SWA going against McCaskill Bond?

[Flying the Line]

Andy, welcome back to FI. How is your new business going? Probably tough in this environment, I wish you the best...the more Airtran ALPA pushes the more SWA will pull back.

 

[C-21Pilot]

Deleted.

 

[On Your Six]

I think you are wrong!

1. SWA holdings owns AT. SWA can do what ever it wants with AT.

2. M/B is a law that states you have negotiate in a fair and equitable way which SWA/SWAPA/MC has done. Your MEC turned it down.

3. SL9 protected you from furlough, not so much any more.

4. SWA holdings can furlough if they want, again you can not tell a right to work state company how to run a company.

5. SWA GAVE AND MAY CONSIDER ANOTHER FAIR DEAL.

6. If you think this is a cake and eat it too deal for us look in the mirror my
friend.

7. SWA is not LEGALLY BOUNDED TO MERGE BOTH OPERATIONS!

Don't think so negative! SWA is loosing money because of the lack of immediate synergies, and ALPA is not helping. So if the secondary company is causing pain finically to the primary one, what would you do as a CEO?

Please quit thinking like a pilot.

What would the board of directors tell GK if he states SWA is losing money because of those lack of synergies? What about the stock holders at the annual stockholders meeting? I bet they will tell him to fix it, and fix it quick. They want PROFITS, not turmoil. This is starting to smell like the next USair, and that smells worse than Redflyer's last deposit at the ELP Airport La Quinta.



OYS

 

[On Your Six]

Andy, welcome back to FI. How is your new business going? Probably tough in this environment, I wish you the best...the more Airtran ALPA pushes the more SWA will pull back.

The next USair is........wait for it.......



OYS

 

[N1kawotg]

Swa will take 30-40 days to convert seats paint etc per plane. All they have to do is have guys in class ahead of plane going down for maintence and that's answers everyones question what would GK do about pilots if other groups agreed to something. Other groups can integrate without each other. 7000 pilots had qualifications last window. It's not a take all groups or nothing deal if one group doesn't take offers if Swa is prepared for that scenario.

 

[Andy]

Andy, welcome back to FI. How is your new business going? Probably tough in this environment, I wish you the best...the more Airtran ALPA pushes the more SWA will pull back.

Thanks for the welcome back.
No new business; I kicked some ideas around but never got anything going yet. When you sit down and crunch the numbers, most plans fall apart because they aren't going to be profitable anytime in the near future. I'm not willing to pay money just to work.
I'm still being a lazy bum and hanging out in the pool most of the time. I'd like to travel with the wife but she's still gainfully employed in the AF. She got a TDY to Peru and took some leave at the end of it; I flew down there and we went to Machu Picchu so that was fun. She's got a long TDY to San Salvador coming up and I'll go down and visit her there but it's not a destination that rates very high on my list of places to go. Our big trip for this year is to Paris for New Years - I was trying to talk her into Sydney for New Years but she couldn't get enough time off to justify the long plane trip.

I can see that I came back here at yet another interesting time in aviation. I'm amazed at how few read the history of aviation. This is like watching Gary Kasparov play chess with a second grader ... many here are unwilling/unable to critically evaluate all of the possible countermoves. I've had the chance to consult with quite a few lawyers over the last few years (in a good way) and the halfway decent ones looked at all possible outcomes and made, at a minimum, rudimentary plans to address every possibility that they could think of.

 

[waveflyer]

C'mon texman- do you think Gen/OYS really care what happens to their little ATL thorn FL? They only want this to go as bad as possible--- and disguising it.
Don't feed trolls.

