On my recent trip east, I had an experience on Southwest Airlines that reinforced the power of their business model. My flight from Columbus to Baltimore got delayed. It was scheduled to leave at 8:25PM. After boarding and shortly before the scheduled take-off, we were told that there was a mechanical issue and that we would have to switch planes.

After deplaning, the gate staff told us it would be an hour-and-a-half for them to fly another plane in. Then a few minutes later, they informed us that we were going to be switched to another plane that was already en route and that the delay would only be 45 minutes. A few minutes later, we were switched to another plane that had just finished unloading in Columbus. We were boarded immediately and were on our way.

The total delay due to a plane going out of service: 30 minutes. I don’t know of any other airline that could react so quickly to such a situation. It speaks volumes to Southwest’s operational efficiency. It is a true competitive advantage that, in this specific case, can be traced to one strategic business decision. They use the same plane throughout their fleet – the Boeing 737. Here’s how that one simple decision gives them a huge advantage over their competitors.

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Don’t ask why, but somehow through the month of December I ended up buying a Fire TV Stick and a Fire TV. What makes it even more baffling is that I already own a Chromecast. Ok, I’ll admit it, they were impulse purchases.

Now that I have all three devices, I’ve been able to do a little comparison of the pros and cons of each device. Here’s what I like about each, what isn’t so great, and some recommendations.
(Clicking any image will take you to the description for that device)

Chromecast by GoogleAmazon’s Fire TV stickAmazon’s Fire TV

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