William "Bill" Swelbar’s Post

Adding my 2 cents to latest statement by Southwest Airlines, here's what I think are the biggest disruptors of their business model post covid19. 1. Inflation even though it's measured at a national level surrounding 3% yearly since 2020, the impact on cost of living and relative expenses in the US is well above 7% yearly. This factor impacted labor costs severely on specific markets in the US which were key for Southwest (Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado). Easy Example: 2 bedroom apartments rental in Miami/FLL area went from 1500USD (2020) to 2800USD (2024). 2. The expansion of Southwest Airlines operations to Tier1 airports was inorganic to their business model with only exception being Denver. This factor increased their cost of operation and catered to a customer with a higher GDP per capita which goes in determent of their business model 3. Slow integration of new technologies (lower efficiency), and almost non pricing gap against competitor's while maintaining 1 connection strategy against direct point to point. Example: I do several FLL-DEN or MIA-DEN legs a year. In the last 3 years Southwest is consistently the most expensive one of the carriers (United, Frontier, Spirit, and American). Same happens to MIA/FLL-LAX. Still there's no doubt they are the most successful airline in the history of aviation, and one of those that I love... ❤️ Southwest Airlines American Airlines United Airlines Delta Air Lines Spirit Airlines JetBlue Allegiant LATAM Airlines Avianca Group Lufthansa Group Caribbean Airlines Ltd Silver Airways International Air Transport Association (IATA) ALTA - Latin American & Caribbean Air Transport Association T.M.A.C The Modern Airport Conference Aviation Festival Americas World Aviation Festival CAPA - Centre for Aviation Miami International Airport Denver International Airport - City & County of Denver Dept of Aviation Texas Commercial Airports Association Jay Shabat Juan Camilo Davila Rupen Singh Philloura Molly Stemwedel Brian D'Amico Brian Sumers Fred Lazar Normanas Aerospace Edward Russell Ed Sims Iain Smith David Ulane, A.A.E., FRAeS Will Horton BermudAir #aviation #airlines #airlinenews #airports #aviationindustry

Southwest Airlines is getting rid of everything that made them unique. They used to have the funniest and BEST flight attendants in the industry. Since the AirTran merger experiencing the old school Southwest experience now happens once in while while it used to be the norm and something passengers aniticipated and adored. They have had an open seating platform that has differentiated them for decades. They are now eradicating that. The late and great co-founder and former CEO of Southwest, Herb Kelleher, has to be rolling around in his grave. I understand making subtle changes to a company to refresh its appeal but leaving the core principles of low airfare and best customer service in the business has allowed me to lose my former loyalty. Richard Branson has made it clear that he loves to enter an industry where the large majority of competitors are all going one direction. He went all in on the Virgin Airlines, a larger than life VIP customer experience, when airlines were decreasing comfort and squeezing profits. I truly believe a new airline called South Back or something catchy should come along and bring the old Southwest back. Who is your favorite airline to fly now and a decade ago and why?? Please give this a like and add any comments to further this discussion. Click follow #brandonjamesthompson Careers in Aesthetics LLC BT Medical Innovations Nuvissa #business #travel #airlines #medicaldevicesales #sales

#Road2WorldCongress Entry 2. Hour 10. After 2 hours at the not-to-be-named airline ticket counter in MSY airport (that's Louie Armstrong to the tight jawed among us) we were told they could get us to Seattle by 3pm... On Monday! This was more than a slight inconvenience as the chapter leadership summit is tomorrow, and I need all of the help I can get. After talking to several other airlines - and walking a country mile around to the back corner, I was able to secure 2 seats on a non-stop flight for tomorrow on the open door airline with the potential to get moved to a NS flight this evening. Interestingly, there wasn't a line at their counter. When I relayed this information to leadership, I was told to come back to not-to-be-named. They had found a less than direct route through ATL and LAX that would get us to Seattle within 24 hours of your departure from the reining confines of home. This turned out to be a dicey proposition, but with leadership school starting before the Frozen ✈️'s arrival, we decided to take the risk. After an initial delay of 67 mins into a 87 min layover, we received favor from the travel gods and arrived at the gate adjacent to our departure. After a quick stop for a slow sandwich, it is off to Lala Land. More to come... #patienceisavirtue #notsohangrywife #LPTA #IwantWings #persistencepaysoff #marketresearch #LemonPepperLou

