier

[WingNaPrayer]

Airline Traffic Edges Higher Jan-May; Southwest Claims No. 1



DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Traffic on U.S. airlines edged up 1.8% in the first five months of the year, lifted by a 3.8% rise in international travel and a 1.6% increase in domestic travel, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Thursday.

Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) edged out AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines main unit in carrying the most total passengers, though American led in international travel.

Airlines maintained the same number of domestic flights as a year ago while international flights rose 1.3%.

Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, rose 2.7%, just outpacing the 2.5% increase in available seat miles.

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UPDATE: Southwest On Pace To Be Biggest Airline, Traffic-Wise



WASHINGTON (AP)--Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) is on pace to unseat American Airlines this year as the world's biggest airline, measured by passenger traffic.

The domestic-only discount carrier already has eclipsed American's combined domestic and international traffic during the first five months of 2007, according to a government tally released Thursday.

Southwest carried 40.3 million passengers on domestic routes between January and May, an increase of 4.2% from last year.

"We're thrilled to watch our customer base grow," said Brandy King, a Southwest spokeswoman, who attributed the growth to the company's tradition of friendly customer service. "With so many airlines offering low fares, I think customer service makes all the difference in the world."

American, owned by AMR Corp. (AMR), carried 40 million passengers during the January-May period, down 1.8% from last year's levels. American's international traffic for that five month period was 8.7 million, up 0.3% in the first five months; its domestic traffic of 31.3 million was down 2.4%.

Last year, Dallas-based Southwest was the No. 2 airline worldwide, according to International Air Transport Association passenger traffic statistics. It carried about 96.3 million passengers, ranking behind Fort Worth, Texas-based American, which carried about 100 million passengers.

American, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has been the top U.S. airline for the past five years, according to the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Rounding out the top five were Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL), UAL Corp.'s (UAUA) United Airlines and Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA).

Overall passenger traffic on U.S. airlines in the first five months of the year was up 1.8% from last year, with 307.9 million total passengers.

In May, U.S. airlines carried 64.7 million passengers, up 0.4% from the same month last year.

 

[Wretched Wrench]

The fact that they pay and treat their employees well has nothing to do with this.

.

 

[jersey777]

In all honesty...who cares? We have been the largest airline since we bought TWA and how has that helped us? 7 years of the most tumultuous years in our history? Almost going bankrupt? Good riddance to the title and hopefully hello to profit sharing next year for the first time in a long time.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

hopefully hello to profit sharing next year for the first time in a long time.

Are you on glue? If not, whatever you're on, I want some!

 

[AirLUVer]

Southwest carries more people, American carries people farther. AA still has Southwest beat on RPM's

 

[Skymess]

In all honesty...who cares? We have been the largest airline since we bought TWA and how has that helped us? 7 years of the most tumultuous years in our history? Almost going bankrupt? Good riddance to the title and hopefully hello to profit sharing next year for the first time in a long time.

I concur

 

[operaations]

I concur

I agree as well.....who cares please close this thread

 

[eolesen]

The fact that they pay and treat their employees well has nothing to do with this.

Actually, it doesn't.

People don't fly WN to be treated by warm and fuzzy employees.

They do it because they're cheap.


Enplanements are a worthless measure in my book. The NYC subway system carries as many people in three weeks as AA and WN do all year.

 

[mrman]

Actually, it doesn't.

People don't fly WN to be treated by warm and fuzzy employees.

They do it because they're cheap.
Enplanements are a worthless measure in my book. The NYC subway system carries as many people in three weeks as AA and WN do all year.

This is ironic when for years this board was giving WN hell for be a reginal airline, not a real airline etc. And as shocking as it seems people do fly WN for their legendary customer service.

Congratulations are due toe WN whether you (we) like it or not.

On another note it is great for the city of Dallas to have two of the worlds largest airlines, and Texas having 3 of the top tem airlines in the world based here. Truely Texas has surpased the northeast as the airline transportation center of the country if not the world.

 

[Wretched Wrench]

The fact that they pay and treat their employees well has nothing to do with this.

Actually, it doesn't.

Of course.

However, it makes one consider that it is indeed possible to provide decent pay and benefits to the rank and file and still prosper. It might actually be advisable. AA has poisoned the well for years.

.

 

[Skymess]

This is ironic when for years this board was giving WN hell for be a reginal airline, not a real airline etc. And as shocking as it seems people do fly WN for their legendary customer service.

Congratulations are due toe WN whether you (we) like it or not.

On another note it is great for the city of Dallas to have two of the worlds largest airlines, and Texas having 3 of the top tem airlines in the world based here. Truly Texas has surpased the northeast as the airline transportation center of the country if not the world.

While I do agree that Southwest has consistently great customer service, I don't agree that their customer service skills made them number 1. I would bet their dirt cheap prices had a lot to do with it.

As far as Dallas surpassing the northeast as the airline transportation center of the country, if not the world; I think you're seriously delusional or you must be a native Texan.

 

[eolesen]

Dunno, Wrench. WN's unions aren't exactly warm and fuzzy with WN management right now. Just yesterday, the StarTelegram had an article about how the TWU of all unions was up in arms over staffing.

AA has definitely poisoned the well over the past six years, but since you were around way back then, consider where management-labor relations were in the 1960's and early 70's. There were some obvious rocky points around the strikes, but overwell, it appeared to be a lot less hostile.

WN is age-wise at the same point AA was in the early 70'. The last of the "pioneers" are retiring, and once Herb is out of the picture, the world changes pretty drastically, much like when CR left for the second time. They've already faced a four year protracted and somewhat contentious negotiations with their flight attendants, and it wouldn't surprise me to see similarly painful negotiations with the IBT and AMFA going forward. SWAPA is a wild card. There are some militants there, but they're not nearly as much of a threat as what APA just elected.


Based on the last couple quarters, it looks like their winning streak is on increasingly fragile ground as their advantage from hedging falls away. They had a couple of quarters which would have been losses had all their hedges not been in place. That's still a possibility going forward (i.e. in 4Q08 or 1Q09) if oil continues to climb.

 

[Wretched Wrench]

I'd probably agree with everything you say over the long haul. Certainly the departure of the Pioneers seems to be a major consideration, here and elsewhere.

However, money talks, and all else walks. WN's pay and benefit package is far superior to what we get. That is, of course, a narrow, short-sighted view, but so are my expenses and obligations.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Well, lets wait to see.....who winds up(2007) with the most "sheckles" !!

AA(like a great race horse) has historically performed better, ..."running just a neck behind the leader", until they cross the finish line !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JS]

Actually, it doesn't.

People don't fly WN to be treated by warm and fuzzy employees.

They do it because they're cheap.

Actually, it's both.

Enplanements are a worthless measure in my book. The NYC subway system carries as many people in three weeks as AA and WN do all year.

Enplanements aren't as worthless as your baffling comparison to the NYC subway system. Let's stick to scheduled passenger US-based carriers so the numbers make some sense.