Just an observation. One that is so obvious that it’s been missed.
Anybody remember Midwest Express, later named Midwest Airlines?
Focused on Milwaukee, it was an outstanding and different product from other airlines. Incredible and innovative onboard meals. Free wine. Onboard baked cookies. Four across business-class seating.
Having service from Midwest was a real score for any airport. It was a winning airline service model.
And then it wasn’t.
The wrenching changes in air transportation economics subsequent to 9/11 rendered the Midwest model to be financially impossible to maintain.
Over a fairly short period of years, Midwest writhed around trying to be like other carriers, but the core product strategy of high amenities it was built upon was demolished. Just being like other carriers rendered the airline to be a small “just-like” also-ran, and it disappeared.
Southwest should take note. As it evolves out of the now-obsolete model from the Herb Kelleher days, it must stay quality-relevant compared to its competition.
Southwest Airlines is emerging into a carrier that will be a whole lot more in competition for consumer dollars with American, United, Delta, and now, Alaska. Without the quirky things that made it different from them.
Yes, it has attempted to implement service delivery more like these competitors. But one supposedly “advantage” of WN has concurrently evaporated.
Its fleet. It now is straight-jacketed into two capacity versions of the 737.
Please, drop the amateur babble of the supposed advantages of just having “one kind” of airplane.
First, for years none of that was accurate outside of veneer analysts and web groupies. At one time the airline operated three very different versions of 737s which in regard to things like engines, landing gear, wings, maintenance, and parts – and other factors represented complexity beyond “one airliner type.”
Going forward, Southwest, if it is going to be a national and eventually near-international player, is going to have to shed some of the things that made it different in the prior world.
Fleet and range of product – beyond some extra legroom seats and the jive charges for “choice” cabin location – will need to become a lot more varied.
Prediction: if they are going to compete in this new environment, an all-737 fleet is going to be tough.
Message to WN: The numbers for Airbus and Embraer are in the book.