United is the biggest airline by global reach and capacity. Can it become the most profitable, too? For years, that's a title held by Delta (which also has led among the majors in punctuality), but United's leaders say the company is striving to get to the top, in part through an arms race for high-spending travelers (new cabins, new lounges). Erin Black does a great deep dive into United's history, from Boeing division about a century ago, to mega-mergers and PR scandals to its battle to become No. 1. https://lnkd.in/euj9Bnb4

American Airlines Cancels Planned Chicago-Venice Service for June 2025 - American Airlines has announced the cancellation of its previously planned service resumption between Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Venice Marco Polo (VCE), which was scheduled to commence on June 4, 2025. This decision reflects ongoing adjustments in American Airlines’ network planning as the carrier evaluates demand and resource allocation for its transatlantic routes. The Chicago-Venice route has been popular with leisure travelers, particularly during the summer season, making this cancellation noteworthy for travelers anticipating a direct connection between these two cities. - https://lnkd.in/dGeQJVj2

Real plates! Time to eat, and then prepare to do some networking... 😉 United Airlines #PremiumEconomy is not first class, but it is definitely nicer and more comfortable than Standard Economy. Making use of my Star Alliance membership this time around. Fleet Mobility Today

Dear American Airlines: “Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” I am impressed with AA’s consistency - two flights this week both delayed. It’s what I expected and why I have started flying Southwest Airlines almost exclusively. No weather to cause delays - must be internal organization turbulence. The plane is here with nobody to fly or staff it. Side note to those wondering why in the world I would fly AA when I have regularly had experiences like this - it’s the difference in getting home on Friday night vs Saturday morning 🤞. Of course, no apology from AA, just a chance to rebook my flight for tomorrow morning for free. What an offer! Southwest was delayed two weeks ago due to weather and sent me a $100 luv voucher without me saying a word! Not even their fault… Strategic choices are hard to make and many companies don’t consciously make them. But this example offers a great contrast… AA, if you’d like some organization effectiveness consultation I know a guy!

📰 🚨 🗞️ Interesting news for many in the airline industry! Southwest Airlines, known for its unique boarding process, is set to make changes by 2025. The boarding system, loved by some and not so much by others, is undergoing a transformation. What will happen to loyal A List and A List Preferred status holders? Will their guaranteed good seating become more expensive or fall out of company policies? It's a reminder that every industry evolves to meet customer needs, with one constant: change is inevitable. As a dedicated Southwest Airlines A List Prefered status holder for decades myself, this is interesting 🤔 #SouthwestAirlines #AListStatus #CustomerService #IndustryChanges #Adaptability https://lnkd.in/ghknQ8pD

I hate Ryan Air. But I have a grudging respect for them. For the first time in years, I flew Ryan Air for a weekend break in Copenhagen.  Only because their times suited me better than the other airlines. Ryan Air is a beacon of strategic light in a world full of foggy thinking. Ryan Air know that in order to be excellent at one thing you must have the courage to be terrible at something else.  They know there is a huge market for flyers who want the cheapest possible price and are prepared to be treated like sub-humans in the process.  So that is what they do, and they do it rather well. My experience?  They must pay the lowest amount for slots at Copenhagen airport because their gates are a full 20-minute walk from departures (inconveniencing the customer in the service of cheap prices means nothing to them). To meet a quick turnaround, they process the boarding before the plane arrives and force everyone into cattle pens for half an hour. They profitably sell priority boarding with no apparent limit so that the queue for non-priority is about half the length of the priority queue.  They use buses to get passengers to the plane which totally negates the point of the priority boarding you paid for. On and on it goes. They don’t even pretend to clean the aircraft during the turnaround. Ryan Air took the Southwest Airlines model (which still had room to care for your customers and has unparalleled customer loyalty) and took it to another, darker level. I get it, and I loathe them as much as they loathe me.

I have examined business models for almost 40 years and have always praised Southwest Airlines' model for being focused, simple, and efficient. However, this strategy is now being challenged as other airlines such as Delta Air Lines generate more revenue by charging extra fees for preferred seats, checked bags, priority boarding, and airport club access. Southwest is now planning to adopt similar strategies. I view this as a dangerous move. If Southwest follows this path, it risks losing its unique competitive advantages: operating from smaller airports, fast boarding, and lower operating costs by focusing on a single type of aircraft. Without these differentiators, Southwest may struggle to compete and could face a fate similar to the ill-fated People Express Airlines. I think SWA is expanding too fast to too many locations. Also, copying other airlines strategies is a dangerous move for SWA, do you agree? I am curious! #strategy #focus #airlines #competition #global #quality #ucla #uclaanderson https://lnkd.in/gt4wqwBQ