Viva Mexico
Viva Mexico
We're codesharing with who...or is it whom...I always forget, but who cares? I should be writing this in Spanish...do you write in Spanish? Wow, I'm struggling today with what few writing skills I have, probably because I'm so excited about the announcement of our second International codeshare partner - Volaris.
It's Volaris...yes Volaris! You know, if you fuse the Spanish word volar (to fly) with the word Polaris (North Star) you get Volaris? Well, that's how they came up with their name, and I think it's a pretty cool name. What's even cooler is that Volaris is an exceptional low-cost airline flying in Mexico. They are focused on high levels of Customer Service and provide a great inflight experience. Volaris plans to begin flying in to the US sometime in 2009 and will become Southwest Airlines' Mexico codeshare partner in early 2010. If you haven't heard of Volaris, here's a little information that should give you a feel for them and why we think they will be a great partner!
Like our new codeshare partner WestJet, Volaris presently serves some pretty cool destinations...or should I say hot destinations! Places like Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco are certainly great places to vacation. Mexico City (via Toluca), Monterrey, and Guadalajara are great business travel destinations and will complement our efforts to attract more business travelers.
Also, like WestJet, Volaris has a fun corporate culture. On one of our visits to their Headquarters, their VP of Sales was having his head shaved in front of the Volaris Employees—it was payback for the Employees who had met a revenue goal that he challenged them to meet. Their Employees are very energetic and love their airline. Their Customers join in the fun as well. They recently had an inflight concert! My favorite Customer experience was influenced by the free tequila and cerveza they served! They also give away Krispy Kreme donuts! It's a regular Fiesta!!! Oh yes, and every Volaris plane is named after one of their valued Customers. I can't wait to see Ricardo!
Unlike WestJet, Volaris is an unknown brand in the US. Although they are relatively small and certainly new (they began flying in 2006), Volaris has proven themselves itself as a successful and viable airline and are developing a new generation of flyers in Mexico. Coupled with the Southwest brand, network, and Customer base, the opportunities are huge.
Okay, enough of my rambling, whadoyouthink?
Comments
Viva Volaris!
Fantastic news! The piece of the international puzzle are coming together. I wonder what's next. :)
Great to hear Southwest is expanding its codeshare network. Although I haven't flown on Volaris, I trust your guys' judgment in partners. I can't wait to be able to utilize my RapidRewards to fly all over the world.
This is so exciting! Viva Mejico! Congratulations to your Team. Thank you all for working so hard to take SWA into new frontiers.
whadoIthink? I think it was about time. This is absolutely great news. I fly to Mexico very often (I am originally from there but have been in Houston for the last 20 years), and there is no competitive pricing. I hope you can really change that and sounds like you just might. Cancun, Mexico City, Puerto and Cabo are all great destinations that I frequent, especially Mexico City and Cancun. Sooooo, buen trabajo, y Felicidades mi amigo!!!
Southwest Airlines is a 800 pound gorilla. They should do all the flying to Canada and Mexico themselves. Preservation of their Company's name, solid service and employee relations will increase overall profitability and shareholder value.
As an employee, I'm disgusted with the continued outsourcing of our jobs. I guess the company loves us all, unless they can find someone to do the job that we could do for cheaper. This is just one step closer to "Southwest the travel agent", not "Southwest AIRLINES."
this is great news!!! i can't wait to see this happen and book a vacation to mexico!
Why isn't Southwest flying these routes ourselves? GK announced zero growth for 09' yet we codeshare?
What is it with Southwest that cannot (for the life of me) offer an international destination with their own planes? Not even Puerto Rico (domestic)?.... People, to make money you have to SPEND money and take some risks!!!! The days of making profits flying from DAL to AMA are gone. Seriously, why everything with Southwest has to be "half-baked"? Is like all that faith they profess for their people is not quite there... They don't think they can pull it off by themselves. So, we are offering service to Canada and Mexico but it will be done by other airlines and don't even think about using Rapid Reward credits for these destinations cuz we are gonna ask you for double points (remember Hawaii with ATA)? I don't get it....
Of course, if Volaris plans to serve the US in 2009 doesn't materialize Southwest is ready to add a little something (you betcha!) to the "seamless" experience.... They will shuttle you from San Diego (Southwest "international" gateway) to Tijuana (Volaris destination) in a comfortable school bus. Business Select customers will be guaranteed a seat in the front of the bus!....
Why can Spirit, JetBlue and Airtran do it and you guys can't?
Great news that SWA is expanding it's service to Mexico through its codesharing partnership with Volaris. That is a catchy name for a nice, niche airline that emphasizes fun, customer service and low fares. Hmmm...now who does that sound like? Seems like Southwest has found an ideal partner to take it's loyal customer base to those sought-after destinations in Mexico.
Southwest: are you MexiCAN or MexiCAN'T? Why you and your awesome crews cannot do the job?
You had me at free Teq......Lol
I think this is wonderful and could not have been announced any sooner. This is great to hear that you guys are going after other airlines to help give your customers an expanded, and that many more reasons to fly the No-Hidden Fee Airline, Southwest!! Luv ya guys!
Joseph R. Meyers
Dallas, Texas
Add me to the list of customers and employees who don't understand why SWA isn't doing this flying on it's own metal. Seems the only way to ensure that YOUR customers are happy is to provide the service YOURSELF! SWA seems to be running scared these days. Look at MSP service! MDW only...wow.
The more I think of this the more I am disgusted that SWA management doesn't have faith in us to pull off flying this with our own metal. Volaris doesn't even fly to the US!!! So they can accomplish the task but we can't.
Let me guess what the company response would be like. Probably will go a little like this:
"Mexico is an interesting case. Mexican passengers appear to heavily favor Mexican air carriers, traveling roundtrip from Mexico to the U.S. For Southwest to be successful on a trans-border city pair, we would have to "win over" a significant share of Mexicans. History suggests, that will be difficult to accomplish. In total, Mexico is a relatively small country, population-wise. If we were growing the fleet, we have better opportunities with much less risk. Of course, we may not be in a position to grow the fleet now, anyway. Once we are, codeshare or not, we may never serve Mexico."
Not feeling the LUV anymore!!
Very disappointing that you don't trust your own people to do the job... And very convenient too; if WestJet or Volaris go down our do something wrong you'll wash your hands a la Pontius Pilates! (like you did with ATA Hawaii). Sad that an airline known by their guts, audacity and innovation has become so stagnant. On my next trip to Mexico I will take Jetblue, Spirit or Airtran... they flyy their own planes there!
OMG. Shut up (made infamous by Elaine from Seinfeld)! This is the best news EVER! Ever ever! Love you!
This is unbelievable! Is this a new grotwh trend for Southwest? You can surely fly to Mexico with your own resources.... I'm selling my stock today!
JetBlue, Spirit, Airtran: MexiCANS
Southwest: MexiCAN'Ts
I agree, why doesn't Southwest do it with their own crews and planes?
I understand the front line employee's worries about international growth coming from codeshares. Not flying WN metal over the boarders reduces risk to the domestic ops. The tweny minute turn will never work for intl destinations due to the paperwork required and such. I used to work for AA. In comparison WN staff have got it easy as far as company relations go. Flying around the world as AA does is not that great when the airline treats you as completely dispossable.
Are you also planning to code-share to Puerto Rico?
I guess that the implicit message here is that you don't believe that your own pilots and flight attendants (And everybody else) can do the job efficiently.... So you "partially love and trust them, right?
Andrew,
Andrew states -- "I used to work for AA. In comparison WN staff have got it easy as far as company relations go."
