We know that Southwest Airlines has been undergoing some significant changes, in its quest to improve profitability. The airline is doing everything from launching redeye flying, to introducing assigned and extra legroom seating. The company is also under a lot of pressure, given the activist investors who want things to change fast.
Well, there are rumors about a major announcement coming from the Dallas-based airline in the coming days. All we can do as of now is speculate, though I want to cover what’s being discussed, since it does seem likely that something will be announced.
In this post:
Rumors about a major Southwest development
The always insightful @xJonNYC suggests that there might be a significant announcement coming from Southwest in the next couple of days. To briefly cover his Twitter/X postings on the topic so far, he started by asking if anyone has any intel or rumors on a Southwest and/or JetBlue announcement in the coming days.
He has heard that officials from Southwest’s pilots union have signed an NDA in recent days, including being told that a big change is coming to service procedures, which will require training.
He suggests that maybe this could include a new aircraft type at the airline, and also emphasizes that he’s not hinting that a merger is on the horizon. He also suggests the announcement could come as soon as Monday, which is a holiday in the United States, so the markets are closed (which would obviously be quite deliberate).
He also points out how there are currently zero job postings of any kind at Southwest (for both internal and external applicants), which is rather unusual. Some say that the last time there were zero job postings was when the carrier merged with AirTran, many years back.
It’s also pointed out how a Southwest flight attendant union board member attended a management meeting, and then posted a poll on Facebook, asking others which airline they think Southwest will merge with (I wouldn’t read too much into that).
So that’s kind of all we know as of now. I do believe that there will be an announcement of some sort in the coming days. However, it remains to be seen how significant it is.
What could Southwest be announcing?
Obviously all we can do as of now is speculate. Could Southwest be placing a new aircraft order? Could the airline be acquiring another airline? Could Southwest partner with another airline, in a significant way? It’s worth noting that Southwest’s union contracts have been renegotiated in recent years to give the company a bit more leverage, with everything from redeye flying, to airline partnerships.
Southwest has historically been an all-Boeing 737 operator, and it’s something the carrier has seemingly stuck to. However, there’s no denying that this is posing a major issue for the carrier’s growth and fleet renewal. The biggest issue is that the Boeing 737 MAX 7 hasn’t yet been certified, and Southwest desperately wants this lower capacity aircraft. It’s anyone’s guess if/when it will be certified.
So could Southwest finally be considering ordering a different aircraft type? Maybe the Airbus A220? Or maybe the Embraer E195-E2? The latter seems unlikely, but then again, the plane may have the fastest delivery slots available.
Alternatively, could Southwest be looking at some sort of an airline acquisition? Breeze and JetBlue have been most rumored. Breeze is privately owned and would give Southwest immediate access to A220s, so it could help Southwest’s capacity issues. Interestingly, Breeze’s president recently moved to Southwest, to take on the role of CFO. That’s likely unrelated, but worth mentioning.
JetBlue seems like a long shot to me, as the airlines have totally different business models and passenger experiences. Then again, it would give Southwest access to some lucrative markets. I’m still convinced we’re going to see some significant airline consolidation during the Trump presidency.
However, it seems unlikely that consolidation is at play here, given that some work groups have reportedly been briefed with NDAs. That wouldn’t ordinarily happen with a work group like pilots for a merger, given the risks of the information leaking. Then again, freezing all hiring and not having a single open position to fill does seem like something you’d expect if there were a merger.
Could Southwest be announcing some sort of a significant airline partnership, otherwise? Based on what’s being reported, that seems unlikely, since it wouldn’t impact service procedures at the airline.
Bottom line
While there’s nothing official yet, rumor has it that a big announcement is imminent at Southwest. We don’t know any details, though, so it’s anyone’s guess if it’s a new type of aircraft for the airline, or something totally different.
I do think Southwest management is under pressure to make major changes, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a “radical” move, at least by Southwest’s historically conservative standards.
Anyway, we should know soon enough if something is being announced, and if so, what it is. If anyone wants to get their guess in, now is the time to do so.
What are you expecting that Southwest Airlines will announce, if anything?
It looks like the "big announcement" was that WN has joined IATA.
.............or not.
Layoffs announced.
IATA membership.
if its anything directed from idiot investment managements direction i doubt it will be an improvement
I know, it's gotta be another impressive announcement of an 'official airline' status of an over-exalted US professional sports franchise, like they hoodwinked on last time !!
