SWA now getting involved with slot (s) possibilities

[swamt]

And the 737 is the dominant aircraft flown by SWA to the cities it flies. Fact.

You and your use of data from large data sets is similar to a guy who trims bonsai. A snip here, a pinch there. You manicure the data and facts and bury those little cuttings in huge, page-long posts. They may be true, but they are far from painting the entire picture. It seems you do all this to make people on this forum think you are some kind of expert.

It only took me a few weeks to figure out your game. With your reputation on here, I see that the rest of this forum saw through it long ago.

BINGO!! You got it brother. He's the king of trying to be the most knowledgeable out here, point blank. Little does he know he's one of the most un-knowledgeable out here. But, he keeps going on and on just like the energizing bunny, LOL...

 

[swamt]

The forum doesn't like the aggressive, cut to the facts I take to what I post. That doesn't make what I write inaccurate... it is precisely because I am correct and aggressive that I ruffle feathers.

Specific to the text you quoted, I never said that DL was the dominant carrier from MDW/LGA to every market. I said it was to its key hubs - ATL/DTW/MSP - and they are the largest carrier in those markets because they serve each of those 3 hubs from both Chicago airports. DL is also the largest airline from Chicago to SLC but they don't serve SLC from MDW, only ORD.

DL will be taking the same logic to N. Texas. The difference is that DAL is in a far better location to the Metroplex than MDW is to Chicago. AA and WN can't do what DL will do and DL is targeting its key hubs plus LGA and LAX. What DL intends to do could fundamentally change the N. Texas market if a non-hub/non-Texas market establishes itself as the dominant carrier in some of the largest markets from the Metroplex even though AA and WN will have far larger operations.

We all see you are back peddling once again, repeat as necessary...

 

[swamt]

WRONG.
 
SWA did not object to the merger, and that is NOT a requirement to file a friend of the court brief.
 
Read it here.
 
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/southwest-airlines-wants-to-tell-judge-why-american-airlines-and-us-airways-should-give-up-slots-in-washington-and-new-york.html/

He still doesn't get it, OH, excuse me, grasp the idea of the subject at hand. He better hope the attorney's at Delta do get the idea of what it will take...

 

[swamt]

[quoteThe settlement will be overturned and the fact that the process has two more months before it is finished puts the pressure on the DOJ and AA/US to come up w/ something that actually... which just might mean that WN walks away with a whole lot less bacon than they were planning - which fully explains your angst.

Overturned? NOT! WN with less bacon than originally planned? Not! Wanna bet on either of these statements you make? Not! Didn't think so. Get a clue. As the NFL says "C'mon man!!!

 

[swamt]

You don't understand me at all.
I have no angst about any of this stuff in the least

If we bid on any slots and the price is too high, we will walk away just like last time.
No big deal here.

If Delta keeps their 2 gates at Love or even gets more, no big deal to me.

I am just having fun blowing holes in your two sided arguments and watching you spin like a top.

Unlike you, I am not a zealot.
Just a mechanic enjoying the show.

You still haven't taken my bet that WN will still have 16 gates at Love after this is all over.
Even after you claimed the Wright Amendment Reform Act was full of holes and Delta could easily challenge it in court.

It also seems to me that you take the fact that Delta was driven into bankruptcy, personally.

WN, he's really not grasping what's going on here is he???

 

[WorldTraveler]

Forgive me WNmech for confusing you two. You have managed to retain some modicum of decency while the other one has turned to insults and personal attacks spread across the board because he can’t counter the real points that I am making.

You AND he can tell me all you want about the deadlines and briefing process but there are some of us in Congress that find a great deal of disgust in the notion that the DOJ can’t figure out how to provide rules for how an antitrust settlement is supposed to work so they turn to the industry they are supposed to regulate in order for airlines within that industry to tell the DOJ how to divide up the assets from the AA/US settlement agreement. If you think there is any basis in law for that procedure or for the DOJ to create arbitrary rules setting up divisions between what airlines can and cannot participate in the divestment process, you will be in for a rude surprise when it is all changed.

There are inconsistencies even how the DOJ applied its own rule in the settlement agreement. How did all of the other parties involved in this suit including dozens of small and medium sized cities that are at risk of losing service misunderstand the process as well? How did dozens of Congress people who represent those cities misunderstand the process?

B6 and WN thought they could walk into the DOJ tell them all the good things they have done for the industry – despite the fact that most of that WN effect in increasing demand thru lower prices - hasn’t occurred in years – while glossing over the fact that WN pulled more seats out of more cities as part of the FL merger than any legacy has ever done with any hub restructuring.

