Southwest Airlines CEO says worst of pandemic over for company: 'I don't think June will be a good

[turbinetree]

Source: Market Watch

Published: May 3, 2020 at 1:34 p.m. ET
By Greg Robb

Flying is ‘as safe as humanly possible,’ says CEO Gary Kelly

Gary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines, said Sunday he thinks the first week of April was the worst period for his company of the coronavirus pandemic, and business should pick up from here.

“I think we’ve seen the bottom here in April. Each week after the first week of April has gotten successively better. I think May will be better than April was,” Kelly said, in an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

I don’t think June will be a good month, but hopefully it will be a bit better than May,” Kelly added.

There are bookings in place but those could easily be canceled, he noted

Iconic investor Warren Buffet said Saturday that he recently sold all of his holdings of Southwest and three other major U.S. airlines. painting a grim picture of the industry.

Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/southwest-airlines-ceo-says-worst-of-pandemic-over-for-company-i-dont-think-june-will-be-a-good-monthhopefully-it-will-be-a-bit-better-than-may-2020-05-03?mod=home-page

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Mr. Kelly did you buy some chance tell zippy the orange hair guy, that to get the industry flying again, that there needs to be tests and a vaccine..........we all know he flies for free on our dime, and has good old time being an ass, but, I digress, the model is based on per passenger mile of revenue in a seat and if you are not filling the seats ..............well that model does not work......

[sfstaxprep]

1. Sounds Like He's Part Of The Everything Is Fine Cult

Yeah....the worst is behind us. Nothing to see here, move along.

I trust Warren Buffet a lot more. He knows what he's doing.

[turbinetree]

2. He's selling for that tax break........if they are at a lost...........

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

3. I don't think the airlines want a tax break -- they want a handout.

Just give them a trillion dollars without any restrictions, that doesn't have to be accounted for or repaid, and maybe, just maybe, they won't ask for more money in the future.

And pigs will fly.

[oldsoftie]

13. I dont know, if he's saying ticket sales are increasing, then thats a positive metric.

We can just hope that pattern continues.

[oldsoftie]

4. A friend, former heart surgery patient, has flown each week since all this started.

So far, he's had no issues. And he flies all over the country repairing massive machinery. I keep up with him as a sort of "canary in the mine".
He says all the airlines he's flown seem to really be paying attention to cleaning things constantly. As well as the airports. he flies out of atlanta every time. As he walks thru the airport, he said he sees crews doing nothing but constantly wiping down things people touch. Now masks are required.
All of this seems to point to a much safer, infection wise, flying experience. I hope thats true as the months go by

[unblock]

5. Passenger travel fell 96%. Its not hard to be "better" than that

But there's plenty of room to be "better" and still not be able to avoid bankruptcy

[beachbumbob]

6. who is going to put themselves inside a tin can with 200 other people and "hope" for the best?

travel is dead for a long time

[VarryOn]

12. I travel about 3 weeks out of the month...

Being grounded hasn't been easy. I'm ready to get back on the road.

I'm in contact with several like me; we are all the same. Let's go!

Once we get back in the office in the next couple of weeks, and exec management gives the "all clear", I think a lot of us will get back to work travelling.

I'll put some masks in my brief case and maintain distance, but not going to lie, I'm very ready. I know most of my peers are the same.

[beachbumbob]

17. as long as you understand the risk to yourself and how you impact others, the key

now is understanding immunity and being tested for them. Otherwise you can be a "typhoid Mary"

[VarryOn]

18. Yes, it's a risk, I know...

but one I'm willing to take. I'm not going to be foolish. The airplane is the one place I'd be most concern. My understanding is airlines are doing a much greater job on cleaning planes between flights. I'll have my cleaning wipes in my brief case to do my own wipe down.

[beachbumbob]

19. the risk is more than about you, it includes any one you may come in contact with as well

too many forget they can be carriers of the infection and not show symptoms but still infect others

[a la izquierda]

20. I'm flying in June.

There are no guarantees in life.

[Hekate]

7. I don't see myself flying in the next few years, thank you.That may mean there are some dear ones...

... I may not get to see again. I know there are some here who scorn air travel altogether, but even they will concede that 3,000 miles is too far to drive, much less to drive and maintain isolation.

I think air travel isn't going to bounce back the way President Clockwork Orange thinks, either for business or personal reasons. The airline industry had already degraded the experience to where it was neither comfortable nor healthy, and now we rightly fear exposure to a deadly disease.

[EarthFirst]

8. Sure it's safe when your operating at 4% occupancy

Everyone’s in economic survival mode (among other survival skills such as; oh...living)

You aren’t going to see full capacity tubes for awhile.

[MurrayDelph]

9. I already didn't trust Southwest's safety procedures

(from a time 30 years ago when they pushed away from the gate while I was still standing in the aisles).

This just shows me nothing has improved.

[rocktivity]

10. Everything cannot be fine for them

Until it's possible to test before you're granted your ticket.


rocktivity

[PSPS]

11. Looks like Southwest made a big ad buy on Marketwatch, so they run this as a reward.

[progree]

14. Hey hey, Ho ho, Spewing greenhouse gases is the way to Go! MAGA! n/t

(sarcasm thingy just in case ... )

[Javaman]

15. whistling past the graveyard..

[Orrex]

16. Sounds to me like he's preemptively refusing any future bailout money