Talk about shameless promotion and clickbait, and I'm a suckah for reading part of it as well !
My guess that Southwest Airlines could order Airbus A350-900 or Boeing 777-300ER.
2nd guess. It could launch across the Atlantic.
if you want to run w/ a rumor, the most logical could be that WN and B6 are rolling out a codeshare.
both have labor agreements that prohibited domestic codesharing, even for regional carriers.
Both WN and B6 have struggled where the other is stronger.
may have nothing to do w/ reality but if Ben wants page clicks we can give it to him based on actual industry analysis w/ no expectation of anything actually happening.
You are too small and irrelevant. Stop being jealous of people who are not, and stop going after Ben. This is pathologically creepy.
the only one that is pathological is you and your running from one site to another trying to shut down a voice that is talking about the topics presented.
You are simply jealous that someone else can carry on a relevant conversation.
The topic is WN or something remotely related if you'd like to contribute.
;
Little irrelevant Tim, you are so delusional and out of touch with reality to the point that you seem to think that I follow you around other websites. You don’t debate, you simply bully your way through topics presenting all the sick stuff that goes through your mind, and you call that “facts”. It’s weird, I’ve never seen Ben (who IMO has the best travel blog of all time) write something like: “according to Tim...
Little irrelevant Tim, you are so delusional and out of touch with reality to the point that you seem to think that I follow you around other websites. You don’t debate, you simply bully your way through topics presenting all the sick stuff that goes through your mind, and you call that “facts”. It’s weird, I’ve never seen Ben (who IMO has the best travel blog of all time) write something like: “according to Tim Dunn”, but he writes “according to Jon”. And in your sick twisted mind, you are relevant and important in the community, and Jon is “poor little Jon”. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone quote you, except when making fun of how delusional you are. No one here was banned from pretty much all websites and fired from the industry and acts as if what they have to say is relevant. Only you do that. So please answer my question: why have you been banned from the community and industry and “poor little Jon” hasn’t ?
“ The topic is WN or something remotely related if you'd like to contribute.”
The topic was WN, and you were the first one to deviate it to “poor little Jon” and once again go after Ben. So I ask you: why do most people quote and respect Jon but laugh at you ?
it is beyond laughable that the person that thinks I need help is the one that posts incessantly about users.
You. Go. Get. Help.
I am going nowhere.
You don't get to choose who plays on the internet.
If you want to hear less from me, then deal with the topics and not the users.
If you don't like what someone else posts, walk away.
It's not difficult for any reasonably intelligent or emotionally stable person to figure out.
Wahhhh my name is Tim and I’m easily offended and have anger issues
As usual, you didn’t answer my question little irrelevant Tim. And I don’t post about users, I post about you. That’s two completely different things. Last chance: why do most people want to know what Jon has to say and the same people laugh at what you say ? And why have you been banned from aviation and Jon hasn’t ?
"I don’t post about users, I post about you"
-- which is pathologically creepy. The fact that you are incapable of seeing it about yourself shows how wrapped up in yourself you are.
why do most people want to know what Jon has to say and the same people laugh at what you say ?
I answered it clearly - because aviation social media (like social media as a whole) is full of people...
"I don’t post about users, I post about you"
-- which is pathologically creepy. The fact that you are incapable of seeing it about yourself shows how wrapped up in yourself you are.
why do most people want to know what Jon has to say and the same people laugh at what you say ?
I answered it clearly - because aviation social media (like social media as a whole) is full of people that would rather trade in rumors than facts.
I present facts including the cold uncomfortable stuff that you and others can't stand to read - all of which are factual.
as to your fixation w/ whether I was banned or where I might have worked, it is clear that I still control the conversation, you can't do anything about it, but you waste enormous amount of energy trying anyway.
You are pathologically fixated and are incapable of grasping that the best way to see less of me is to not argue incessantly thinking you can bully we out of the way.
Just let people write what they want and do the same yourself.
This is hilarious ! Oh poor small irrelevant Tim ! Since you’re so jealous of people who are actually relevant and credible, maybe thinking that you control a conversation with a travel blog reader who is a no one will actually make you fell better ! You know, relevant. Not a laughing stock. I might even quote you today when discussing the industry with my 10 year old nephew. How does it feel to be in control and credible ?
the only laughingstock is you - someone that fixates incessantly about me and has nothing to contribute to the discussion.
