I think they raise a lot of good points. The only way WN stays competitive going forward is chapter 11.
Yep. Because they're losing money, hand over gist.
Oh wait. Not.
Actually, it is interesting. The common wisdom used to be that Southwest only made money by paying less than the others (which really wasn't true, but their pay was calculated differently), then it was that they could not be successful while serving larger markets (which has, of course, proven false). Their pay is industry-leading.
The big thing has been to ensure that the line is actively-involved in promoting industry-best productivity, and in better customer service, and I think the culture of respect has served these goals well.
Time will tell, but it appears they are on track to continue their success, and I think that international ops will be a good avenue for continued growth. Thus, it still appears that bankruptcy is ... not a likelihood. Swimming in cash, making money, low debt- not exactly a recipe for abject failure.
(At one point, right after 9/11, Southwest's market capitalization was greater than the reast of the the domestic airline industry -all of it,
combined. Not really relevant now, but interesting).
I never heard anybody mention pay, so I don't really think that was an issue, most seem to have preferred the AirTran culture. The reason I won't fly SWA is mainly that I can afford not to fly SWA.
Funny, because while we avoid flying commercial where we can, when we must, Southwest is usually our first choice (assuming a logical itinerary). Fact is, unless you have "status" or are paying for first class (something my budget just doesn't accommodate), the flying experience these days is pretty poor. In Dallas, we are likely to be required to use AA, or make connections in Atlanta, Denver or Chicago. Pay to reserve a seat (after all the decent ones are already blocked for elites), pay to check bags, stand in long lines to board and worst, if your plans change, you either pay large change fees, or forfeit the ticket value completely. None of these issues apply to Southwest.
Since my commercial travel is often short lead time with frequent changes, the ability to change flights without penalty is a big deal, and I usually make reservations too late to score a decent seat. Check in timely on SWA, and I pick my own seat, and I cannot recall the last time I flew in a middle seat (except by choice).
Also, AA has the practice of, when ops get irregular (thunderstorm season in Texas) of simply canceling the whole schedule for the day and "rebooting" the next day (often the best choice for them, when the weather hits their big hub, but scant comfort if the hub happens to be your destination). This has had the effect of stranding me "out" several times, and AA's answer has always been, "It's weather, sorry." Southwest is much, much better at recovering, and much MUCH more aggressive in (1) taking aggressive action to re-accommodate passengers, and (2) keeping passengers informed (with truthful information, not just pablum') than the network carriers.
So, better service, better schedules (now that the a Wright Amendment restrictions on nonstop service to and from Dallas Love are gone), reasonable cost (not always the cheapest, but never a ripoff). And (of course), the unmatched safety record don't hurt (emphasize, I am completely comfortable flying on any of the North American carriers).
From my perspective, they're the best airline in the country, and my friends who fly for them seem pretty happy. YMMV.