 

[jinxy]

Midwest Airlines
In 2002, the airline made another major change, shortening its name from Midwest Express to simply Midwest. A major reason for the change was the modern association of 'express' with a regional airline, which Midwest was not. At the same time, Midwest's commuter airline subsidiary changed its name from Skyway Airlines, the Midwest Express Connection, to Midwest Connect. In a move to save money on jet fuel, the airline accelerated the replacement of DC-9 aircraft with the Boeing 717. On May 23, 2006, Midwest Airlines accepted one of the last two Boeing 717s delivered in a ceremony with AirTran Airways, who accepted the other 717. Midwest also announced that select MD-80 aircraft would leave the fleet.
In May 2005, Midwest announced a new buy-on-board meal service for customers. The new program was a change from the previous 'In-flight Cafe' and featured chefs and inspiration from the renowned Mader's restaurant. Chocolate chip cookies are baked on the plane and served warm.
Midwest became the largest longstanding operation at Mitchell Airport and served 21 cities non-stop (serving San Antonio only through Kansas City), while their regional partner Skyway Airlines, operating as Midwest Connect, served nearly 30 destinations throughout the Central United States. In the late 1990s, Midwest built a secondary hub at Kansas City International Airport, where nonstop service was operated to 13 cities across the country.
On May 17, 2007, Midwest Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Northwest Airlines to form a code share agreement with them. The code share agreement added 250 city pairs and 1,000 new flight options for Midwest Airlines customers. Northwest routes that include the Midwest Airlines YX code are destinations beyond Northwest's hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Memphis throughout the United States and Canada. Midwest placed its code on Northwest flights from Indianapolis, a Northwest focus city. Additionally, Midwest's code appears on a number of Northwest-operated flights to Hawaii and Alaska. Routes operated by Midwest Airlines that carry the NW Northwest code are flights that connect at Midwest's Milwaukee and Kansas City hubs, as well as Omaha -- a Midwest focus city.[9] Northwest also code shares on Midwest Airlines-operated flights between Milwaukee and Kansas City to Atlanta, Boston, Hartford, Los Angeles and San Francisco that connect to the Northwest/KLM trans-Atlantic network and trans-Pacific network.
Midwest has won more awards for exceptional service in Condé Nast Traveler Magazine than any other U.S. airline, although it has not won an award from Conde Nast Traveler since it ceased to be an independent company.
[edit]Signature and Saver Service Added to All Aircraft
On May 29, 2007, Midwest announced the next phase of the company's strategic plan, which will offer customers the choice of Signature and Saver seating on all flights. The dual-seating option was previously available on its Boeing 717 fleet, which have since been returned to Boeing. The same amenities provided to all passengers on either aircraft, including leather seats.
The configuration of Midwest's Boeing 717 aircraft[10]
40 Signature leather seats, arranged in 10 rows of two-by-two, offering a 36" pitch and providing 2-3 more inches of legroom than the previous Signature seating[11]
59 Saver seats arranged two-by-three which the company claims are among the roomiest coach seats in the industry[12]
The company projected that the implementation of seating choices would generate $30–35 million in annualized revenue.[13]
The addition of 11 seats on each of the airline's 9 Boeing 717 aircraft would have reduced the airline's unit costs by increasing capacity 12.5%. Had the new seating configuration on the Boeing 717s been in effect in 2006, Midwest Airlines' cost per available seat mile excluding fuel of 7.22 cents would have been 6.77 cents, a 6.3% improvement.[citation needed]
[edit]Acquisition by TPG
In December 2006, AirTran Holdings Inc. -- owner of AirTran Airways -- made public that in December 2005 it had approached the Board of Directors of Midwest Air Group—owner of Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect—and had asked the board to negotiate a sale of the company. That AirTran offer in 2005 was rebuffed by Midwest's board, which also rebuffed a second offer in late 2006. In December 2006, AirTran disclosed the rejection of both offers in hopes of bringing shareholder pressure on Midwest's board to reconsider, which the board recommended that shareholders reject.[3]
On August 12, 2007, it was announced that AirTran had lost the bid for Midwest. A private equity group, headed by TPG Capital and including Northwest Airlines, purchased Midwest and turned the airline into a privately funded company. The inclusion of Northwest in the investing partners required anti-trust review from the United States Department of Justice, which reviews all airline mergers.[14]