YOU are pathological and you can't even see it.
everyone else is capable of seeing that you accomplish absolutely nothing in your attempts to shame me off of this and any other sites.
The topic is WN and maybe something they might do
Do you think you can walk away from your fetish long enough to participate in the discussion that Ben started?
Did Ben started saying “poor old small Jon?”
You are Tim ! I feel so controlled and obsessed by you ! Enjoy the credibility and relevance ! When does your blog air ? Can’t wait
since you clearly haven't figured it out, this is Ben's site.
He is more than capable of not just writing what he wants but also allowing who and what he wants in responses and also interacting w/ whoever he wants, if he wants.
He doesn't give me any more or less attention than anyone else - which is exactly as it should be.
If he wanted to respond to my criticism of his use of...
since you clearly haven't figured it out, this is Ben's site.
He is more than capable of not just writing what he wants but also allowing who and what he wants in responses and also interacting w/ whoever he wants, if he wants.
He doesn't give me any more or less attention than anyone else - which is exactly as it should be.
If he wanted to respond to my criticism of his use of Jon's sources, he is more than capable of doing so.
it is YOU and you alone that want to persist in arguing because you can't accept that the internet is full of opinions.
I don't know who you are and I am not interested in finding out.
Just respond to what people say and then walk away if you disagree.
You ARE unhinged if you think you have to continually berate someone because you don't like that they talk about things you don't like.
You are the bully that you condemn.
Just. Walk. Away.
better yet. Post on the topic.
It’s so easy to bait you little irrelevant Tim. But I’ve had my fun and now I’m starting to feel bad, because I’ve just remembered that I’m interacting with a mentally handicapped individual, and that it’s not nice. I’m sorry, I should’ve remembered that before. Looking forward to your own blog ! Get well !
changing caterers at MDW to save .01 cent per passenger.
how many caterers are there at MDW? I can't imagine too many companies compete to put drinks, pretzels and ice on a flight from a single airport - or have the facilities to compete for those that have the contract - but anything is possible, right?
Southwest caters their own planes. Do your research before posting.
Maybe they will return to brown poop color cabins and making their passengers feel more like cattle than they already do. For any indignities that other airlines commit, it's nothing like the entire ethos of Southwest.
United is acquiring Southwest.
last week there were people, jon nyc included, that were hoping it would be UA that would take out B6 - until UA HDQ dashed those rumors.
there are so many UA fankids with wet dreams of dominating aviation that it is close to being declared a national epidemic.
Jon didn’t definitely say there would be a merger, which is what UA said would not happen. There was also the possibility of a partnership or asset acquisition.
It must kill you that Jon is so respected and can so succinctly make points, when you write pages and pages of comments and have no credibility.
Plus it was hilarious when he specifically called you out, calling you some kind of curse word.
...Jon didn’t definitely say there would be a merger, which is what UA said would not happen. There was also the possibility of a partnership or asset acquisition.
It must kill you that Jon is so respected and can so succinctly make points, when you write pages and pages of comments and have no credibility.
Plus it was hilarious when he specifically called you out, calling you some kind of curse word.
Add him to the list of respected people who find you annoying. lol
PS - you sound so insecure when you point out people who like UA, when you have been so much more relentless regarding DL over the years.
of course Jon caveated that there wouldn't be a merger - because UA made a point of saying he wasn't predicting that... because when he did it before, UAL stock moved DOWN enough that UA management had to put out a denial.
NO one is respectable for endlessly creating rumors with his only facts being based on stolen documents from AA and UA. DL and WN employees don't feed him.
I don't really care...
of course Jon caveated that there wouldn't be a merger - because UA made a point of saying he wasn't predicting that... because when he did it before, UAL stock moved DOWN enough that UA management had to put out a denial.
NO one is respectable for endlessly creating rumors with his only facts being based on stolen documents from AA and UA. DL and WN employees don't feed him.
I don't really care what or who you think is respectable. The fact that 20% or more of the posts here are from people arguing about me says I have won the conversation.
Just let people post what they want and move on.
concerned,
I don't hate UA... they are the only airline I have flown in the last month. They did a great job other than their aged cramped terminals that are being expanded on both ends of the flights.
The problem is their employees/fans that think that the world will roll over so UA can expand for UA's benefit and at the expense of everyone else.
