Southwest buys Airtran

Holy cow!!! :eek:

(Edit: I'm dumb. Southwest paid a 69% premium over Friday's price.)

SWA-AAI.png
 
JoelT said:
That guy is an Eastern scab that no one likes. He has screwed over thousands of pilots.

Also, Airtran management are all former Lorenzo guys. They are very anti-labor and rule with an iron fist. Morale is extremely low over there.
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That makes will make this process even more interesting, being that SWA pilots have a pretty decent relationship with their management. Probably the best I've seen actually.
 
JoelT said:
That guy is an Eastern scab that no one likes. He has screwed over thousands of pilots.

Also, Airtran management are all former Lorenzo guys. They are very anti-labor and rule with an iron fist. Morale is extremely low over there.
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Fornaro is former USAir so he has had training (??).

As for the talkative and harmonica playing pilot, we had a guy at PI that was noted for long announcements. Ernie reached his zenith one day when a pax asked a question boarding. Ernie began talking shortly after takeoff. I knew the FA and she said as he droned on, the pax became more irritated and finally they began throwing stuff at the cockpit door. Ernie, hard of hearing, never heard the thumps. The FA said she migrated to the aft galley where she and the other FAs tried to call Ernie to advise him of the brewing mutiny. Ernie finally shut up. Odd duck for sure. But that isn't the en d of the story. Ernie became Ernestine after he (?) retired. And he was NOT a handsome man.:insane:
 
Southwest plans to keep AirTran's Boeing 717 Fleet

Southwest executives have confirmed that it plans to operate AirTran's 86 Boeing 717s once its acquisition of AirTran closes and the Atlanta-hubbed carrier is folded into the Southwest brand.

Southwest today unveiled plans to acquire AirTran through a combination of cash and common stock. Both carriers operate the 737-700, and Southwest is evaluating adding the larger -800 to its fleet. Southwest also operates 737-300s/500s.

During a call with media to discuss the acquisition Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said the carrier has decided it wants to keep and operate the 717, and will operate the smaller aircraft in a single 117-seat configuration. Currently AirTran operates its 117-seat 717s in a dual class offering.

Kelly acknowledges the addition of the 717 requires a different type crew rating and establishing how the aircraft is scheduled into operations. But he believes the 86 aircraft offer enough scale and says Southwest has the ability to incorporate the aircraft into its fleet cost effectively.
"Our pilots have looked at it [the 717] and like it," Kelly states. The aircraft will also allow Southwest to operate in markets too small to support its 737 fleet.

Southwest's chief says the carrier is not prepared to make a decision on adding the larger -800 to its fleet. "We hope to make a decision soon," he says. Previously Southwest indicated it would decide on adding -800s in December and has negotiated a tentative deal with its flight attendants to operate the aircraft.

Commenting on the impetus to acquire AirTran Kelly states that after a tumultuous last couple of years in 2010 Southwest is finally comfortably profitable enough to strategically think about its future by examining its technology, fleet and possible acquisitions. Today he revealed Southwest also plans to replace its reservation system.
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source: http://www.flightglobal.com/article...-plans-to-keep-airtrans-boeing-717-fleet.html
 
Didn't airtran and SWA have a little marketing tiff going a little bit ago? Very interesting how things can change in an instant.
 
Gary Kelly said, "Our pilots have looked at it [the 717] and like it."
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Maintenance on the other hand... pooped enough bricks to build a doomsday bunker when they saw that individual pages of the AMM were mostly copied from existing pages in the DC-9-15 through MD-90 documentation.
 
Todd, I've got your SWAPA avatar ready to go, just let me know when you want me to change you to it.


:)
 
So egotistical morons now have to introduce themselves to floatplane pilots as WN captains now? ;)
 
HeyEng said:
It's not...and as far as I am concerned, your employer should pay for that whether it's an airline, a 135 outfit or a LJ operator. Like I said, most people don't agree with me on this and that's fine...I just don't think it's cool.
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There is a huge difference from taking a seat that is required for operations and selling time in that seat or requiring a type rating as a prerequisite. To compare the two (GulfStream and SWA) is misleading, inaccurate and maybe you don't have a thorough understanding of the difference of paying for a job, and paying for a rating. (I think you do, but have just decided to be unreasonably resolute on this distinction)

I do agree with you in that my belief is if you already have a type rating you should be compensated more than if the company hires you without and trains you...but I do think that the company should pay and find recompense during your first year of employment.
 
Kind of interested in what they will do with DFW's AirTran routes.

I've been kind of interested in seeing which direction SWA will go leading into 2014...
 
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