SWA upgrades

[captain dad]

Heard SWA upgrades well beyond Ten Years.

So what do you think?

 

[roughneck]

true.

 

[On Your Six]

Expected time range?

What's a "reasonable" expectation for upgrade for a recent newhire? What time range would you give (minimum years to maximum based on current conditions and estimates)? I understand things can change - just looking for a "reasonable" time range. Are we talking 12-15 years until first upgrade opportunity?

 

[Bavarian Chef]

The real title to this thread should be:

The Bad News is You May Not Upgrade at SWA for Ten Years, But the Good News is You Will Make More in Ten Years Than Most Other Airlines' Captains

 

[pacswaski]

Who knows. It could be quicker after the merger. Or slower. There are no orders of 737's after 2014 because apparently they won't be coming of the assembly line anymore. So what will SWA's new order be after that? Who knows.
How many guys will stay past 61 / 62 / 63 ????
Who knows.

As of now, 5 to six year upgrades are probably a thing of the past.

 

[Tejas-Jet]

That was the same topic of conversation just after 9/11 when new acft were delivered and promptly parked in the desert....

...when you least expect it...things can change...sometimes for the worse...sometimes for the better

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

That was the same topic of conversation just after 9/11 when new acft were delivered and promptly parked in the desert....

...when you least expect it...things can change...sometimes for the worse...sometimes for the better

My buddy at American says I'll still upgrade before him, He's been there for 8+ years, Me one year at SWA...Heck I didn't know we were required to upgrade when I got here (you're not required to upgrade, just take Capt checks every 6 months instead of FO once a year) there have been exceptions to the rule with higher up approval but somewhat rare. I guess it's like American's so called "up or out" or at least IMO. Anyone tried the union Seniority projector since it was updated, I don't really care but someone who has run it could give you a pretty good idea, At this moment, if nothing changes, but it's aviation and you know how that works.
KBB

 

[Donald]

I was hired March 1st 04. I recently did the SWAPA upgrade projector. Before the age change it was projecting summer of 2010 for me(just over six years). Now it is projecting Aug 2012 to Jan 2013. That is just an extra 2.5 years, but who knows. There are so many variables out there. A merger could have a huge effect depending on how seniority lists are merged.

 

[Donald]

As far as the 737, that is true about deliveries ending around 2014. We have been told by mgmt that we will be converting to the narrow-body version of the 787.

 

[Aubie]

Dude, "told by management" means nothing. Because the management we interact with doesn't know. All speculation this far out. And whatever Gary and the inner circle really want to do we won't know until it happens. They keep their cards close to the vest (as they should). And of Bob Torti's predictions (man I love listening to him, BTW) he's 0 for 32 since I have been keeping score.

Bottom line lots can and will change between now and then...

 

[jball2]

Aubie, a little off topic, but were you THE Aubie? I heard we had an AUBIE here.

Jball2 AU '97
WAAAAAARRRRR EAGLE!

 

[PreContact]

As far as the 737, that is true about deliveries ending around 2014. We have been told by mgmt that we will be converting to the narrow-body version of the 787.

So are you going to have Boeing disconnect the auothrottles on them as well?

 

[Old School]

dude you didnt hear, SWA is turning on the autothrottles by July to save fuel. The upkeep has been overshadowed by the cost savings of using them.

 

[hockeypilot44]

The real title to this thread should be:

The Bad News is You May Not Upgrade at SWA for Ten Years, But the Good News is You Will Make More in Ten Years Than Most Other Airlines' Captains

We'll see. That's the way USair used to be. Look at that place now. Ten years ago Southwest was the lowest paid airline in the industry. SWA has pretty good management, but that can change in the 30+ years that most newhires have left in their careers. Any airline job is a gamble. SWA is not exempt from that rule. The sad thing is that Southwest's payscale only increased to cover inflation so the same scale that used to be a joke is now everyone's dream. It just shows you how far back this job (ex-profession) has fallen.

 

[bravodude]

We'll see. That's the way USair used to be. Look at that place now. Ten years ago Southwest was the lowest paid airline in the industry. SWA has pretty good management, but that can change in the 30+ years that most newhires have left in their careers. Any airline job is a gamble. SWA is not exempt from that rule. The sad thing is that Southwest's payscale only increased to cover inflation so the same scale that used to be a joke is now everyone's dream. It just shows you how far back this job (ex-profession) has fallen.

I guess 200/hr for a 737 is just to cover inflation riiiiiiiiight!