Rumor Mill...SWA/B6 Merger?

Just four days after insisting to this reporter that Southwest Airlines management is "not getting the job done," Paul Jackson, the head of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA), submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 31,2015, to the union's Board of Directors Tuesday.
Jackson's exit comes as rumors continue to swirl that Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly is eager to orchestrate another airline merger, possibly with JetBlue or Frontier Airlines


Southwest is the second-largest carrier at ATL.

But first, sources say, Kelly must get new contracts with key labor groups — including pilots, flight attendants and ramp agents. It's a goal that has eluded Kelly for years, with failed attempts to get new contracts with flight attendants and pilots coming just in the past several months.


In his resignation letter Jackson said an "institutional change in direction" was necessary at SWAPA.
Meanwhile, sources say Southwest CEO Gary Kelly urgently wants to get deals done with the pilots, flight attendants and ramp agents — all of whom have been negotiating for years with management — so he can proceed with another merger now that the AirTran integration is complete.


****************All SWA Employees Please Elaborate**********************