Those relations are getting very strained with announcements like this that are in direct violation of the pilot contract that is in negotiations right now. There are a lot of employees that are angry over this.
Herb isn't here anymore and it's pretty evident of that fact.
Signed,
Very worried about the future of SWA.
Why not do codesharing for now for international so you can expand on your own into places like NYC,BOS,ATL,CLT,MEM,etc. here in the United States which I think you need to do first and then you can take over the international flying later when you're ready. Let's not put the cart before the horse. Also, many airlines do both codeshare and own metal international flying. Why can't you??? It's better for your customers and I thought that that was goal to begin with.
Andrew,
"I used to work for AA. In comparison WN staff have got it easy as far as company relations go."
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This has nothing to do with that. Judging by their recent announcement Southwest seems to have lost faith in their own people.... Why even low-cost carriers can serve near international destinations and Southwest can't. I bet that they can come up with creative solutions to make the deal work. Seems to me that by outsourcing they are saying that other people can do it cheaper and better.... Not cool, at all. as a customer I'm very turned off by yet another co-share
announcement from you guys.... I support your employees views 100%. Missing Herb already!
Warrior Spirit...Really??? I guess Gary needs to rethink the company's mission statement. It would probably be cheaper for you guys to just close up the Dallas base too, and sell tickets on American. All you would need is a computer. In fact why don't you just polish all of the airplanes silver because guess what, you have just become every other failed legacy. Great Job on becoming American Airlines!!!
Southwest Airlines should be flying these new routes. Period. They should be flown in Southwest Airlines aircraft that are crewed by Southwest Airlines Flight Pilots and Flight Attendants, handled by Southwest Airlines ramp and customer service agents, and maintained by Southwest Airlines mechanics.
Grow OUR airline!!!
Why isn't SWA moving the metal in and out of MX & Canada?!? Gary has said there is opportunity for growth within the CONUS. Then why aren't we doing it? We're not. Codeshare is wrong and a produces a negative impact on the Employees, morale and Culture of SWA.
Southwest is going to send our valued customers on a Mexican airline that is only two years old. They are using their inexperienced pilots whle farming out our pilot jobs.
DING, you are now free to move about the country, a foreign country with inexperienced pilots flying airplanes being maintained by inexperienced mechanics. Good luck.
Great to hear Southwest is expanding its codeshare network. Although I haven't flown on Volaris, I trust your guys' judgment in partners. I can't wait to be able to utilize my RapidRewards to fly all over the world.
MIchael Barber — Mon, 11/10/2008 - 11:11
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Michael, you must live in a very small world! LOL
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In my opinion, Southwest is sending a bad message with this announcements... We shouldn't expect new cities in the future, instead stay tuned for future code share agreements.....
Is this how Southwest care about hispanics? Saying that they are too good to fly to our airports?
Good news? NOT
Just say it: You are never flying overseas. Just say it!
This is a very dangerous step for Southwest Airlines. I believe the company is really starting to stray from the culture and relationship they have with their employees. This could very well be the bridge to outsourcing our jobs. I can see how they would codeshare overseas, but to our neighbors? WestJet will fly customers using the same equipment we use. Not to sure about this brand new company Volaris, but if they can fly international, why can't this 37 year veteran of the airline industry. It is scary to think we may slip into the "legacy" category where employees are disgruntled and do not trust their employer.
Are you concerned Mr. Gary Kelly?
The company has to be sure that it is going to be successful in every market we enter. Given the uncertainty of the industry right now, it's probably a good idea to stick to what we're good at in order to weather these times.
Not to mention, given the current state of the economy, I don't think it's smart for SWA to rapidly expand into unknown territory (international routes). You're correct: It could be very successful, but it also could flop.
You also have to consider that flying internationally opens up a whole new regulatory framework: SWA would be subject to aviation regulations of other countries, as well as ICAO. Having to transition everything could have substantial cost involved.
I'm not saying that international routes would be bad, but I highly doubt that this is the time to be entering such risky markets.
The security of my family is now under attack by my employer.
Codeshare to gain market share or to increase revenue longterm does not work for the employees of Southwest Airlines.
As a loyal Southwest passenger, who do you want to fly you to Mexico? A Southwest crew of 5 or a Volaris crew of ?????
30+ years of the safest operations of any airline in history, and now we are going to turn our hard won customers over to a two year old airline flying into some of the most challenging airports in North America.
I guess the employees that made this company great are too stupid in the company's view to fly south to Mexico or North to Canada.
Herb where are you?
Pissed Off Employee
It seems like a good thing, but at the same time I also dont understand why swa isnt flying there ourselves. Our planes can do it and there are plenty of spanish speaking people out there that can use the jobs that are perfect for the company. I really think that southwest should consider doing it themselves instead of going outside the company.
This is very disturbing news to our frontline employees here at Southwest. This is one step closer to completely outsourcing our jobs. Southwest was on the way to outsourcing our maintenance back in March before that was swept under the rug because of the FAA fines. We work our little tushies off to keep our customers happy. I can't tell you how many times I am yelled at for something out of my control, and all I do is smile, nod, say I'm sorry and offer a free drink... and by the end of the flight the customer is happy and won't ever fly any airline but Southwest again. These code shares will ruin that. Our customers fly Southwest because of us, the employees, and our great customer service. We do not have any control over what kind of service any other airline gives. Also Andrew, by committing to these code shares our company IS treating us and our hard work as completely disposable.
Signed,
Very Concerned
I wonder what is behind this announcement? Why is made over a year in advance? If this is some kind of bullying against Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit or Airtran (expanding to Mexico with their equipment) is going to backfire. People will ALWAYS prefer to do the whole trip in one airline and no this ambiguous deal...
I guess the employees that made this company great are too stupid in the company's view to fly south to Mexico or North to Canada....
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Right on! Southwest has more faith in a newly opened airline (and their employees) that doesn't even serve the US yet.... Yep, they must think that you guys are not qualified, smart, civilized or creative enough to pull it of. Kudos to JetBlue, Airtran and Spirit for believing in their employees and making low-cost travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean a profitable reality!
Gary Kelly,
I always read your column in LUV Lines and you always preach how valuable we employees are. Then you do something like this. While I understand the WestJet codeshare this is completely different. Your love of numbers is undermining the culture and hard work Herb and Colleen have built up over 30+ years. Flying international isn't a monumental undertaking. If our business model doesn't fit into international flying then we need to change the model. We, the employees, are up to the task. We always have been. At what point did the numbers become more important than the people?
You made a great call during your tenure on fuel hedges. It was risky, innovative, and very SWA like. Where is that Gary Kelly? I miss him.
Sincerely,
LUV Lost
Is this the future of Southwest? Where is the consistent product? Are your pilots too dumb or redneck to fly to Mexico? Are your crews too ignorant? I don't think so. I know they can pull it off. would luv to have low-cost reliable and friendly service to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Too bad that you don't seem to believe in the same people that made your company great!
Southwest Airlines is a 800 pound gorilla. They should do all the flying to Canada and Mexico themselves. Preservation of their Company's name, solid service and employee relations will increase overall profitability and shareholder value.
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Agree 100%
As a long-time Employee, I think this is good news. Airline codesharing is already benefiting other airlines and their Customers all over the world (with little financial risk to the carriers).
I personally would be more worried about the future of Southwest Airlines if we were sitting on our hands not doing anything at all. The international codeshare plans have been out there for awhile, so forgive me that I’m a little confused by the shock of some to this news.
