Southwest Line on Credit?

[Phlintstone]

You're welcome SWA. You will feel two things the first time you are allowed to sit left seat with an AirTran pilot.
1. You will feel overwhelmed by his ability to make 737 do things you had only imagined. Otherwise known as ACARs weight & balance and the FO starting an engine while the CA taxis. It is a ballet on the flight deck.
2. You will feel a calm overcome you and a peace you had only read about in church. That is the awesome. It radiates from all of us. Not from us, the calm is from actually using automation!

I don't know why we have to keep explaining this.

Phred

 

[vixin]

Unfortunately we lost $273 million in 2008 due to $4/gallon Jet A. If Jet A prices wouldn't have crashed in late 2008, our furloughed pilots would have spent a lot longer than 6 months out of the cockpit.

And where would AAI be with gas prices now and the last couple of years? Plus raises?

 

[RLAblows]

And where would AAI be with gas prices now and the last couple of years? Plus raises?

The same question could be asked about SWA. All I hear is "labor costs" being spoken about from management. Picketing has now started with labor groups. Zero growth and no international ops. Things weren't all roses. The AirTran acquisition was a necessity, not a charity.

 

[maxblast72]

You can look at the history of either airline, and pull out the data you want in order to "prove" any dubious point you want to make. . . . and none of these "points" will change anyone's opinion. Neither side feels like they got a fair deal.

That is true. The facts are AirTran's last annual loss was in 2008 while Southwest's last annual loss was in 1972. It is also a fact that AirTran's last furlough was in the fall of 2008 while Southwest has never furloughed a pilot.

Those facts would have been presented to the arbitration panel had the Southwest or AirTran pilots not approved a negotiated deal. From my conversations with former Merger Committee members of other airlines, it is apparent most pilots groups overestimate their arbitration case and were shocked by the arbitrator's award when it came out. I believe a good portion of both the AirTran and Southwest pilot groups overestimated their arbitration case in our situation.

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

Using your logic Max, had WN merged with US, AA, UCAL, etc. those pilot groups could have expected the same fate from an arbitrator that you believe we would have.

While you are making your new mgmt. and future union brothers proud, your attempts to justify your failure are sickening.

 

[canyonblue]

Otherwise known as ACARs weight & balance and the FO starting an engine while the CA taxis. It is a ballet on the flight deck.

Not from us, the calm is from actually using automation!

Phred

ACARS weight & balance The OPC is sooo labor intensive.

Actually the calm is knowing that the person you are flying with can function without the automation.

 

[SWA/FO]

Hahahah now that's a good beoch slap

Ty.... Not everybody is good at/in Real Estate. I just wish he would go do something else.
__________________

 

[ATLplt]

ACARS weight & balance The OPC is sooo labor intensive.

Actually the calm is knowing that the person you are flying with can function without the automation.

You can roll your eyes, but once you use it you'll see what we're talking about. Ask your ops agents how nice it is working AT flights. They don't have to do anything. Everything is automated and easier on all parties involved. If ACARS isn't working then you're free to use the Tandy 1000 in your cockpit.

 

[vixin]

Had an OPC MEL'd last week. Got numbers on ACARS. For the first time since I have been at SWA, I had to say we are not ready we waiting on our numbers. We both said yep we have made it to AMR finally. Several minutes later we got the info. It is a nice format and not new here it just isnt used that much. The lack of urgency from dispatch was the frustrating part.

 

[humveedriver]

I feel it's important to reiterate that the system AT uses which SWA is interested in, does not depend on manual inputs from dispatch to achieve performance numbers. It is automated and very efficient. Will cost the Ops agents their jobs in all likelihood. One other benefit to the Aerodata method is that you also get two snapshots (planned weight and planned weight plus 4,000 lbs) in your dispatch paperwork. So if you want to enter the numbers manually and go you can. It just might not be the most fuel efficient power setting. But you don't have to take a delay that way. Should there be a a big atmospheric difference you would have to break down and use dispatch. It works well.