On August 14, 2007, AirTran increased its offer to the equivalent of $16.25 a share, slightly more than the $16 a share from TPG Capital investors group.[15] However, Midwest announced TPG would increase its offer to $17 per share and a definitive agreement had been reached late on August 16, 2007.[16]
On August 17, 2007 TPG and Northwest Airlines finalized their bid for Midwest with the final offer of $17 per share and a total deal of $450 million.
On February 1, 2008, Midwest Air Group announced that the US Department of Justice had cleared the acquisition of Midwest by TPG Capital and Northwest. This finalized the acquisition; trading of Midwest Air Group on the American Stock Exchange ceased at the end of the trading day on January 31, 2008, and stockholders in Midwest received the agreed-upon $17 per share. This ended the independent existence of Midwest Airlines.
In accordance with the rest of the airline industry during the oil price increases since 2003, Midwest Airlines was forced to cut back services. To do this, Midwest Airlines announced their intent to ground the twelve remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets in its fleet. According to the company, the MD-80 "is a very fuel inefficient airplane and at the cost of fuel today it's just become economically infeasible to operate these planes." The MD-80s, and the crews that operated them, left Midwest in fall of 2008.[17]
TPG Capitals Midwest Air Group failed to pay a $3.3 million [18] receivable due the outsourced regional airline replacement for Skyway Airlines which previously d/b/a as Midwest Connect. SkyWest was due the amount by June 30, 2008 forcing SkyWest Airlines to record a full reserve and corresponding reduction in revenue during the second quarter.
Additional changes were announced on September 3, 2008, when the airline announced that it had raised $60 million from TPG, Northwest Airlines, and Republic Airways Holdings. As part of the outsourcing deal, Republic Airlines is operating 12 Embraer 170 aircraft under the Midwest Airlines brand, though Midwest has the option to convert the aircraft into a long-term lease and operate them directly. The airline also reached an agreement with Boeing Capital to return 16 Boeing 717s, leaving it with a fleet of 9 aircraft.[19]
[edit]Acquisition by Republic Airways Holdings
On June 23, 2009, Republic Airways Holdings, Inc announced would acquire Midwest Airlines for $31 million. The deal closed on July 30.[20] Midwest became a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways and continued to operate under current branding.[3] The Midwest Airlines FAA operating certificate expired on November 3, 2009. The acquisition by Republic was 22 months after TPG and Northwest Airlines paid $450 million for Midwest. The total loss of investment by TPG and Northwest was 93% or $419 million.
[edit]Flight Outsourcing
On September 3, 2008, Midwest Airlines announced its plan to outsource all of its flight operations to Republic Airways. Republic will operate 12 new 76-seat Embraer 170 jets under the Midwest Connect name while Midwest will return all of its 25 Boeing 717 planes under a lease renegotiation.[21] While this change caused the additional layoffs bringing the total of pink-slipped Midwest pilots to nearly 300[22] and total employee cuts for the year to 1,850 [4], Midwest indicates that it hopes to begin operating these new planes itself with Midwest crews in 8–12 months.[21] Some Midwest pilots claim they have been told privately that Midwest, in fact, does not plan to seek the needed regulatory approvals to operate the new planes itself.[citation needed]
The Midwest branch of the Air Line Pilots Association launched a campaign protesting the Midwest outsourcing plan shortly after it was announced. They argue that the pilots have already made significant concessions to help Midwest Airlines survive and that the company's new contract offers represent draconian demands.[23]
[edit]Merge into Frontier
In spring of 2010, parent company Republic Airways Holdings announced that its Frontier and Midwest Airlines brands would merge by October 2011. On April 13, Republic announced that the Frontier Airlines name would be kept.[2] Parts of the Midwest brand will be incorporated into the Frontier brand as part of the merger, namely the iconic Midwest cookie and the slogan of Midwest Airlines, "The Best Care In The Air."[2]
According to media reports, only very few employees have moved over from the previous Midwest umbrella to the new Republic Airways/Frontier company.[citation needed]
On October 1, 2010, midwestairlines.com was shut down for future reservations (besides frequent flyer tickets).
On October 28, 2010, midwestairlines.com was shut down. Users were redirected to www.frontierairlines.com.
Midwest's YX code was retired in early November 2010.
[edit]