People fly on SWA because of the great customer service. We are no longer the cheapest ticket. We don't have anything the other airlines have. i.e. roomy cabin, TVs, internet, assigned seats, etc... What we have they don't is great customer service... Why is it we would farm out our flying to other companies at the expense of the employees here? Our one strength is about to be destroyed by making moves like this. The unhappy employees this is creating will chase every customer away because we will be just like every other airline without the ammenities. The pilots and flight attendants are the keys to making the customer happy and they will be the most unhappy over this kind of announcement due to their seniority system of advancing their careers. On top of it we held off on the SWAlife news as if it were supposed to be some great news everyone was going to cheer for like opening another city. This is truly the saddest day in my tenure at SWA.
A very unhappy SWA employee
Gary et al,
From my family and from my heart, thank you for the high paying and secure job we've enjoyed at SWA for the last 9 years. You've met or exceeded every expectation we had for an employer.
I've never run a Billion $ company so any emotional rant I could offer would sound just as intelligent as all the others. But judging by your track record of stable jobs, stable wages, and as stable a profit as is possible in this era, I'm confident this decision is at least as prudent as all your others.
Keep working to make SWA great!
I'm very concerned that we are outsourcing our NAME BRAND to whom?? Who is Volaris?
18 aircraft and 1500 employees? How do we codeshare w/ someone who doesn't cross the border? How can their little startup figure out how to get to the U.S. and our HUGE 500+ airline can't figure out how to go international?
Very disturbing news today. This is the first time I'm actually worried about our airline.
OMG are they going to "codeshare" back to profitabilty? I knew it: US Airways, AA, United, Frontier, Spirit, JetBlue and Continental employees are smarter and more competent that the Southwest ones.... The have been flying our flag to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean for years without outsourcing!
Is Southwest becoming a legacy airline? PSA all over again?
Warrior Spirit?
...to code-share?
Okay, enough of my rambling, whadoyouthink?
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IT STINKS! AND IS PATRONIZING AND CONDESCENDING TOWARD YOUR OWN PEOPLE. GROW UP AND STOP WONDERING WHY YOUR STOCK IS SO LOW!
This is sooooo wrong at so many levels.... Agree with most of the comments above. You need to trust more in your own people!
I use Southwest exclusively for domestic travel and legacy flag carriers for international travel (including Mexico). I am not sold on the value of codesharing. First, when flying international my preference is for non-stop flights and I don't see these deals offering me any options out of New England on Southwest's metal or anyone else's. Second, I never trust a situation where two vendors can point the finger at each other when something gets messed up... if I buy a ticket from an airline I want to be their customer, not someone else's customer on a codeshare.
As a customer I value the fact that Southwest is cautious even if that means I don't see a route that I would like but in this case I think JetBlue is making the right play.
You should subcontract every future destination then... Why fly it yourself? Outsourcing is cheaper and less risky... And don't worry about those "whiny" employees... they come and go! Besides, if the want to fly to Mexico, Canada or the caribbean they can work for any other airline in the country. They all (but you) fly there!
Yea Spirit, Jetblue, and Airtran are flying to the Carribean and Cancun....but lets consider a few things....Spirit has HORRIBLE customer service that SWA doesn't want, Airtran used to be Valujet(unsafe) and their employees aren't happy, and Jetblue has shaky earnings along with a JFK meltdown on the books and agreements of their own for European flying. Do you want to be like them??? These airlines also fly to BOS, LGA, JFK, EWR, ATL, CLT, MEM, etc. which you guys do not so I think you should think about taking that step with your own metal before you go to Canada and Mexico with it. Also, Herb and Colleen are still @ SWA per http://www.swamedia.com/swamedia/sidebar/officer_bios.html and picked the people who came after them who were already with the company so they obviously have confidence in them. Lastly, it looks really bad to your customers and those at the airlines partnering with you who have had no ill will against you at all when you complain and act pessimistically like this in an anonymous fashion of the blog in front us so please cosnider that as well.
-A Customer who agrees with the employee who sees it differently
So, you really don't think that the people that made your company a success for 37+ years cannot land a plane in Mexico, or have a responsible layover or pass immigration cards to customers?
ATA Deja vu all over again! As a Bi-lingual and experienced Flight Attendant I feel offended by what lies behind this decision: The assumption that we are not capable to design, retrain, make changes and deliver a superb near-international product. Your loss!!! I know I can work an international flight and deliver superior service. I also see how full our competitors serving Puerto Rico are and how foolish and stubborn we look for not serving the only domestic mayor destination in the caribbean where passports are not required...
Thumbs down!
And they think that everybody is stupid amd doesn't realize what they are trying to do? Bravo southwest employees for being pissed of!!!!! Revolt! don't let them do it! SWA DESERVES better!
Ok, so far code-share to Canada and Mexico and still looking for co-shares for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Alaska, The Caribbean and South America (not to mention Europe!). That's 4, 5 or 6 different code-shares! so that doesn't complicate things? What are we becoming? Danger, Will Robinson! Soon our res center will move to India and every new destination will be a code-share.... Depressing! time to go to one of the "other" airlines at least they still fly their own planes to their destinations!!!!!!!!!
A dose of reality here, we can barely afford to open up a new city, we are afraid anymore to go up against failing carriers like US, DL, and we yield new service and gates to weak airlines like B6, Spirit and Airtran and you'll expect us to embark on a full scale International venture?? Please!!! First of all it is EXTREMELY expensive, second it's not just a matter of "let's fly there" and third, we will not be able to go into other countries and undercut the competition by offering lower fares. Most countries have laws against this in order to protect their flag carriers. There are too many CEOs, planners wannabees in here!!
Many are concerned about Southwest "outsourcing" our jobs. They also say, "Why doesn't Southwest just fly it???" Ok, where are the extra planes going to come from? Where will our customs areas be? How will you pay for the new terminal rents in another country? Along with whatever issues are involved with flying internationally. OR.... we could just let Volaris pay for it, use their equipment, their customs areas, and use all of their resources which are ALREADY in place and IN USE. And... we get a cut of the profits!!!
Just because an employee wants to vacation somewhere doesn't mean it's a profitable route that must be serviced immediately. Cabo is a great place along with Cancun. But how many business passengers are on those flights? Those are all frequent flyer miles and leisure fares... passengers who save up all year round for this one trip.
Codesharing is a fantastic idea at this point in our economy and state of the company. Or we could end up like ATA, Aloha, etc... I'll take codesharing!
It is sad that Mr. Kelley wants to ruin the airline built on trust from the employees. The very people that are supposed to be the first customer. If SWA planes can get their SWA crews should be flying the routes. The public needs to be aware that the pilots at Volaris arent as qualified as SWA pilots. They arent trained to the same standards. Both pilots at SWA are qualified as Captains and EVERY pilot has been a captain prior to working for SWA. Volaris crew will have minimal experience. The airline itself will have minimal experience where as SWA has been at it for 37 years.
It is to bad Mr. Kelley has so much disregard towards his employees. He will be the down fall of Southwest Airlines. I will sell my stock in the company, due to the fact they no longer want to grow the airline. They just want to be a travel agency. The employees will lose their drive and motivation, with that SWA will suffer. The employees built it he will tear it down. They are looking more like a Legacy carrier everyday.
Southwest, what are you thinking? Are you kidding me? Have you now stooped so low as to just become another American brand name that has just outsourced itself to the cheapest bidder? What can we expect next? To talk to outsourced reservation agents "based" in Bangladesh (or the like) like the individuals I got to "converse" with during your ATA codeshare debacle? Wow! Now that was an experience! Not enjoyable to be sure, neither my scheduling/coordinating experience nor the flight segment on ATA! When I book Southwest, I want to fly Southwest!