 

[scoreboardII]

The formatting for this auto acars data is already in the 800 and will soon be fleet wide, it is automated, no Manuel inputs required to recieve numbers.

 

[HowardBorden]

The formatting for this auto acars data is already in the 800 and will soon be fleet wide, it is automated, no Manuel inputs required to recieve numbers.

So it's magic? No one is entering the fuel load? The cargo loaded to each bin? The number of passengers? Is this thing related to HAL from 2001? Should I be scared? Do I eat the red pill or the green pill?

 

[scoreboardII]

Yes, PFM.

 

[HA25]

Get over it. "Timing" = is everything. Luck helps too.

On it's face, this statement says it all about this dicked up industry we all work in where your skill, experience, and hard work mean nothing, and who you know, and which management team you decided to attach your entire career to determines if you "win"..

sigh

Why didn't they just start out with a national seniority system back in the 30's..???

 

[scoreboardII]

Because the big guys thought their pilots were better than all those other pilots and that's how we got to where we are today, independent contractors.

 

[fletch717]

So it's magic? No one is entering the fuel load? The cargo loaded to each bin? The number of passengers? Is this thing related to HAL from 2001? Should I be scared? Do I eat the red pill or the green pill?

The pilot types rwy(up to three)fuel, number of paxs in three zone, bag weight in two zones and hits send. The other end is a mainframe with a progam that knows the airplane (we have two types) numbers come back within 15 seconds. If Mel or cdl with a weight penalty is on paperwork it is automatically in your returned numbers. I case of a rwy change you hit "reject" insert the new rwy and "send" numbers are back in seconds. Its like trusting your auto throttles howard,The only human in the system is the pilot. Airtran was the first to get the system, Alaska and jetblue are getting it next and delta is looking at it.

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

Because the big guys thought their pilots were better than all those other pilots and that's how we got to where we are today.

How ironic coming from a WN pilot after the last two and a half years.

 

[waveflyer]

How ironic coming from a WN pilot after the last two and a half years.

How long are you going to keep up these little snipes?

honestly, hiw long are you going to run with the ilkusion that you got screwed and swa pilots are so awful?
Nobody said we were better, we said the job was better and more difficult to get. We were also the buying carrier. All of which are seniority issues. What's more arrogant is AT pilots getting their company bought and fully expecting to screw with the process and have the final outcome be Relative seniority, or what was it that PCL said: ' worst case scenario for AT pilots should be date of hire(!)' really?

Your problem is buying into alpa's divisive expectations about what you "deserved"

No idea what you line guys actually wanted in that deal,
seriously, none...

but it's long past and tired of the digs as if your lives are truly awful right now. Get over it. You're SWA pilots now with thousands of pilots who'd love to be where you are- who turned down air tran to keep building their quals and wait for the job they really wanted. Enjoy your good luck. Thank you for your flight ops contributions- I appreciate you, but will never agree that a) you got screwed or b) SWA pilots are arrogant for not giving away what we all sacrificed for when we bought you. IMO, it should've been more slanted towards SWA. 110%. Ridiculous how good a deal you guys actually got. And everyone I fly with feels that way. Most don't talk about it. Most absolutely want to move on, and heal this rift. But no swapa pilots feel they got a fair deal in this.

Just be glad you aren't the next airline we decide to buy.

 

[scoreboardII]

I was just going to tell him to F off. But I like what you said better.

 

[HowardBorden]

The pilot types rwy(up to three)fuel, number of paxs in three zone, bag weight in two zones and hits send. The other end is a mainframe with a progam that knows the airplane (we have two types) numbers come back within 15 seconds. If Mel or cdl with a weight penalty is on paperwork it is automatically in your returned numbers. I case of a rwy change you hit "reject" insert the new rwy and "send" numbers are back in seconds. Its like trusting your auto throttles howard,The only human in the system is the pilot. Airtran was the first to get the system, Alaska and jetblue are getting it next and delta is looking at it.

Sounds like a great program. I was just curious "who" was inputting the data. So I assume the rampers just delivery the cargo load sheet and then the rest is up to the pilots.