Southwest

[Kip Powick]

CAUTION 

 

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[Kip Powick]

Flight is fully booked, after all it is SuperBowl weekend, Christmas, etc.....who gives up their seat so  Terry Tubby can have two seats ???

What is the compensation given to the person who gives up their seat ?? (It better be really  big "bucks")

What happens if no one wants to give up their seat.....? Does Terry Tubby have to wait for another flight???

If Terry Tubby shows up with a ticket for one seat, (fully booked flight), and needs two, this policy has really puts the Gate Agent in a very bad spot. 

I have a feeling that SW has not put out a public announcement that they are holding back two or three seats to accommodate these "Larger" people and will sell the seat to anyone on the "standby list if no Terry type people show up.

If you have watched any of the drunks trying to get on a flight, (You Tube), you can imagine the chaos at the gate if a Terry type shows up for a sold out flight , with a single seat ticket, and suddenly tells the Gate Agent he needs two seats.

 

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[Airband]

The policy has been in place for 30 years and suddenly, it's become a moral hazard?

[Malcolm]

15 hours ago, Airband said:

The policy has been in place for 30 years and suddenly, it's become a moral hazard?

purchasing an extra seat has always been allowed but from the news story: the extra seating is complimentary......... thus the fuss.   

Larger passengers “have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing your seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at the departure gate,” according to the policy, obtained by Fox Business .

“If it’s determined that a second (or third) seat is needed, you’ll be accommodated with a complimentary additional seat.”

[Airband]

2 hours ago, Malcolm said:

the extra seating is complimentary......... thus the fuss.   

The 'complimentary seat' aspect of SWA policy is hardly new, it's been in place for years. What is new is someone featuring it in a Tik-Tok video and it being picked up by the outrage and umbrage brigade.

[Malcolm]

5 minutes ago, Airband said:

The 'complimentary seat' aspect of SWA policy is hardly new, it's been in place for years. What is new is someone featuring it in a Tik-Tok video and it being picked up by the outrage and umbrage brigade.

Strange, all the information, before,  re the seats says that the extra seat can be purchased. No mention of getting one free.  

[Malcolm]

• Vacation chaos as major airline axes flights to four airports and fires 2,000 employees in major shake-up (msn.com)ports and fires 2,000 employees in major shake-up
•  
• Southwest Airlines flights to Cozumel, Syracuse, Bellingham and Houston cut 
• Cuts down to delays in Boeing delivery after a year of aviation disasters 

Southwest Airlines is no longer flying from four airports, it announced on Thursday in a major shake-up after reporting underwhelming profits. 

 

The airline is no longer flying from Cozumel in Mexico, Syracuse, New York,  Bellingham, Washington and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. 

Two thousand employees will also lose their jobs, and the airline expects to receive only 20 aircraft this year, 26 fewer than previously expected. 

Southwest warned there was no assurance that Boeing would meet this most recent delivery schedule. CEO Bob Jordan said the delivery delays would pose 'significant challenges' for the carrier this year and next.

This is the third time Southwest has cut its aircraft delivery estimates. It originally planned on receiving 85 Boeing jets this year.1 / 11

 

Southwest's shares were down about 9% at $26.75 in morning trade.

 

Southwest Airlines is no longer flying from four airports, it announced on Thursday in a major shake-up after reporting underwhelming profits© Provided by Daily Mail

Boeing is reeling from a safety crisis sparked by a January mid-air cabin panel blowout on an Alaska Air flight. Regulators have put a cap on production of the 737 MAX, but the company is not hitting even that level, Reuters reported this month.

The jet maker's woes are rippling through the industry as a shortage of planes is making it harder for airlines to keep up with travel demand that is set to hit record levels this year.

But Southwest, which operates an all-Boeing fleet, is one of the hardest-hit. It now expects its total seat capacity to rise 4% year-on-year in 2024, compared with 6% growth estimated earlier.

The company said reductions in schedules will not only result in a slower-than-expected growth in revenue this year from a year ago, but also translate into higher-than-expected operating costs.

To mitigate the impact, Southwest said it is trying to enhance productivity and control discretionary spending.

"We are focused on controlling what we can control and have already taken swift action to address our financial underperformance and adjust for revised aircraft delivery expectations," Jordan said.

It has already stopped hiring pilots and flight attendants and now expects to end the year with about 2,000 fewer employees than in 2023.

Southwest said it will end its services at Bellingham International Airport in Washington, Cozumel International Airport in Mexico, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and New York's Syracuse Hancock International Airport in August.

It will also cut capacity in markets like Chicago and Atlanta.

Southwest reported an adjusted loss of 36 cents a share in the first quarter. Analysts on average were expecting a loss of 34 cents, according to LSEG data.