 

[FDJ2]

I loved your second to last paragraph. At Eastern, we assured Frank Lorenzo and Co. if he didn't play fair, the people of the cities of Atlanta, Miami, New York, and Boston would rise up with us and refuse to buy tickets on Continental and we would drive Continental out of business. Remember, Eastern, "The Wings of Man" had been dominant in these cities with the exception of ATL, for over 60 years. The day we went on strike, the boys over at Delta added numerous extra flights. The AJC wrote some articles and within 8 weeks or so, you could hear crickets chirping and our beloved citizens of all our cities were more concerned with the fact that the dork Michael Dukakis might become President. So spare me the melodrama about the people of Atlanta giving a crap. They don't. Oh, I almost forgot. 22 years later, Continental is still in business........

Eastern went out of business because Eastern failed for many reasons. Neither the citizens of Atlanta or Delta were the culprits of that debackle, nor could they have saved Eastern.

SWA, unlike Eastern, strives to maintain a certain culture and public persona with the traveling public. It's an integral part of their marketing strategy. SWA wants to succeed in this competitive environment. In order to do that they need all parties striving to make SWA thrive. OTOH, Lorenzo could have cared less about Eastern, and not much more for Continental. While I can appreciate where your cynical and bitter attitude comes from, in this instance, it misses the mark.

 

[Empennage]

But, as OYS has pointed out, what if the other groups, like flight attendants and Mechanics, did accept the Southwest offer, and they wanted to go forward. Would GK keep everything seperate if only one of the groups wanted to go to Arbitration? What would stockholders and board members say about that? Maybe they would tell GK to "eat it?" But, you're right, there has been some legislation (like Bond Mckaskil) that does protect how workers are integrated. This will be fun to watch, but I think the Airtran pilots will probably go to arbitration, and get a heck of a lot better deal than they were offered. That award will be binding. If GK wants to flush everything down the toilet, then that's up to him, and a lot of other people are now counting on him, not just his corndog pilots.


Bye Bye---General Lee

Gl,

You are making false and disingenuous statements to the Airtran pilots. Additionally you are making them from a point of zero risk. Some would even argue from a point of wishing risk on others.

Either way, your integrity is certainly diminishing every single time you post. Worse yet, as a professional pilot, we could all say you have a right or obligation to your fellow professional aviators.

As an example , you are a cardiac physician giving advice to a cancer patient. It is disigenuous and morally wrong.

 

[waverunner]

General Lee, do you ever get tired of yourself?? Just wondering...

 

[Andy]

Eastern went out of business because Eastern failed for many reasons. Neither the citizens of Atlanta or Delta were the culprits of that debackle, nor could they have saved Eastern.

SWA, unlike Eastern, strives to maintain a certain culture and public persona with the traveling public. It's an integral part of their marketing strategy. SWA wants to succeed in this competitive environment. In order to do that they need all parties striving to make SWA thrive. OTOH, Lorenzo could have cared less about Eastern, and not much more for Continental. While I can appreciate where your cynical and bitter attitude comes from, in this instance, it misses the mark.

My friend, you are unable to see the similarity in the chess moves. I drew similar comparisons to Eastern well before reading Sacha's post.