Dear employee who likes codeshare, how will you feel when your job is outsourced to India or Pakistan or another subcontractor like Mensies or SABRE or a host of low rate companies who would love to fill your job with a mimimum wage or better yet overseas employee? Not so easy to let this codshare thing get started now, is it?
To the flying public:
This is not what it seems. This is outsourcing of pilot and flight attendant jobs, the same pilots and flight attendants who are so happy to service you our customers. In place of our own growth, and in place of our traditional "go it alone" strategy under your beloved Herb, our new CEO and ex CFO has decided that outsourcing our jobs is the future culture of Southwest Airlines.
This is a perfect example of the victory of theory and numbers over just plane common sense. First the FAA maintenance scandal, then the open labor contracts, now outsourcing. Our culture is under fire and our airline is becoming just another legacy airline.
I'm tired of going the extra mile so these bean counters can destroy our airline. The emperor has no clothes. We miss you Herb.
I have to say I love this. Lets see, they do the work, they do the flying, they load the bags in Mexico and we make the money. Hmmmm. We lose out how? I would say the only bad thing about them is they fly Airbus and not BOEING. So tell me exactly how do we lose out? Oh I have that answer too. We can't use our passes on them so we lose out on free trips to Mexcio.
It’s understandable that some Employees and Customers would have questions as to why we would choose to codeshare rather than fly our own aircraft on international routes. While our current focus is on codeshare service, our leaders has said that flying our own aircraft outside of the United States is not out of the question, it’s simply not our focus at this time and in this economic environment.
Right now, with a weakening economy, unpredictable fuel prices, and slowing Customer demand, the level of investment that would be required for us to fly international routes ourselves simply doesn’t make sense for Southwest Airlines. The idea is to first restore our Company’s profitability to levels that would justify adding the necessary airplanes, flights, destinations, and jobs needed to sustain such growth.
For now, codesharing is a way for us to grow our revenues and profits without taking on the risk of adding expensive aircraft to our fleet. It allows us to fill seats that would otherwise go empty, and it allows us to add destinations that we otherwise might not serve.
As you may recall, we entered into our first codeshare agreement with ATA Airlines in February 2005, and that relationship generated $40 million in additional revenue in 2007. That codeshare agreement was in place until April 3, 2008, when ATA announced its plans to discontinue service. Of course, we were disappointed with the news because we believe the ATA codeshare was a success. For that reason, we began to actively pursue other codeshare opportunities.
On July 8, we announced our first international service by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) with WestJet. WestJet was named Canada's most admired corporate culture in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and we believe WestJet will be a solid match for both our Culture and our level of service.
Today we announced our MOA with Volaris, a Mexico-based carrier. While some of the comments here have questioned the choice, Volaris is known for competitive pricing and has earned the reputation for being Mexico’s most ontime carrier. For those reasons, among others, we believe Volaris is also a great fit for Southwest Airlines.
An important point to remember about codesharing is that it only adds a marginal number of Customers per flight. However, this margin helps us sustain our own flights, especially in this environment of rising fares and declining traffic.
I am a Southwest Dispatcher who is VERY happy about this new opportunity. Why? It's a cheap, low-risk way to test the market and add significant revenue with a quality partner. If our Customers respond well to international service via our codeshares, I have no doubt that we'll operate international flights with our own metal and Employees. Operating international service ourselves would be expensive, complex, and risky. Until we are highly confident it will be profitable and successful, it's better to let another airline assume that risk.
Paula, that was LAME even for Southwest. This is just sad. This company lost its "mojo"...
If you think flight attendants and pilots WANT to take a 10 hour "vacation" overnight after a 12 1/2 hour work day to Tijuana or Cancun you must work at Headquarters in Dallas. We don't even NEED to overnight there!!!! We have PLENTY of stations that we could fly turns to Mexico from. If you don't know what "turn" means it means going from one station to another and directly back to the same station. Why let a company other than ours bring OUR passengers to and from the states? Because neither one of these code share partners are unionized and their workforce makes HALF of what we do now. It may be costly to set up these stations initially, but the time, dedication and customer service Southwest employees provide is proven and well worth the cost in the long run. You at Headquarters should be concerned as well. There are only so many VP positions to go around when Southwest Airlines STOPS growing.
I love the ones trying to be condescending with their fellow employees and accusing them of being brats "because they cannot non-rev to Mexico". That's very superficial, I believe... and in any case I know that Southwest have very good non-rev agreements with all the airlines that do fly there.... Wake up! This is more than a bunch of brats throwing a tantrum... I have read a lot of legitimate concerns!
Is codeshare really the new endgame for SWA? Has GK decided to transform this AIRLINE into a TRAVEL AGENCY? 35 years of good will rapidly being frittered away... :(
Flight crews have been battling the codeshare "creep" (initials GK) for a while now and so far our so called employee friendly CEO has lied to us about his intentions from the days of ATA. Now he's promised the pilots one thing and we read in the media quite another. Gary's post Herb free ride is OVER if you ask me. The man can dress up in whatever cute Halloween costumes he likes, but as of today the fun is over.
Wow, I find it hard to believe some of the rhetoric I've read about outsourcing. Say what you will about Volaris, I only heard about them for the first time today while reading this announcment, but don't even think about trying to brand codeshare with Westjet as outsourcing or thinking of them as some second level operation not worthy of partnering with Southwest. Fact is, WestJet does it very well, probably even better than Southwest. Yes, they took a model that Southwest created and perfected it to another level. And there are some who are very worried about Canadian customers boarding a flight in Canada connecting in the US and suddenly being herded like cattle the Southwest way. The Southwest model, in its purity, would not be tolerated by most Canadian travellers and thats why Westjet had to modify it. Codeshare is a great way to gain exposure in a different country without the risk and complication of regulations, Customs, and cultural expectations. Westjet flies to the US, the Carribean and Mexico. Southwest does not need to worry about its brand when partnering with Westjet. That's a solid partnership. Seperate the Volaris announcement from the Westjet announcment. It's like NAFTA. That sucking sound you hear going south started in the north. Mexico is to the US as the US is to Canada regarding job loss and outsourcing. Once you get that you'll realize how absurd outsourcing claims to Canada really is.
Paula,
Traditionally our airline grew in some of its strongest spurts during recession and under our founders direction. Herb grew and managed an airline competently. Gary, Mike and Laura are deal makers. Have you forgotten the life long members of Herbs team who endlessly were shown the door when Gary took over? It was disrespect and it was change through trauma.
This is the airline industry and contrary to what you goes on at the endless Prom Week and Frat Party in Dallas, we're working our tails off out on line and for what. We're stagnant in growth, we have no advancement, our commuters are treated like second class citizens, and now we're watching our gates, our rampers, and our airline utilize lower wage crews to replace us.
If you're really a traditional Southwest type, you'd see this as very un-Southwest. If you or someone else at the GO were to voice similar complaints from your end of the world, I know the flight attendants and pilots would back you. We are a family are we not?
Are you serious?
At some point, growth has to be checked. Why? Because if you outgrow your skeleton, your vital organs aren't protected. Southwest has never flown through the type of economic climate that it is flying in now. All I hear is people talking like union members (our contract says BLAH BLAH BLAH, we want the work etc). It isn't Southwest that has changed, it's YOU. Being #1 makes people forget how they got to this point and you would be best advised not to forget it.
