Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is a total shock to me. One of the main reasons for their success is only having one type of airplane.
Flight crews, and mechanics only had to learn one airplane. They only had to stock parts for one airplane. If they had a mechanical, they could easily switch to the same plane. This is going to drive up costs, and ticket prices.
They make it sound like a 717 is a fancy Boeing. It is nothing more than a dirty old diesel-9. DC9's were built by the Douglas corporation, which was merged with McDonnel to become Mcdonnel Douglas. Even Delta is finally getting rid of the gas hog DC9's that they got from Northwest.
Now I'm worried that my airline will scramble to merge with the last ugly girl at the dance. I would rather be single. I have lived through too many airline mergers. I'm too old to move.
I came home and it was in my email from AirTran.
Usually when these things happen, there is a hint about it before, but this was a surprise (for me, anyway).
I've never used Southwest because they moved *into* Denver right after I left that city, and since then, their prices have not been all that attractive to me.
We've done okay with AirTran the few times we flew with them.
We shall see.
This is what Airfarewatchdog says about the merger and consumers:
Here's what to expect
...More fare pressure if other airlines continue the merger dance. American and US Air must be in panic mode as Southwest continues to grow. What next? An American/US Air marriage? Frontier/Midwest combine with USAir? JetBlue+American? The Southwest/Airtran merger came out of the blue, so anything and everything could be on the table....
They make it sound like a 717 is a fancy Boeing. It is nothing more than a dirty old diesel-9. DC9's were built by the Douglas corporation, which was merged with McDonnel to become Mcdonnel Douglas. Even Delta is finally getting rid of the gas hog DC9's that they got from Northwest.
Hmm actually the 717 is much more modern than old DC-9s, even I like those old Diesels. There are 2 more generations in between (MD80,MD90) those two versions, I guess the only thing they have in common is the outer appearance and the size of the fuselage. They have newer RR Turbofan Engines with less smoke and noise, more efficiency and a new LCD cockpit with modern avionics. It is correct that Delta is getting rid of old DC-9, but in the meantime they get some new MD-90 (predecessor of 717).
In general I would say the 717 could be a nice addition to the fleet for smaller airports and routes with less passenger demand. In the long term I guess Southwest is giving up the 717 when they got their new 738 for cashcow routes within the next 5-6 years.
For passengers, I think, the merger could be a positive thing to benefit from.
This makes us so happy. We only fly SW airlines and have had only positive results. Getting free flights and the flights we want are so easy, never had a problem. Love the no assigned seat policy, I always check in 24 hrs. before our flight (no charge) and we are usually #'s 36-44. No hassel, every flight that we have been on people just pick their seats and we are usually in rows 10-12. You can also check in 24 hrs. before your flight by phone (no charge). Last Oct. we missed our flight out of Fll and they couldn't be more helpful, set us up with voucher discounts at a hotel and booked us on the next avail. flight out the next morning. (no charge).
Hopefully, they will be flying into Atlantic City, which will be very convenient for us to visit family, and to be able to fly into Atlanta to see friends. The only airline that we will fly, competitive prices, great Personnel no baggage fees.
Love, love, love Southwest. I knew about this merger several months ago, because I have many relatives who work at SW. They were all so excited to be able to fly out of the country now.
I think not having assigned seats is awesome. The boarding process SW uses is designed in a way to shave seconds off each flight, which doesn't sound like a lot, but over time, it equates to a few extra flights per day and extra savings for us consumers.
The #1 reason I like SW is because they treat their employees like gold. Like I said before, I have several relatives that work there--some for 20+ years. It's a great company with great benefits. The way a company treats their employees speaks volumes about the business as a whole. I have no problem whatsoever supporting a business like that.
I think not having assigned seats is awesome. The boarding process SW uses is designed in a way to shave seconds off each flight, which doesn't sound like a lot, but over time, it equates to a few extra flights per day and extra savings for us consumers.
I fly SW about 95% of the time. Every once in a while, some one else books me on AA or UA which are the pits.
What I cannot understand is why it takes so long for the legacy airlines to open the door. It is not like they are arriving at a destination unannounced or unexpectedly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