You and many other trannies discount the worst possible outcome for yourselves because you think that AirTran's operations and personnel are critical to a successful outcome for Southwest in ATL. They're not. You, me, everyone on this board is completely dispensible. There is a backup plan in Dallas and it's being put in motion. The Southwest flights into ATL starting next Feb should've been a clue to you guys. Do you really think the announcement was a coincidence? So you guys have until next Feb to pass a less desirable SLI or all integration/single operating certificate efforts will come to a screeching halt.
Think about it. They were pushing for a single operating certificate next March. Your MEC kills SL9. GK flies into Atlanta and announces Southwest service starting in Feb. Connect the dots; this isn't rocket science.
Southwest already has what they wanted - a large presence in ATL. ATL was the largest city in the US where no Southwest aircraft flew.
Southwest's operation is very different than traditional hub and spoke carriers so it will probably be easier and more cost effective to simply grow within the Southwest subsidiary than to integrate AirTran's operations into Southwest. Quite frankly, I find the complexity of their operation to be mind boggling but they have figured out how to maximize O/D traffic efficiency using their business model.
If you think that they can't grow ATL internally, you must not have watched what happened after they entered the DEN market.

What I find so disturbing in all of this is that the AirTran pilots think that Southwest management's bluffing. As far as I know, they've never bluffed. But they're going to start now? Seriously? You really need to read this interview: http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/08/gary-kelly-talks-about-airtran-1.html
You guys are committing seppuku and aren't even cognizant of that fact.

 

[redflyer65]

I believe if this evidence was to go to court it would show that SWA never intended to give the pilots of Airtran a fair shake..

I would say the opposite could be argued. Gary and SWAPA made every effort to garner a good deal. He can sit back now and say 'Look, I tried to give them the best deal we could, but they turned it down'. No one, and I mean NO ONE on the SWAPA side has drug their feet like the ALPA crowd.

Gary has perfect cover to now run both companies seperately. Are you surprised that he threw out the 'economic turmoil'? Southwest pilots have been saying he would play that card, but we were all dismissed as 'fear mongering'. How this has played out is absolutely no surprise.

Even the ALPA response letter was still out in left field. I don't see any indication that Gary won't run them seperately at this point.

 

[TillerTurner]

Has a CEO ever put himself in the negotiating to broker a deal between to unions like GK did?

 

[Sacha]

Eastern went out of business because Eastern failed for many reasons. Neither the citizens of Atlanta or Delta were the culprits of that debackle, nor could they have saved Eastern.

SWA, unlike Eastern, strives to maintain a certain culture and public persona with the traveling public. It's an integral part of their marketing strategy. SWA wants to succeed in this competitive environment. In order to do that they need all parties striving to make SWA thrive. OTOH, Lorenzo could have cared less about Eastern, and not much more for Continental. While I can appreciate where your cynical and bitter attitude comes from, in this instance, it misses the mark.

Where did I say the citizens of Atlanta or Delta were the culprits? How this: Nobody is going to give a damn about the supposed unfairness to the Airtran pilots in the General Public or how it turns out. Are you with the Fed? Ben is that you? Timmy Geithner? Is that you too? Your living in a world of make believe and fantasy. Sorry.

 

[FlyinGuy]

If GK did shut down AT, it would be about 6 months before most people forgot that they existed. They would be just one of the many casualties in the airline business. Yes, there would be an initial cry...but in the end people will travel and people will "convert" to SWA (or Delta).

 

[texman]

What would the board of directors tell GK if he states SWA is losing money because of those lack of synergies? What about the stock holders at the annual stockholders meeting? I bet they will tell him to fix it, and fix it quick. They want PROFITS, not turmoil. This is starting to smell like the next USair, and that smells worse than Redflyer's last deposit at the ELP Airport La Quinta.



OYS

How about you tell him to fix it.

 

[FDJ2]

My friend, you are unable to see the similarity in the chess moves. I drew similar comparisons to Eastern well before reading Sacha's post.