Codesharing brings traffic from another region to your aircraft without you having to go and get them. Let Volaris bring more people to your existing routes at THEIR expense. This may be the last quarter Southwest puts cash in the bank for some time, but doing the downturn, you want to still fly like Southwest, right? You want to still make money, right? Of course you do and that is why new growth must utilize the strengths of your network.
Volaris seems to be well regarded in Mexico. Be careful with the sentiment that a well regarded Mexican airline is unable to provide high quality service. It sounds a lot like Mexican bashing and you don't want to go down that road. You would be surprised how much transportation innovation there is in Mexico. They seem to be the Southwest of 25 years ago.
Management has claimed that Southwest employees are the best, and their pilots are the hardest working and most productive pilots in the industry. Their reward? Outsourcing and the impression that Southwest pilots may be capable of flying from L.A. to Providence, but an airline that has been in business for two years have pilots more qualified to fly from Phoenix to Mexico City...
Wake up employees, this affects EVERYONE! Employees built this company, don't let the company give the fruits of your labor to another company and their employees!
And to those who still think Herb was/is the Messiah, call a bookie in Vegas and see what the odds are on him working on this deal before his big farewell and Coleen's final show of "LUV" to the pilots...
And to those customers who think this is just "hunky dory", your ticket purchase to Mexico and anywhere else this leads to, helps the inevitble loss of jobs to Southwest employees.
It's only the beginning folks...If those who truly realize the damage that is done with outsourcing need to book a flight to any of the codeshare cities, I, for one, hope they book their flights on another carrier!
UNITY!!!
Could someone in the IT department please turn the troll filters back on?
Thank you.
I\'m a flight attendant and I\'m concerned. I have a young son and I\'m a single mother. When I first started at Southwest 10 years ago everyone here was so kind and team oriented and those were the days of our triple crown performance. We made record profits, we were highly paid, and we were all on the same team. I trusted Herb and his people.
What I\'m confused about is Gary Kelly. He seemed at first to be a continuation of Herb\'s team but now I\'m not so sure. First when that ATA codeshare came out, we thought it was temporary and they said to trust them. We did. Then came all those flights to Hawaii but this we already had those Midway gates right? Then came WestJet but why can\'t we fly to Canada? Now its Mexico but again why can\'t we go there.
As we grow this way, I still commute. My son sits without his mom a lot. Now we just had a loss which I\'m not sure but I don\'t think we had a loss under Herb did we? What is going on with Southwest Airlines? We seem like American now and Gary I don\'t know who you think you are.
It appears that the negatives are outweighing the "this is wonderful news" and all posts aren't being allowed...
Coincidence? I think not...
Of course, it coud be a computer glitch. Guess I could call tech support, but I don't feel like supporting that outsourcing either...
I'm shocked Gary Kelly didn't have something written in SWAlife or a video of why he has decided to embark on more codeshares. If we fly internationally and make X million is it not enough? We have to make XX million more using a substandard airline and throwing our own employees under the bus. We are taking our brand and tossing it in the toilet. We saw that with the ATA codeshare but we didn't learn a thing from it.
PAULA, why don't we just start laying off employees to save a few bucks and connect Volaris with JetBlue and Airtran through our website. We'll collect a small percentage of the profits then we won't have to take any risks at all or incur any costs associated with flying airplanes. We haven't even tested the waters with WestJet and you are already proclaiming it a success. Absolutely amazing!!!
Employee wishing Herb was still at the helm....
They are hundreds of negative reactions to this FIASCO. The overwhelming majority is against this mess. Please don't let them fool you. They're filtering a cascade of angry letters from employees and customers.... This is the end of Southwest as we know it!
Gary,
Please stop all this and post something on SWAlife for us. Clearly the negativity on this forum is outweighing the positives and people are scared. They are the frontline employees who deal directly with the customer and if they aren't informed then we will lose customers in droves. If they are unhappy then the customer will be unhappy. Doesn't matter how many cheerful "desk operators" we have here in Dallas. We aren't the ones who make it all happen.
They, the frontline employees, are clearly scared for their jobs, future advancement possibilities, and most of all scared you are tearing this airline down from all that it was built to be. I don't believe it to be true but we need you now more than ever.
Please, get out and inform those who work hard for you everyday. If there was any time in our history that SWA needed heartfelt leadership it is now. If you truly believe the employees are the heart and soul of this airline and dollar signs aren't as important as they are then please speak out and lead us.
We kind of goofed off when they made the WestJet announcement, but this is too much! One new destination in years with only a couple of flights a day and all this friggin' outsorcing!!!! Enough! Give us back our airline. Don't treat us like IDIOTS! We are good enough to fly overseas with our own resources... I don't believe anything you say Gary Kelly... None of your vitriolic announcements (us flying internationally, WI-FI, new unforms, corporate image, new destinations) have materialized. Meanwhile, JetBlue hasn't made any of these announcements and have increased presence in Mexico and the Caribbean, improved their inflight entertainment, etc, etc. Enough of the "whatever we can get by with culture" WE ARE SICK OF THIS CRAP!
Dear Very Concerned Employee - Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and concerns here on the blog.
I apologize if I was unclear in my previous comment. If you reread it, I think you will find that I did not make any claims of success regarding our not yet active codeshare with WestJet. My claim of success was regarding the relationship and financial benefits of the ATA codeshare.
Of course, I don’t want to see a single Southwest Employee laid off. While we may disagree on the virtues of codeshares, I hope we share the same since interest in our Company’s longevity and solvency.
For All of you that think Volaris has inexperienced pilots and f/a's you are WRONG! Volaris is VERY WELL maintained and employs experienced crew. I would say better than most US carriers. Needless to say employs Mexicans only which makes it unique. To be a pilot as well as a f/a for the airline you have to go through a very very intense hiring process and training. They do not just hire of the street like the US did for a while. Not that its a bad thing. I congratulate SWA for choosing Volaris as a codeshare, because they both offer great and unique customer service to their passengers. You should all try flying Volairs someday. Its in a way Mexico's Virgin America!
PAULA,
Why is it so many airlines are successful flying internationally but we have to codeshare our airline out? JetBlue now has a strong presence in the Caribbean and while they aren't making hundreds of millions they are successful. We will be soon announcing another codeshare to the caribbean and Hawaii also. Priceless... While flying to Hawaii has historically been a money loser we easily could make money flying to the caribbean but we won't. We are the only airline who can't make international flying happen. Wait....we can but we won't because codesharing will be able to bolster a few million in our pockets without risking a dime. Well, congrats I guess everyone has their price. Unfortunately the price here is the frontline employees career advancement by job creation. While you are wooping it up at the Friday deck parties drinking the kool-aid we are seeing the culture of our airline erode right before our eyes. Yes the culture is in each of us but that only goes so far because viruses spread fast. Unless you aren't reading the postings on this blog then you can see how fast our airline is about to be compared to AA and United all in the same breath.
The answer to all of this is Gary is a bean counter. If he can make 100 million codesharing then he doesn't care that we could make 5 million doing it on our own. I don't believe he has weighed out the negative effects of codesharing.
Your explanation doesn't hold water.
PRINT THESE LETTERS! THEY ARE ERASING SOME OF THEM. THE NUMBER OF COMMENTS HAS BEEN DECREASING DURING THE LAST 30 MINUTES!
An annoymous poster states, "To be a (Volaris) pilot as well as a f/a for the airline you have to go through a very very intense hiring process and training."
Really? I was a flight instructor for many years and one of my students went from flying piper aircraft with 300 hours to being a First Officer for a well known Mexican airline. Every SWA pilot is a qualified captain and SWA has the best safety record in the industry. No airline flying 2 years can claim anything. If you aren't a pilot then don't post about pilot hiring or flying. You don't get it no matter how much you think you do.
