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Southwest to buy Airtran for 1.4 billion

I think that's great. This will make SW, I believe, the 4th largest US carrier after Continental-United, Delta (NW) and American. Since I live in Pensacola, I hope SW doesn't now start hacking away at AirTran's route structure & employees. Also hope they keep the B717's & use them on some old SW routes where the traffic load didn't quite fill the dash 700 normally.
 
That is awesome. You can hardly beat either of these guys prices...70 bucks each way from DC to Pensacola on Airtran with the stop in ATL.
 
Damn. Makes me wish AirTran had successfully bought out Midwest a few years ago instead of what happened to them. Midwest is a shell of its former self after Republic got ahold of them.

I always try to get SWA when I can, but they rarely got where I needed in the midwest. Hopefully I'll be able to use them more.
 
Fog said:
.... Also hope they keep the B717's & use them on some old SW routes where the traffic load didn't quite fill the dash 700 normally.
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that SWA will ditch the 717's. They have standardized on the 737 with excellent results.
 
How exactly will they work the seniority issues? All those AirTran guys on military leave definitely locked out.
 
I doubt they will keep the 717s. Inefficient and they don't fit in with the SWA business plan. Perhaps they'll have service to Pensacola but they may not as they will beginning service to Panama City.

I expect employees to be laid off and routes to be shut down. Good that SWA bought it though. AirTran was trash.
 
From what I'm reading, they will be keeping the 717s for awhile. At least 2 years to full integration of operations. Both airlines plan on hiring too starting the beginning of 2011.

As far as the seniority integration goes, you can bet it will eventually go to an arbitrator. My guess is some sort of relative seniority weighted by career expectations with SWA pilots getting the advantage. It won't be a staple of Air Tran pilots to the bottom of SWA's list though. After the AA/TWA merger, there was a law passed that prevents this. What the law allows is unclear and debatable, but it rules out a straight staple.
 
News here sez Air Trans will lose their DFW gates due to the Wright Amendment that doesn't expire 'til 2014. AA and Delta will swoop in, scoop up those gates, and raise prices. At least that's what the talking heads are sayin'.
 
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