UA execs THEMSELVES said that UA is not engaged in any merger or any other strategic discussions with another airline - and yet some people can't let go of their incessant need to think that the holes in UA's network will be filled at the expense of other airlines.
Why do you hate UA? Just curious…..
Hate to ruin the party but all of this feels just as consistent with layoffs as it does with a flashy change in commercial strategy
Wèll, might as well jump into the speculation...it's a slow news day, so why not....
I don't see a merger. That would not explain new training requirements, as any other airline they'd merge with would already have the trained workforce. And I don't see any good merger partner anyways.
I don't think it a service related development. I don't think they're in a position to generate a premium to offset the cost.
I think...
Wèll, might as well jump into the speculation...it's a slow news day, so why not....
I don't see a merger. That would not explain new training requirements, as any other airline they'd merge with would already have the trained workforce. And I don't see any good merger partner anyways.
I don't think it a service related development. I don't think they're in a position to generate a premium to offset the cost.
I think it likely new aircraft type related to network strategy. Going larger gauge would be interesting to expand long-haul for premium fares, but some of their larger operations are at airports that can't take larger gauge equipment...eg, DAL, HOU, MDW... the larger airports already too competitive for long-haul, possible exception BWI.
So I think it'll be the A220... they could pick up the aircraft from Breeze, but too many hurdles and cost it would seem.
We'll see! Enjoy this Sunday@
Maybe they will announce flights across the Atlantic?? lol
Since Breeze and Sun Country have been mentioned, would an Avelo purchase also make sense as they too fly mostly 737s?
I cant see how that would be overly helpful to WN...but what the heck ? right ?
SY has about 50 737-800s.
Southwest has had a hiring freeze since January, so the no job postings is related to that, which may be related to this announcement but may not be
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/southwest-airlines-freezing-hiring-promotions-141901708.html
No, that is completely incorrect. All sources indicate that there have been job postings consistently and without exception all throughput the hiring freeze.
Wait, you got b*nned from Flyer talk, Jon?
What about acquiring NK out of bankruptcy?
I think that would make the most sense. Seems like they overlap a bit and they would dominate FLL.
Unless they announce a true premium class , then it’s not interesting to me . It’s clear that some sort of premium class is a competitive necessity. Extra leg room seats or blocked middle seats are not premium class to me . Heck , even F9 is introducing an F cabin . It doesn’t need to be a large number of seats and they don’t need to serve meals . Just a couple of 2 x 2 rows of big seats .
Yesterday afternoon (Sat at around 3pm), I saw an unscheduled Sun Country plane landing at Love Field (they do not have scheduled pax service to LUV).
hmmm.... that is intersting. The one merger that would make sense. Sun country is not doing well and have a good southwest-like network.. Good job!
Sun Country is doing fine with its Amazon contract which evens out revenue through out the year. It will soon pick up eight more freighters as part of the Amazon contract. Also, its current fleet of passenger B737-800 is getting long in the tooth. WN needs fresh airframes as its current fleet is also starting to age due to MAX delays.
Would have never thought of this but it does seem to make sense and they have an all 737 fleet if I’m not mistaken.
Sun Country sometimes does charters out of Love Field
More than likely it was a sports charter. Sun Country does a lot of charter flying for the NCAA
Sun Country does a lot of Charter flights. It is not atypical for Sun Country to fly into Dallas Love field on a charter for Sports teams.
This discussion on Simple Flying appeared a few days ago. Is it a coincidence or an insider gauging public perception?
https://simpleflying.com/thread/would-southwest-and-jetblue-make-a-good-merger/
there are all kinds of people that want to fan the flames of rumors.
Might it be to say that bookings with its new partner (Iceland) are now live?
It would be stupid to merge with JetBlue. JetBlue has JFK and LAX which have high prices to fly into and does not fit southwest at all! 737's to A321's does not fit at all either! THEY WOULD GO BANKTRUCPT!!!!
Southwest have a huge operational LAX today so clearly LAX work for their plan.
Southwest has operations at LGA, BOS, DCA and LAX. They know how to operate in expensive labor airports. Frontier has operations at JFK, so ULCC can work their too.
poor little Jon.
On the outside looking in and wanting someone to spill the beans so he can get a scoop.
WN isn't like AA and UA where some loose-lipped employees constantly leak corporate secrets.
How about we wait until WN announces what they will announce?