The mentality of the majority of the comments here is frightening and typical fear mongering.
The fact is that WN would be lucky to survive on their own doing flights into Canada.
Canadians have no history with WN and furthermore have had the luxury of 2 fierce competitors that have competed on price and product. The end result is very affordable air travel with service and amenities that WN could not compete with.
With price being equal, few Canadians would choose WN (with the cattle call) when they can travel on WestJet or Air Canada for the same price and get LiveTV/AVOD, pre seat assignment, etc...
As for north bound US originating traffic, WN would only have the benefit of O/D traffic. Anyone looking to connect in Canada would be still be much better suited traveling on Star Alliance carriers to connect inter-Canada with Air Canada.
All WN would accomplish by competing as a stand alone into Canada would be a reduction of fares that the others would obviously match as they always do. End result would be low loads at reduced yield.
The code share with WestJet is the best possible options. Canadians love WestJet and will drive revenue to WN with none of the downside of operating as a stand alone. The benefit is huge as the only other full option from the US to a network of Canadian cities is a monopoly via the Star Alliance. Now there is a second robust option with a WN/WS code share. This would not exist if WN were to do point to point to a select group of Canadian cities.
Furthermore, Canadians just don't have that connection with WN. For many, they see WN as the same as all the other US legacy airlines that Canadians love to hate. Ask them about WN and the first thing they'll do is groan about the cattle call!
To be honest, I'm sure WS is slightly concerned about how their Guests will adjust to the transfer from a WS flight to a WN flight. Canadians connecting to WN will be appalled that they'll have to stand at the gate for a few hours to get a decent seat with their friend. Where's my TV is what others will gripe!
As a previous posted noted, WS started with a WN business plan and had to evolve to stay successful in the Canadian market place. If they still mirrored the WN service model, they would be dead in the water. instead, they have kept the WN style focus on costs and have evolved their product into a solid product, allowing them to have some of the best operating margins in the airline industry while rating alongside some of the most respected organizations in the world for their product and service.
Check your ego's at the door and recognize the WN/WS deal for what it is...mutually beneficial for all.
Regarding the following comment:
PRINT THESE LETTERS! THEY ARE ERASING SOME OF THEM. THE NUMBER OF COMMENTS HAS BEEN DECREASING DURING THE LAST 30 MINUTES!
Anonymous — Tue, 11/11/2008 - 01:47
That is simply not an accurate statement. Not a single comment has been deleted from this strand, nor has there been a single comment that has not been posted.
It would take a long time for Southwest to expand into these markets on their own and you have no brand recognition in either to speak of at this point in time. So why not go ahead and get the full monetary benefit of being there right now with two reputable carriers in those markets and use that to build your market share and recognition and keep yourself financially healthy while you slowly expand on your own for what would undoubtedly be a more successful venture than had you done it on your own to start out with. It's incredibly disappointing to hear so much about and see your culture over the years and then find this happening(depressing).
So let me get this straight. You think you are going to lose job because of a codshare. I think most people should worry about technology taking over your job and not a codeshare. I can not see in any way how this hurts our company. The only thing that can happen is that we make even more money so we do not have to finaly start laying off people. As an ops agent I am way more worried about my departmet going away. Can anyone give a good reason why this is bad? Sorry I just do not see it.
Regarding safety, consider that WN would have to come up with a whole new set of ramp procedures to turn a flight in Canada. 95% of the processes currently used would be considered to be unsafe labour practices in the employee friendly country of Canada. The right to refuse unsafe work would be invoked by the time the first flight had the nose gear chocked.
Also (and this is more of a joke), there would need to be a new WN Canadian uniform as no Canadian would frequent an airline (or any other business for that matter) that styles itself with khaki shorts and white runners as a uniform. White runners don't exist in Canada...for good reason!!
On top of it we held off on the SWAlife news as if it were supposed to be some great news everyone was going to cheer for like opening another city. This is truly the saddest day in my tenure at SWA.
********
Indeed
To ALL Customers---
As an employee of Southwest Airlines, I feel it important to apologize for all the negativity on this particular topic. We ALL appreciate your business and get great joy out of getting you to all of your important life events - safely. This codeshare is and will be an exciting time in our Company's history and we hope we'll still see you on board either in Tulsa or Toluca, Cleveland or Cancun.
The idea that Southwest Airlines can't start its own international service because it doesn't have the name recognition, marketing prowess, and international experience of Volaris is a cruel hoax on Southwest employees.
Using Southwest Airlines assets to grow another airline is outsourcing. Southwest's website is every bit as much of an asset as airplanes, and it will now be used to sell tickets for passengers that will not step foot on a Southwest Airplane.
I wonder if it's possible to outsource management to Richard Branson?
How can Volaris go International to the U.S. BUT we can't afford to go intl to Mexico??
We have billions (with a B) in the bank, do they? We OWN most of our airplanes, do they? If the economy is so bad, how do they figure it out?
We were told the reason for codeshare w/ ATA was for the Midway gates, which we got. $40M of revenue is a drop in the bucket.
If we need extra cash, how bout a surcharge on unattended minors who we baby sit ALL day w/ a huge risk to us for ABSOLUTELY FREE! I even pay my babysitter $10/hr per kid! We already do the work, let's take in the money like every other airline does and like we do w/ business select.
If Southwest Airlines can start a code-share agreement to generate a modest amount of revenue, with little to no risk, I say its a great thing! With that said, why is Southwest STILL NOT entering the largest origin and destination market (NYC) in the world? I say open up shop in NYC(LGA has an opp for 14 slots), HNL, SJU and even CLT with the profits this so called code-share with these international carriers will create. TAKE A CHANCE. All of the legacy carriers are expanding internationally including USAirways to TLV who has been bankrupt how many times? Employee morale is down, profits are stagnate. No one wants to change planes and carriers when they can get a nice comfortable non-stop on the jetBlues and the AirTrans of America. Good luck Southwest, what happend to that Warrior Spirit? I think your employees can handle- and would have been willing to accept the challenge. You better do something, and something quick to rekindle an excitment with your employees and your shareholders.
It is disappointing to see growth to foreign countries being facilitated by a US company, when that company is capable of doing the work itself, and its employees are working without contracts for over 2 years. SWA should refocus on invigorating its product, rebuilding morale, and getting into the mindset of growing ITS OWN PRODUCT, RATHER THAN FOREIGN CARRIERS.
My faith in our leadership is lost. Diluting our hard-earned brand with foreign carriers to fly flights that we could be doing tomorrow is unbelievable. I don't believe in our company anymore.
You are outsourcing our jobs and nearly everyone knows it. If you won't protect my career and career expectations, how can you expect me to go above and beyond and provide POS? Herb has left the building and I'm not impressed with our new direction.
I'm no longer drinking koolaid,
Just a Number
For the first time in 6 years, I just don't care anymore. SWA has become a job, not an exciting career. So much for the employees going above and beyond, the minimum will be enough.
This all started wth ATA - " we just want the gates" - now this.
Instead of a CEO, SWA has a CFO in charge. The real leadership left with Herb.
I wouldn't trust a newer upstart Mexican carrier to keep the safety record of LUV. Bad news for LUV employees
CODE-SHARE = OUTSOURCING OF USA JOBS !!!!!
Like many of Southwest employees' I don't understand why they just don't fly the routes themselves? AA packs out several flights a day to Cancun for $600 a pop, why would we send these jobs south?