The process the DOJ used for the settlement agreement is flawed and it will be revised. There is a legally defined process to object to the settlement agreement that the judge recognized and incorporated in the process.

WN won’t walk away with anywhere near the number of assets from the merger it thought it would and it will face a lot more competition including from DL, a party which AA/US and WN all thought they could push aside when the evidence overwhelmingly shows that DL has a far better track record of serving small cities than either WN or B6 and that DL aggressively competes in the largest markets in the US.

 

[Force Majeure]

there are some of us in Congress that find a great deal of disgust in the notion that the DOJ can’t figure out how to provide rules for how an antitrust settlement is supposed to work so they turn to the industry they are supposed to regulate

So now you are a member of congress?

The DOJ "can't figure out how to provide rules"?

You need to go back to your marketing dept managers at delta and get some new material.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I have close contacts with them, actually. 🙂

We can carry this on if you would like but I stand by my statement that the settlement agreement will be amended. And members of Congress will have a significant role in making that happen.

 

[WNMECH]

I have close contacts with them, actually. 🙂

We can carry this on if you would like but I stand by my statement that the settlement agreement will be amended. And members of Congress will have a significant role in making that happen.

That is a really weak statement.
How about you really make a bold call and tell us how many slots Delta will get at DCA and LGA.
Then tell us how many gates they will get at Love field.

Come on, really try and show us how smart you think you are.

 

[WorldTraveler]

How many slots will WN gain in the process?

DL will be flying from DAL. I am sure of that.

DL will increase its service at DCA, slots from AA/US or not.

 

[WNMECH]

How many slots will WN gain in the process?

DL will be flying from DAL. I am sure of that.

DL will increase its service at DCA, slots from AA/US or not.

So basically, nothing will change from what they are doing now.

Wow. Another real big prediction.

You are a real Nostradamus.

 

[swamt]

How many slots will WN gain in the process?

DL will be flying from DAL. I am sure of that.

DL will increase its service at DCA, slots from AA/US or not.

Don't know, but we all do know SWA will end up with gates as well as JB.  It's not a known fact for Delta because it is more than likely that Delta will not qualify. 
 
Delta is already flying out of LF.  Gee, great prediction.  I can tell you they will not get more than the 2 gates they already lease from AA, which they can run the added flts they want to add after W/A is gone.  No more than 2 gates for Delta at DAL. 

 

[WorldTraveler]

the issue is gates at DAL and slots at DCA.

Given that there isn't legal clarity that DL could bid to retain gates at DAL, having DL retain service at DAL is not a given and would be an improvement over the settlement agreement.

Given that there is absolutely no legal basis for DL having to terminate service at DAL because of a settlement agreement between AA/US and the DOJ, I am indeed betting that DL will retain its presence at DAL and will grow itsoperation. I have yet to hear any other airline that has publicly said that they want gates at DAL.

Again, I am more than happy to see WN turn DAL into as big of an operation as possible - as long as they don't monopolize the operation or push out any of the incumbents in the process.

I also asked you two to tell me how many of the LGA/DCA slots you expect B6 and WN to gain and I have heard nothing. I will say that the chances of B6 and WN taking all of the slots are somewhere between slim and none.

If the settlement agreement is not revised to require AA/US to declare what cities and with what frequencies it will serve current small/medium sized cities, I will bet the settlement agreement will be revised and/or additional slots will be created for other airlines including DL to use to maintain the current level of service.

 

[robbedagain]

I could see wn b6 vx and spirit as well as may be allegiant getting the slots as well as may be canada's west jet to begin service at dca

 

[WorldTraveler]

I believe you are exactly right, robbed.  There could be other carriers besides just DL vying for slots with B6 and WN.
 
Remember that VX tried to file  a last minute friend of the court brief right as the settlement was being announced. There is absolutely no reason to think that they aren't any less interested in an increased presence than any other carrier.
 
Problem for Spirit and Allegiant is that their ultra low fare model may not work with expensive slots but in principle no one should be excluded.
 
And the settlement doesn't address how AA/US can increase their share at LGA thru the merger to a size far larger than DL's at DCA but DL can't bid on slots at DCA. 
 
There are failures at all levels of the settlement agreement which is why the chances of it being revised are very high.

Any revisions likely will reduce the size of the settlement that either B6 or WN will get which is precisely why they are opposed to any revisions.