 

[Malcolm]

Southwest Boeing 737 plunges within 500 feet of Oklahoma neighborhood©Facebook

A Boeing 737 aircraft suddenly plummeted to less than 500 feet off the ground over Oklahoma, terrifying residents who feared the jet was going to crash. Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 was nine miles away from Will Rogers World Airport just after midnight on Wednesday when records show the 737 dived to between 400 and 500 feet as it flew over a high school in the city of Yukon. Doorbell camera footage showed the Boeing 737 MAX-8 then hovering above houses, before it flies out of frame

Southwest Boeing 737 plunges within 500 feet of Oklahoma neighborhood (msn.com)

[conehead]

Wow, they got one to hover?

[Kip Powick]

"hover"  ???

Some pilots will do anything to get a bit more time on the pay sheet.........

[Malcolm]

FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines jet comes in for a landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, New York, U.S., January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Shivansh Tiwary

(Reuters) -Southwest Airlines announced sweeping changes on Thursday, including plans to end open seating that has been the hallmark of its brand for decades as it faces investor pressure to improve results and shore up its share price.

Earnings have been under pressure in recent quarters, partly because of delays in plane deliveries from Boeing, which have hit revenue and worsened cost pressures. Southwest is also facing pricing pressure as an industry-wide overcapacity in the domestic market has dampened airfares.

But Southwest's shares have lost about 30% of their value over the past two years, during a time when the broad-market S&P 500 has gained about 37%. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management is pushing for leadership changes, saying the company needs fresh perspectives to compete in the modern airline industry. It has warned of a proxy fight.

 

Reuters

Southwest scraps open seating, adds premium fares

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Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said on Thursday that Elliott has not shown willingness to engage in any meaningful conversations, adding that the airline is taking steps to transform itself and hit its financial goals.

"We do see this as a fundamental transformation of Southwest Airlines," Jordan said on the company's earnings call.

That includes the end of open seating that the company has been known for since the 1970s when it started operations, driven by its founder, Herb Kelleher.

Shares rose 6% at $28.31 in afternoon trade.

While all U.S. carriers are facing pressure to discount fares due to an excess supply of seats in the domestic market, airlines like Delta and United are leaning on long-haul international flights and high-margin premium cabins to protect their profit.

Southwest currently doesn't offer these products, but said on Thursday that it now plans on offering seats with extra legroom on its airplanes.

The company's research shows that 80% of its customers, and 86% of potential customers prefer an assigned seat. It also plans to offer premium, extended legroom seats, which will account for roughly one-third of seats across its fleet.

The company said the new cabin layout will require approvals from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and is expected to be available for bookings in 2025.

U.S. carriers have been reporting strong demand for high-margin premium cabins. Alaska Airlines last week said it would add 1.3 million premium seats annually to its mainline fleet.

The company said adding premium seats will require little investment, without offering more details. It did not quantify the boost to its earnings and revenue, either.

Southwest plans to share more details at its investor day in September. It will also start overnight flights in February.

"Southwest's announcement of revenue-enhancement initiatives, purporting to offer assigned seating, premium-seating options and redeye flights, comes more than a decade late," Elliott Investment said in a statement.

Elliott also reiterated its call for a new leadership at the carrier.

Jordan said the company currently has no plans to start charging for bags, adding the airline's data shows that a no-bag fee policy is the number one reason customers choose it.

 

Southwest said it was in discussions with Boeing about the negative financial impact it faces from delayed deliveries. It expects compensation in the form of price discounts.

It expects third-quarter unit revenue to be flat to down 2% year-on-year, while non-fuel operating costs are estimated to be up 11%-13%.

TD Cowen analyst Thomas Fitzgerald said Southwest's outlook implies losses in the current quarter and breakeven in the fourth quarter.

Southwest's second-quarter adjusted profit came in at 58 cents per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of 51 cents per share, according to LSEG data.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago and Shivansh Tiwary in Benga

[UpperDeck]

All of these knowledgeable pilots on AEF and yet no commentary about the SW approach to Tampa 4/5 miles out at 150'!!

Apparently, ATC saved the day suggesting a review of the altimeter setting?

Informative to read opinions as to how two pilots failed to observe the proximity to water!!

[conehead]

1 hour ago, UpperDeck said:

All of these knowledgeable pilots on AEF and yet no commentary about the SW approach to Tampa 4/5 miles out at 150'!!

Apparently, ATC saved the day suggesting a review of the altimeter setting?

Informative to read opinions as to how two pilots failed to observe the proximity to water!!

I was wondering what the pilots were thinking while the GPWS was screaming at them "TOO LOW, TERRAIN! WHOOP WHOOP, PULL UP!"

[UpperDeck]

19 hours ago, conehead said:

I was wondering what the pilots were thinking while the GPWS was screaming at them "TOO LOW, TERRAIN! WHOOP WHOOP, PULL UP!"

But if the altimeter wasn't properly set, there wouldn't be any alarm, would there?

And if the alarm was; "Shark! Shark!"?

[J.O.]

They had the correct altimeter setting. It sounds like they mistook the Courtney Campbell causeway for the runway. It also appears they did not get any GPWS warnings. The NTSB report should make for some interesting reading.