I'm shocked at all the employee negativity on this site. While codesharing clearly isn't in the best interest of those who rely on seniority for their careers (me being one of them) we are currently in the worst economic times since the great depression. Unless you live under a rock, you know every major bank is in trouble. All the american car companies are in trouble. If they fail the aftershocks to other companies will cause about 3,000,000 people with lost jobs. The last thing unemployed people and people on a tight budget do is spend money on flying. This codeshare sucks!! BUT I bet if we weren't in such bad economic times we would be flying our own metal. Despite what the Canadian post says we would kick tail in Canada and Mexico.
Gary hasn't led us astray yet but I do hope to hear from him soon because this negativity needs to stop or we will all be on the street looking for jobs.
Mr. Kelly,
Are you listening to all of these negative comments?
It seems as though nobody has any faith in your abilities. Employees losing faith. Customers. And most important to you, Wall Street has shown zero faith in your leadership during your entire tenure.
Code share is only good for management and their bloated bonuses.
Thanks for continuing on the outsourcing of American jobs path. That has worked SO well for your CEO contemporaries.
Sign me unwilling to go the extra mile with Mr. Kelly at the helm.
To All Our Customers Out There:
Who do you trust flying you around the country....Southwest Airlines Pilots and Flight Attendents OR some upstart airline in Mexico with an UNKNOWN record??? Leave the flying to us....we are not dummies. We have the money, resources, AND safety record to do this type of flying and get you to your destinations safely. Our pilots come from all backgrounds. To say that we have NO international experience, is an understatement. We have former astronauts, military members, regional pilots, etc.... With our experience, international flying will not be a problem at all. Think about this....what's going to happen when this upstart airline, with inexperienced pilots, were to have some type of safety incident? Who do you trust, our pilots who've all around the world....even in the most hostile environments, OR some upstart airline who is virtually unknown???
ANOTHER concerned employee
After wading through 100+ post’s worth of the same apparent union talking points trashing the codeshare, it’s clear that most of the people protesting here don’t have a solid grasp of the realities of today’s airline environment.
To be sure, SWA could operate its own metal to Canadian and Mexican destinations, but as with most choices, there are pros and cons. International ops are not the same as domestic ops, and anyone who truly knows anything about SWA history knows that our operations are predicated open the ability to efficiently turn aircraft around, which is something that international ops are not especially conducive to.
The fear-mongering claims of out-sourcing aside, the desire by employees to “grow” the airline to international destinations with SWA metal and personnel is understandable, but there is a time and a place for everything. There are still plenty of domestic destinations and routes as yet unserved that provide that advancement path for personnel, so it’s not an either/or situation with respect to international ops. If anything, the Westjet/Volaris codesharing is actually risk-sharing, and also allows for the concurrent development of both international and domestic markets, presuming that the economy doesn’t tank any further and recovers. As we saw with the two previous codeshares, they’re not forever, and when it’s deemed to be in SWA’s best corporate interest to serve international destinations ourselves, we undoubtedly will. Until then, codesharing is a viable option.
Perhaps all the armchair CEOs posting here could focus their efforts on doing their own jobs and serving the Customers, and leave the executive decisions of the airline to Gary Kelly (and it boggles me that some here can’t even spell his name correctly) and our other leaders.
Call me a mindless drone or Kool-aid drinker if you must to make yourself feel better, but doing so doesn’t change the underlying fundamentals of the economy and industry today, nor how SWA must deal with them.
The Southwest Spirit is alive and well. The Southwest family continues to lead the industry in terms of Customer Service, our People, operations, and financial health, all the while truly giving America the Freedom to Fly.
This codeshare with Volaris - along with the previously announced agreement with WestJet, new service to Minneapolis/St. Paul, inflight Wi-Fi,...the list goes on and on - helps to ensure that Southwest is best positioned for any and all growth opportunities that lie ahead.
It's an exciting time for the Southwest Family, for our Customers, and for the those that have yet to have had the opportunity to fly with us. This codeshare, which connects the network of our innovative, intensely Customer-oriented company with that of an innovative, intensely Customer-oriented airline from south of the border, only enhances the future of Southwest Airlines by giving our Customers greater travel options, allowing our Employees the opportunity to win over even more hearts of the travelling public, and cementing Southwest's role as the industry leader.
I'm thrilled with this announcement.
Southwest Airlines is a very diverse airlines and hires people from all walks of life and every ethnic background. Volaris, on the other hand, will only hire Mexican employees. Not only will Volaris be taking jobs away from Southwest Airline employees, management is handing over revenue to a company who is blatantly practicing discrimination...
Way to go Gary Kelly, working for peanuts just took on a whole new meaning...
POS always stood for "Positively Outrageous Service", I'm sure it has a different meaning to the employees with regards to codesharing...
I wonder if it's possible to outsource management to Richard Branson?
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Brilliant! ....Or code-share management with JetBlue?
Seems like Mr. Kelly has lost the LUV.
This is nothing more than outsourcing of jobs. Executive office jobs are next. Open your eyes people. Mr. Kelly does not LUV you. He LUVs money. Mr. Kelly LUVs Wall Street. Wall Street has not returned the LUV. Mr. Kelly gets huge bonuses and stock options. You get to deal with "doing more with less".
MANY other airlines have been codesharing for YEARS! Why does everyone all of a sudden thinks it's a bad thing? ....BECAUSE THEY only know SWA and forget there's a world out there much bigger than where you work!!!!!!
People, remember that by starting out with a codeshare we can see what works and what doesn't before we jump in head first. If a codeshare fails, you stop selling it.... if a new route on WN metal fails you have a WHOLE other mess to clean up. We have employees who can't even tell the difference between a -300 and -700 and you seriously think we're ready to do Intl paperwork and fly Intl......HAHA! It's not as easy as you think.
OPEN YOUR MINDS.... in order to fly Intl a lot here would change and when we've got people who can't even dress appropriately or act accordingly I don't think we have any business leaving the country with that. We're not a regional airline, we're the biggest in the USA and until we realize that and act like it then we have no business going elsewhere. I for one trust that the company is being smart and that these codeshares are a good thing.
So let me get this straight again: Southwest Airlines doesn't have the resources to initiate international service but Volaris, JetBlue, Airtran and Spirit do? Didn't we spent millions in revamping our customers facilities and in the "new" boarding process? Mmmmmmmm
Dear traveling public, in the interest of your safety, please ensure you utilize a US based Flag carrier for all your foreign travel needs. American, Continental, Jetblue, etc. You cannot trust your life on a third world country startup. Just read the small print about liabilty on the back of that international boarding card...
To ALL Customers---
As an employee of Southwest Airlines, I feel it important to apologize for all the negativity on this particular topic. We ALL appreciate your business and get great joy out of getting you to all of your important life events - safely. This codeshare is and will be an exciting time in our Company's history and we hope we'll still see you on board either in Tulsa or Toluca, Cleveland or Cancun.
Employee — Tue, 11/11/2008 - 03:04
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It'll be to Tulsa and Cleveland brownoser! add Amarillo and Midland for fun. I will also like to apologize to our customers for being so misleading (business select, wi-fi, international destinations you can go with your RR points) and promising so much and not really delivering... I will also like to apologize for having 6-hour -ong flights with only 2 lavatories and 2 trash containers (and no entertainment). And for having grumpy crews sometimes... We don't get breaks!
Don't think for a moment that you will get the SWA quality of service on this carrier. SWA should be flying and operating these routes themselves.