Poor little Tim. Bashing on a guy that has infinite more relevance than you in the community and someone that people actually is interested in what he has to say. News flash: rational people don’t consider him a delusional sick person and a laughing stock. Poor little Tim.
having a major corporation having to issue a press release to deny a rumor which Jon thought might happen and yelled from the treetops is not the kind of relevance than anyone w/ any credibility should be known for.
You and a whole lot of other people don't like the FACTS which I regularly present and try to kill which is precisely why I keep doing it.
Poor little sad all alone Tim.
as hard as it is for your messed up mind to understand, I am not asking for someone to spill corporate secrets that they have been legally signed not to talk about. That is exactly which Jon is asking other people to do so he can get credit. he is the one that deserves pity scorn as well as all of those the traffic in his gossip
No one cares ! News flash !
@Tim, just like others trolling/mocking you for your steadfast support of Delta is wrong, you unnecessarily insulting Jon is wrong.
If you want to bash someone, bash Gary Leff since you’re describing him spot-on. But leave Ben and JonNYC alone.
Gary carried the story using WN union sources.
Jon came along and begs for someone to break their NDA so he can get the scoop.
Yes, when someone traffics in rumors to the point that a Fortune 500 company like UAL needs to issue a statement denying any merger activity because the rumors are hurting their stock, then speculating about where the industry is going is a bridge too far.
I get Gary and Ben...
Gary carried the story using WN union sources.
Jon came along and begs for someone to break their NDA so he can get the scoop.
Yes, when someone traffics in rumors to the point that a Fortune 500 company like UAL needs to issue a statement denying any merger activity because the rumors are hurting their stock, then speculating about where the industry is going is a bridge too far.
I get Gary and Ben both need to make a living creating page clicks but anyone that feeds someone that thrives on stolen information should not be honored.
I’ve got a suggestion for you Little irrelevant Tim. Create your own blog. You can call it one DeLusion at a time. And then you can write everything that your sick mind produces. You will have the time of your life writing about your sick weird pathological DL fetish with all the relevance that you seem to think you have. And then, you can go ahead and write another 14 paragraphs commenting on your own...
I’ve got a suggestion for you Little irrelevant Tim. Create your own blog. You can call it one DeLusion at a time. And then you can write everything that your sick mind produces. You will have the time of your life writing about your sick weird pathological DL fetish with all the relevance that you seem to think you have. And then, you can go ahead and write another 14 paragraphs commenting on your own post. It will be the most beautiful thing ever. You will finally be able to live in the world that your sick brain believes is the reality, together will all the other people who think that what you say is important and relevant: yourself ! It’s a win win situation: you will finally live your fantasy and us (rational people) will no longer have to read the sick weird stuff that you call “facts”.
"came along and begs for someone to break their NDA so he can get the scoop."
You just described every reporter/journalist in the history of breaking-news.
The jealousy you have, for people's admiration of this guy and of their wanting to know what he has to say, is so apparent.
hard.
no.
reporters have morals.
"reporters have morals."
That's the dumbest generalization I've seen you make here yet, lol.
Jon has shat out more industry credibility after a single big meal than you have had or ever will have
I get my data from public sources, not stolen memos.
The same data and sources that got you fired from Delta and banned from every other aviation site, Lil’ Timmy? It tracks.
Why you being the fun police? If everyone just waited for the announcements what's the point of early rumors? Isn't that really the point of these posts is to have fun discussions with each other?
Tim, I try oh so hard to not pick on you like the other kids but GD'it you make it soooo freaking easy. Just stop yourself
yeah, you are generally classy but I would say the same thing to anyone.
When you beg someone to violate their NDA so you can get the scoop, you aren't a journalist or a reporter.
And the point still remains that AA and UA employees are the sources of the stuff that JonNYC usually "breaks"
It's not a surprise that WN employees aren't talking -and he never manages to get anything from DL.
...yeah, you are generally classy but I would say the same thing to anyone.
When you beg someone to violate their NDA so you can get the scoop, you aren't a journalist or a reporter.
And the point still remains that AA and UA employees are the sources of the stuff that JonNYC usually "breaks"
It's not a surprise that WN employees aren't talking -and he never manages to get anything from DL.
And it is also clear that the people who have denigrated what I have said here are the ones that can't stand to see the data that I actually present.
Some people love rumors but hate to deal w/ real facts.