You and many other trannies discount the worst possible outcome for yourselves because you think that AirTran's operations and personnel are critical to a successful outcome for Southwest in ATL. They're not. You, me, everyone on this board is completely dispensible. There is a backup plan in Dallas and it's being put in motion. The Southwest flights into ATL starting next Feb should've been a clue to you guys. Do you really think the announcement was a coincidence? So you guys have until next Feb to pass a less desirable SLI or all integration/single operating certificate efforts will come to a screeching halt.
Think about it. They were pushing for a single operating certificate next March. Your MEC kills SL9. GK flies into Atlanta and announces Southwest service starting in Feb. Connect the dots; this isn't rocket science.
Southwest already has what they wanted - a large presence in ATL. ATL was the largest city in the US where no Southwest aircraft flew.
Southwest's operation is very different than traditional hub and spoke carriers so it will probably be easier and more cost effective to simply grow within the Southwest subsidiary than to integrate AirTran's operations into Southwest. Quite frankly, I find the complexity of their operation to be mind boggling but they have figured out how to maximize O/D traffic efficiency using their business model.
If you think that they can't grow ATL internally, you must not have watched what happened after they entered the DEN market.

What I find so disturbing in all of this is that the AirTran pilots think that Southwest management's bluffing. As far as I know, they've never bluffed. But they're going to start now? Seriously? You really need to read this interview: http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/08/gary-kelly-talks-about-airtran-1.html
You guys are committing seppuku and aren't even cognizant of that fact.

More threats and attempts at intimidation, nothing more. The Airtran pilots should stay on the high road and not worry about the boogey man. Why so much fear of a fair and equitable seniority integration? If SWAPA truly felt confident in their position they wouldn't be running around kissing up to management and trying to bully the Airtran pilots out of their right to a fair and equitable integration. Sooner or later SWAPA/SWA (is there really a difference) is going to have to deal with the Airtran pilots.

 

[texman]

What would the board of directors tell GK if he states SWA is losing money because of those lack of synergies? What about the stock holders at the annual stockholders meeting? I bet they will tell him to fix it, and fix it quick. They want PROFITS, not turmoil. This is starting to smell like the next USair, and that smells worse than Redflyer's last deposit at the ELP Airport La Quinta.



OYS

On another note, the share/stakeholders know the possible ramifications of this acquisition. It was spelled out in the SEC filings.

 

[FDJ2]

Where did I say the citizens of Atlanta or Delta were the culprits? How this: Nobody is going to give a damn about the supposed unfairness to the Airtran pilots in the General Public or how it turns out. Are you with the Fed? Ben is that you? Timmy Geithner? Is that you too? Your living in a world of make believe and fantasy. Sorry.

It's all about marketing, politics and the law. Sooner or later those realities will become apparent.

 

[SKC]

Gen,

You are correct about the other employee groups, but both Pilot groups are leading the other groups. The ..., dispatchers, ... are all waiting on us.

Actually, we're waiting to get our CBA done prior to any integration talks.

 

[redflyer65]

The Airtran pilots should stay on the high road .

Hilarious. Thanks for the morning comedy.

 

[Tripower455]

General Lee, do you ever get tired of yourself?? Just wondering...

Of course, that's why he/she has several other, equally worthless personas here on FI.

Maybe when he/she gets out of puberty, he/she will get a boyfriend/girlfriend and a job, leaving him/her less time to annoy the adults by posing as an airline pilot. "Virtual" airlines don't count....

 

[texman]

Actually, we're waiting to get our CBA done prior to any integration talks.

Yes, just found that out. Thx.

 

[Sacha]

Of course, that's why he/she has several other, equally worthless personas here on FI.

Maybe when he/she gets out of puberty, he/she will get a boyfriend/girlfriend and a job, leaving him/her less time to annoy the adults by posing as an airline pilot. "Virtual" airlines don't count....

Just curious, I am kind of new to this forum. After a few days it sure seemed to me that OYS and the General were very similar in their posts in a lot of ways. Not to mention they kept citing each others posts for some sort of affirmation or support. Then I noticed when one would be on the forum, the other would disappear. Then when the other reappeared, the other would be gone. They are both equally not playing with a full deck. I talked with some Airtran buds about it and they laughed saying that they are one and the same and they don't work at Delta at all. He is a she and a junior pissed off Airtran chick. Now that made a little more sense. If they actually integrate, which am doubting more and more, I hope the fence around ATL is higher than the control tower. I wouldn't want her anywhere near my cockpit.

