Union action could lead to Southwest and AirTran remaining separate carriers

Southwest Airlines has outlined plans to keep AirTran as a stand-alone carrier if pilot union members don’t agree to combine seniority lists, reports Bloomberg. Pilots at both airlines are now voting until November 7 on a new seniority proposal agreement. Such a more would go against Southwest’s goal of folding AirTran into Southwest and would also reduce operating efficiencies. Southwest’s 2009 bid for Frontier Airlines Holdings faltered when the carriers’ pilots couldn’t agree on seniority.