Poor Little irrelevant Tim. It hurts to see someone have the attention and relevance you so desperately crave doesn’t ? Has Jon ever been banned from the community and industry ? What about you ?
you are the only one that is craving attention and you also don't understand the industry.
You have no idea about what I have and have not - but just like here, you thrive on rumors and innuendo rather than fact.
and are invariably wrong.
Little irrelevant Tim. This is just a travel blog. Yes, it is the best blog out there, but I don’t belong to the community or the industry (nor was I banned from both), so no thanks, I don’t need attention from people here or from the community.
Tim, it must kill you to see Jon be so respected and make such big news so succinctly. Meanwhile you write pages and pages of comments with no credibility.
And Jon didn’t say it was definitely a merger. It was open to the possibility of a partnership or asset acquisition.
He has so many hits and correct scoops. You have none. Without his proven track record he wouldn’t have the following he has....
Tim, it must kill you to see Jon be so respected and make such big news so succinctly. Meanwhile you write pages and pages of comments with no credibility.
And Jon didn’t say it was definitely a merger. It was open to the possibility of a partnership or asset acquisition.
He has so many hits and correct scoops. You have none. Without his proven track record he wouldn’t have the following he has.
And serious question, since you already write so much more than the bloggers and other analysts, why don’t you start your own blog?
“And serious question, since you already write so much more than the bloggers and other analysts, why don’t you start your own blog?”
Yeees ! There’s your chance Little Irrelevant Tim ! You can finally prove once and for all how relevant and credible you are. I bet you would have a huuuuge following. You can even call your followers Dunners. I’m pretty sure you will be quoted by all the relevant people in the...
“And serious question, since you already write so much more than the bloggers and other analysts, why don’t you start your own blog?”
Yeees ! There’s your chance Little Irrelevant Tim ! You can finally prove once and for all how relevant and credible you are. I bet you would have a huuuuge following. You can even call your followers Dunners. I’m pretty sure you will be quoted by all the relevant people in the community, just like Jon is. I’m pretty sure that Ben will start to write “as flagged by Tim Dunn” all the time. I promise I will be your first subscriber and I will write at least 10 paragraphs of commenting for each post you write. It will be awesome !
Nothing against anybody but if they were so well respected, they would have a senior level management position in aviation, not writing rumors. Just saying.
Back in March 2024 it was reported that the Southwest Airlines pilot union had hired several law firms in preparation for the carrier potentially acquiring another airline. Breeze makes the most sense to give Southwest immediate access to medium sized A220 jets, as Boeing is unlikely to deliver the Max 737-7 any time soon. The A220 would open up many new US cities to Southwest, potentially enabling them to start serving 100k population cities in...
Back in March 2024 it was reported that the Southwest Airlines pilot union had hired several law firms in preparation for the carrier potentially acquiring another airline. Breeze makes the most sense to give Southwest immediate access to medium sized A220 jets, as Boeing is unlikely to deliver the Max 737-7 any time soon. The A220 would open up many new US cities to Southwest, potentially enabling them to start serving 100k population cities in the Midwest to feed into their Denver hub.
A WN / B6 merger makes no sense. Different fleets. Different operating models. Route maps sort of complimentary, but it would transform WN into a full network carrier and one that would still face challenges competing against the big 3 US carriers. The only merger of WN that makes sense is one with Delta. It would fill Delta's holes in Texas and Chicago, make it fairly straightforward, if not expensive, to convert all those 737s...
A WN / B6 merger makes no sense. Different fleets. Different operating models. Route maps sort of complimentary, but it would transform WN into a full network carrier and one that would still face challenges competing against the big 3 US carriers. The only merger of WN that makes sense is one with Delta. It would fill Delta's holes in Texas and Chicago, make it fairly straightforward, if not expensive, to convert all those 737s to the DL standard. Either way, WN's days as an independent carrier are coming to a close soon. It's a model that doesn't work any longer.
Not a chance in hell that the nation's largest domestic airline and the world's second largest airline (both by passenger count as the metric) would pass scrutiny in a merger.
Delta would also have zero use for Southwest's operations in Chicago (immediately surrounded by Delta's 2nd and 3rd largest hubs, on both sides), and Southwest's strength in Texas is its ubiquity, something Delta's model cannot emulate (they're not going to do major connecting operations in...