Your customers are not impressed with the way you're acting in this particular blog discussion. Isn't this kind of the High School way to deal with your concerns? Most of you are disregarding what the customers have said which is rude, dumping on your new partner which is rude because they didn't do anything to you, and talking about what a pain it is and how you don't plan to go the extra when your job in particular isn't changing AT ALL and not exactly calling out to customers to fly with you. This is LAME.
Why hasn't our leadership displayed the Warrior Spirit that we are always urged to display? Our company has retreated into its peanut shell. Our "Big Announcements" are now announcing growth in other companies, and glee that we can make money from outsourcing via our website. How sad.
As an employee, I am concerned about the direction our management is taking this company. With this annoucement it shows an alarming trend to continue to outsource our jobs. For 30 + years Herb and his management team always put his customers and employees first. They built this airline into a well known brand, known for the great service the employees provided. Mr. Kelly, while a smart "money guy", he is on course to unravel one of the greatest mangement-labor relations an airline has ever enjoyed. I would hope that Mr. Kelly rethinks his direction for this airline or we will go by the way like so many others before!
People, remember that by starting out with a codeshare we can see what works and what doesn't before we jump in head first. If a codeshare fails, you stop selling it.... if a new route on WN metal fails you have a WHOLE other mess to clean up. We have employees who can't even tell the difference between a -300 and -700 and you seriously think we're ready to do Intl paperwork and fly Intl......HAHA! It's not as easy as you think.
OPEN YOUR MINDS.... in order to fly Intl a lot here would change and when we've got people who can't even dress appropriately or act accordingly I don't think we have any business leaving the country with that. We're not a regional airline, we're the biggest in the USA and until we realize that and act like it then we have no business going elsewhere. I for one trust that the company is being smart and that these codeshares are a good thing.
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Wow! I bet management shares this view. In a nutshell: Y'all are a bunch of ignorant rednecks not capable of working and international flight.... Although, ok to fly domestically.
I will also like to apologize for having 6-hour -ong flights with only 2 lavatories and 2 trash containers (and no entertainment). And for having grumpy crews sometimes... We don't get breaks!
********
Amen! and for all the stuff we do to let the get away with it!.... I just had it... I'm showing up for work and to wait for mode code-shares to be announced. Zero excitement, zero challenges, just serve peanuts between Dallas and Amarillo, and do it fast, It's a short flight!
This continued outsourcing of Southwest jobs will be the end of Southwest airlines. The morale among line employees is being absolutely destroyed, and with it the good name of Southwest airlines. I am an employee and I'm so disgusted with how this company continually tells its employees they're the best, yet turns around and makes decisions that hurt the employees. I'm afraid GK will be known as the one who destroyed Southwest. Personally, I don't see how Herb can stand by and watch the company he started and worked so hard at for years turn into what it is becoming - just another major airline that abuses its labor. So we can trust the safety of our passengers on a two year old upstart w/ no international experience? And we can't do this ourselves? I for one will be honest with our customers when they express concerns about Volaris.
Mr Kelly,
Next time you are about announcing another of these depressing deals, please save the theatrics... (like waiting almost 'till noon to release the information in Today@SWA) This info can be processed overnight along with articles like how to make a b-day cake with toilet paper and all the other garbage about cook-outs and costumes...
Unbelievable! Then we wonder what's going on with our stock.... Gary save all that "Is not a matter of if, but when" talk. Really, don't. We don't believe you so just save it. We are not competent enough to fly from Phoenix to Toluca... we get it. Just stop making all this grandiose announcements that never materialize! Please, stop it!
Southwest Airlines... Outsourcing you from Tulsa to Guadalajara!
The company has not outsourced ANYONE'S JOB! You have to take a job away from someone to outsource it... and nobody has "lost" their jobs due to codeshares.
"Outsourcing involves the transfer of the management and/or day-to-day execution of an entire business function to an external service provider."
We haven't done that. It's a codeshare, everyone has them and we've had them before with ATA and Iceland Air. Stop spreading inaccurate ignorant statements about "outsourcing". Do any of you have ANY idea how huge it is to initiate Intl service? Sure the other carriers are doing it but our operations are NOTHING like theirs. They have varied fleets, sub-fleets and a whole other way of operating. I for one am proud of these codeshares!
This airline is becoming the LAMEST ever! I come back to work like a zombie knowing that I'll be flying between Tampa and Fort Lauderdale the whole day. We got to the point where all the exciting news are how other airlines are going to take our costumers to Toronto, Montreal Vancouver, Toluca, Guadalajara and Cancun.... Laaaaaaame!
To all of you who are confused as to why so many employees thing this is a very bad thing, let me just say this. No one here wants to go to Mexico or Canada just for a "good vacation location" like someone earlier wrote. Most of us could care less were we are going, as long as we are growing. If we were growing as fast as we could, it would be one thing to codeshare, but we aren't. For those of you who work in DAL, just look at the aircraft with the white painted over the tail. Those are airplanes that we are getting rid of while announcing that we are going to us a different company to do flying WE could do. Those airplanes equal JOBS. I know it doesn't seem like your jobs in the GO depend on those airplanes, but they do. This isn't just about pilot and flight attendants. Everybody should be worried. If you work in dispatch, how would you feel if the company said we are going to keep all of you, but all future dispatchers are going to be hired in Mexico into our Mexico dispatch office. (By the way, how did the OPS center work out for you all?) How about we open a Canadian Res center? or an Indian business office? I'm not a huge union guy, but I know a bad thing when I see it, and this is a bad thing. We grow ZERO (GO and all), and we subsidies another company's growth. WAKE UP!
"Doing more with less". The way of the future in SWA... Be scared, be reaaaaally scared. Soon they are going to announce that the Wi-fi deal is not viable and we will be required to do puppet shows with our dirty socks during flight....
Your customers are not impressed with the way you're acting in this particular blog discussion. Isn't this kind of the High School way to deal with your concerns? Most of you are disregarding what the customers have said which is rude, dumping on your new partner which is rude because they didn't do anything to you, and talking about what a pain it is and how you don't plan to go the extra when your job in particular isn't changing AT ALL and not exactly calling out to customers to fly with you. This is LAME.
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Welcome to our LAME world. These are the only venues where we can vent this, because mngmt. doesn't listen and if you dare to question you are not a team player... This company is like Jonestown!
Your customers are not impressed with the way you're acting in this particular blog discussion. Isn't this kind of the High School way to deal with your concerns? Most of you are disregarding what the customers have said which is rude, dumping on your new partner which is rude because they didn't do anything to you, and talking about what a pain it is and how you don't plan to go the extra when your job in particular isn't changing AT ALL and not exactly calling out to customers to fly with you. This is LAME.
I respectfully disagree. As a Southwest customer, I admire the workforce coming together to voice the concerns that are on everyone's minds these days, and that is job loss due to
outsourcing when there is a more than adequate and qualified group that can do the job themselves. Airline executives are notorious for "Golden Parachutes" and given what is going on currently in our economy, there IS a cause for concern among Southwest employees.
A customer who understands
If you are a Southwest Flight Attendant and you are not concern about this check open time (or FA/TT) for tomorrow in OAK, PHX and LAS... Multiply that x 10 and that's your future!
Gary Kelly,
How many beans is the good will of your employee groups worth?
Warrior Spirit on the Shuttle By United from HERB..."Their gonna get nuked!"
Warrior Spirit on flying to Mexico from GARY..."Well I don't know. That's an awful lot of paperwork. Maybe we ought to have someone else do it."
Do moron airline CEO's not understand what brand loyalty is? People fly on SWA because they like SWA. Ticket prices between carriers are often the same and people choose SWA with this in mind. I suggest the knuckleheads at SWA