 

[Kharma Police]

Just curious, I am kind of new to this forum. After a few days it sure seemed to me that OYS and the General were very similar in their posts in a lot of ways. Not to mention they kept citing each others posts for some sort of affirmation or support. Then I noticed when one would be on the forum, the other would disappear. Then when the other reappeared, the other would be gone. They are both equally not playing with a full deck. I talked with some Airtran buds about it and they laughed saying that they are one and the same and they don't work at Delta at all. He is a she and a junior pissed off Airtran chick. Now that made a little more sense. If they actually integrate, which am doubting more and more, I hope the fence around ATL is higher than the control tower. I wouldn't want her anywhere near my cockpit.

Interesting, you use the same language as that loud mouth chick "Vixen", whom hasn't posted here for awhile, which incidentally is about the same time you starting chiming in.

First acting like an angry chick and then calling out the General who has been on this board since its inception? I still remember him and Ty sparring 10 years ago. I may make silly fecal jokes but at least I don't have a gender identity crisis like you. We need to start calling you Buffalo Bill, from Silence of the Lambs.

 

[Roomwithaview]

Sacha

You will find that flight info is infested with children that don't have much of a real grip on the world of the workforce. Most of the vocal geniuses aren't even working.

So far we have a good ole boy who's infatuated with The Dukes of Hazzard and a chick that wants to pack it in his "six"

We got a chick that's infatuated with a dude that's infatuated with the dukes of hazzard and has an affinity for strap-ons.

We got a guy that prances around like a little yippy dog saying things like "yeah jue really got'em goot on dat won mang" whenever some airtranny snorts at a SWA pilot.

We got another poster that has an insane infatuation with poop.

And of course we have the Tranny Mec moles that come here to give us all the delicious info we would ever want to know about the dysfunctionality that is their MEC.

Once again, Airtran MEC. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! From the bottom of my heart for voting this thing down. You will never know how happy you've made 6000 plus Real Southwest Pilots. Good luck in your future endeavors. You will always be welcome on my jumpseat when you're commuting to MKE out of ATL on SWA. And if we're ever on an overnight together the drinks are on me!!!

imp:

 

[redflyer65]

Real Southwest Pilots.
imp:

You get the OSW tattoo yet? There is a shop down in Dallas that will give you a discount with the SW badge.

 

[Roomwithaview]

Rf65

You get the OSW tattoo yet? There is a shop down in Dallas that will give you a discount with the SW badge.

Actually I'm glad I held off as it looks like I won't need it.

 

[General Lee]

The Airtran pilots won't be bullied and they won't be bought. They will have to be dealt with as equal partners.

Now that it is clear that neither SWAPA or SWA supports pay equity for Airtran pilots, the argument that they will get a windfall because of SWAPA or SWA is a moot point. If the Airtran pilots achieve pay equity it will be because they demanded it and earned it. So much for the pay disparity argument.

Management should never have put their snout in this labor issue, by doing so they have shown their hand and any semblance of fair treatment is now gone.

Their is a process for a fair integration and that process should be respected by all sides.

IMO, the Airtran MEC must make it perfectly clear to SWA management that the success or failure of this merger (save the purchased v. merger line, because it's not relevant) depends on whether or not management can treat each employee equally, regardless of pre-merger status.

I would remind SWA management that the Airtran pilots will not sit idly by and be treated as second class citizens. If they are, SWA will receive a very public and very cold welcome in Atlanta.

The path forward should be clear to all involved, respect the process. Those that fail to respect a process which treats all parties fairly will ultimately reap a bitter harvest.

Um, can I hear a hallelujah?



Bye Bye---General Lee