Not a chance in hell that the nation's largest domestic airline and the world's second largest airline (both by passenger count as the metric) would pass scrutiny in a merger.
Delta would also have zero use for Southwest's operations in Chicago (immediately surrounded by Delta's 2nd and 3rd largest hubs, on both sides), and Southwest's strength in Texas is its ubiquity, something Delta's model cannot emulate (they're not going to do major connecting operations in Dallas AND Houston AND Austin concurrently).
@ImmortalSynn..."Delta would also have zero use for Southwest's operations in Chicago..." well, they fly out of ORD and MDW, and are the only of the Big 3 that serves the latter, with several dailies to MSP and DTW, as well as ATL. The Chicago-California market is huge, and currently Delta cannot serve it non-stop; they also cannot serve TX non-stop, another big market here, and unlike AA and UA, they have no direct service to...
@ImmortalSynn..."Delta would also have zero use for Southwest's operations in Chicago..." well, they fly out of ORD and MDW, and are the only of the Big 3 that serves the latter, with several dailies to MSP and DTW, as well as ATL. The Chicago-California market is huge, and currently Delta cannot serve it non-stop; they also cannot serve TX non-stop, another big market here, and unlike AA and UA, they have no direct service to the Caribbean and Mexico from anywhere east of the Mississippi other than ATL (JFK has a few but wow are they limited). If Delta wanted to grow somewhere other than a hub or current mini-hub like SEA or BOS, MDW could make sense to serve several domestic and Caribbean/Mexican markets non-stop. Likely? Very, very doubtful...but there's reason for them to look at Chicago - MDW, in particular.
No one's saying they can't have plenty of service into Chicago, but they're not going to use it for Southwest's current flow operations when their second and third largest hub are both around a 300 mile radius from there.
Not that a Delta and Southwest merger would ever in a million years be allowed to happen.
Going to a full service/legacy airline model maybe the next growth opportunity for Southwest. I would rather see southwest buy AA and turn that airline around. With the Trump administration in charge, the opportunity for a large merger would be now.
Aside from the regulatory hurdles a WN/DL merger would face, the merger of the two would trigger union elections for at least the ACS and Inflight groups, not to mention the ensuing culture war that would inevitably come. I'm not sure anyone at either carrier has an appetite for that.
In the meantime, I think any "big" announcement will be something smaller in scale but still groundbreaking (for WN) like having a regional take...
Aside from the regulatory hurdles a WN/DL merger would face, the merger of the two would trigger union elections for at least the ACS and Inflight groups, not to mention the ensuing culture war that would inevitably come. I'm not sure anyone at either carrier has an appetite for that.
In the meantime, I think any "big" announcement will be something smaller in scale but still groundbreaking (for WN) like having a regional take over their intra-Hawaiian ops or simialr.
I’ve been talking about Delta and SWA for months. I just saw it happening on the backend of a merger cycle not the front end. It probably will never happen but SWA recently reduced its presence in ATL and is shrinking its pilot base there. Delta has increased their presence in Austin, including some really strange legs like MAF to AUS. Alaska is pulling out of Love field and the gates go back to Delta....
I’ve been talking about Delta and SWA for months. I just saw it happening on the backend of a merger cycle not the front end. It probably will never happen but SWA recently reduced its presence in ATL and is shrinking its pilot base there. Delta has increased their presence in Austin, including some really strange legs like MAF to AUS. Alaska is pulling out of Love field and the gates go back to Delta. All that can mean absolutely nothing, but Elliott Management wants a return on their investment in Southwest. Delta is the only airline that could afford to buy SWA and give Elliott a nice return on its investment. Paul Singer, the head of Elliott, has given a lot of money to Trump, he’s got to want something. Robert Isom spent an hour with Trump this past week, he’s got to want something too. Maybe what’s really going to happen is Elon Musk is going to buy Southwest and merge it with SpaceX.
Would love it so much if they took the A220. Finally see them get away from being beholden only to the 737-MAX, and now have the ability to enter smaller and thinner markets with greater ease.
Not gonna happen
unless they are stupid
Because why, some internet rando says so? lol
You write above that Southwest is "bringing back" redeye flying. This implies that Southwest had redeye flying in the past, got rid of it, and is starting it again. Absolutely incorrect. Southwest has never had redeye flying. It's entirely new. It would have been more appropriate to simply say that Southwest was starting redeye flying.