11-13-2008
01:02 AM
9 Loves
Point in case - code sharing of this type has hurt every previous airlines' employees due to outsourcing their work. The only way to make code sharing work is through synergistic code sharing (i.e. Westjet flies people down to the US and then uses our assets to turn the plane, and we fly people to Canada and use their assets to turn the plane). This type of code sharing can provide a win-win solution to growth and profits for both airlines.
ATA is an example of how code sharing will fail and ruin our brand name which has been so carefully developed over 35+ years. ATA started flying routes that directly competed with SWA routes - how did that work when the SWA brand was extremely tarnished when we stranded thousands of customers with tickets bought on Southwest.com when ATA went bankrupt. How much did it cost to try to make things 'right' for those customers?
As all pilots have to have been a captain with over 1000 hours of PIC experience, and a large percentage did so all over the world (not just near international), why is it the company does not have faith in our own, 'Best', employees? We would rather risk more brand dilution by betting on an unknown, unproven, start up?
Senior leadership has been quoted as changing Herb's proven success plan: Take care of your internal employees, they will take care of the customers, which will take care of the shareholders" to "shareholders are the number one priority". The good will, spirit, and PRODUCTIVITY of our employees, cannot, and should not be underestimated by the number crunchers.
Thousands of students have done case studies on SWA, and what made it successful, and they all come back to the Southwest Spirit which is being eroded faster by these outsourcing decisions than I ever thought possible.
This is a very sad chapter in Southwest's history. I hope and pray that it will be the long novel I dreamed of when applying here, but the history of disgruntled and bankrupt airlines going down this path foreshadows a quick ending to one of the best stories written of all time.
Extremely concerned and disappointed employee
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