Southwest Window

[crjdude]

Anyone have any info on when the hiring window will be open again?

Any rumors of hiring #'s the next few years?

Thanks

crjdude

 

[Capn Butthead]

I'm in upgrade right now and they did say that they are planning on hiring next year. No numbers or anything...that's all that they said about it. If I hear anything else I'll put it out here for you. Good luck!

 

[waveflyer]

Please do CaptB-
I've got a few that are interested out of the blue.
I'm getting old, one is the son of my old flight instructor. Who was an infant/toddler when I was going through

 

[redflyer65]

Late 2015 is what I heard, but all subject to change of course.

 

[iflyhigh72]

I was in Dallas 2 weeks ago. Head of training said 150 new hires in 2015. That number can and will change.

 

[Phlintstone]

I thought the rumor was that there would be massive growth next year. You know the rumor that all the top brass recently signed more non-disclosure agreements. Something super secret that would make us all happy.

No OAT captain upgrades, no growth, and very few new hires...just more commuting time. Yea!

Phred

 

[madjack]

I heard 25 upgrades a month all 2015 (and all FAT)

 

[slaquer5]

Summer 2015

Good luck

 

[Phlintstone]

I heard 25 upgrades a month all 2015 (and all FAT)

I hope so. I really do and I don't care if they are OAT or not. Upward movement is good for everyone...

Phred

 

[pave driver]

I hope so. I really do and I don't care if they are OAT or not. Upward movement is good for everyone...

Phred

15 year upgrades for new hires and indications of pay cuts for employees will not be good for anyone at SWA. Apply to AA would be the best careeer decision of a lifetime career.

 

[General Lee]

15 year upgrades for new hires and indications of pay cuts for employees will not be good for anyone at SWA. Apply to AA would be the best careeer decision of a lifetime career.

And your group will have infighting for years, which may not be fun. The Cornies may have some of that too. Find a job with the least amount of infighting and life will be easier.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[pave driver]

And your group will have infighting for years, which may not be fun. The Cornies may have some of that too. Find a job with the least amount of infighting and life will be easier.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Negative. Find a job that will benefit you for your entire lifelong career.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

Negative. Find a job that will benefit you for your entire lifelong career.

Good luck. There are no crystal balls. I've worked for 4 major airlines and a Fortune 500 corporate flight department. Been furloughed from two and quit two on my own each time making the best decision I could based on the info I had at the time. Most have turned out to be wrong.

Make the best choice you can with the realization that things don't always turn out the way you think they will.

And if you're in your forties there's no time to wait to see if the prom queen will go to the dance with you. Dance with the first pretty gal that says yes and hope that it lasts until retirement.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ty Webb]

15 year upgrades for new hires and indications of pay cuts for employees will not be good for anyone at SWA. Apply to AA would be the best careeer decision of a lifetime career.

. . . or not. Who knows? Certainly not you.

We have plenty of folks at AirTran/SWA who are still holding AA numbers, but have chosen not to use them. Apparently, they have come to a different conclusion than you.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

And your group will have infighting for years, which may not be fun. The Cornies may have some of that too. Find a job with the least amount of infighting and life will be easier.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Meh, most of those jokers will be on the golf course or flown west in 10 years. Go for it!

 

[General Lee]

Negative. Find a job that will benefit you for your entire lifelong career.

The the lack of retirements for the next decade compared to the big 3 should mean something to potential Corndogs. The AT group sure is young overall. What is the projected upgrade time now? 15 years? If you had 5000 pilots leave in 10 years, that would be different. At DL, the junior Capt is around 9400 out of 12,000.

Also Pave, you want to look at the infighting potential within the airline. Bad attitudes during work make it WORK. Both AA and SWA may have a lot of that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[T-1GUY]

Good luck. There are no crystal balls. I've worked for 4 major airlines and a Fortune 500 corporate flight department. Been furloughed from two and quit two on my own each time making the best decision I could based on the info I had at the time. Most have turned out to be wrong.

Make the best choice you can with the realization that things don't always turn out the way you think they will.

And if you're in your forties there's no time to wait to see if the prom queen will go to the dance with you. Dance with the first pretty gal that says yes and hope that it lasts until retirement.

Just my two cents.

Could I just dance with the first average looking chick, but she is incredible in bed ?

 

[poor2thecore]

The the lack of retirements for the next decade compared to the big 3 should mean something to potential Corndogs. The AT group sure is young overall. What is the projected upgrade time now? 15 years? If you had 5000 pilots leave in 10 years, that would be different. At DL, the junior Capt is around 9400 out of 12,000.

Also Pave, you want to look at the infighting potential within the airline. Bad attitudes during work make it WORK. Both AA and SWA may have a lot of that.



Bye Bye---General Lee

Upgrade at a major shouldn't really be a concern. Who gives a $hit. SWA FOs make good money and have a great QOL. Why rot away in NYC on reserve flying the 717 to Boston and Miami with your dorky hat and double-breasted straight-jacket when you can relax on 150k/yr in DEN/PHX/etc.

 

[General Lee]

Upgrade at a major shouldn't really be a concern. Who gives a $hit. SWA FOs make good money and have a great QOL. Why rot away in NYC on reserve flying the 717 to Boston and Miami with your dorky hat and double-breasted straight-jacket when you can relax on 150k/yr in DEN/PHX/etc.

Uhhhhhh, with the lack of movement at the Corny due to AT pilots getting the majority of upgrades coming up, you may not get PHX, rather OAK and commuting via BART from San Mateo. I talked to an AT 717FO who thought he was going to get OAK for a few months (after 6 years as an AT FO) after switching over, and he couldn't wait for a two leg commute from TPA...

And, any newhire at DL has a 1 year seat hold (even on that 717), but with 85 new hires per month and then 5000 retirements in the next decade, that newhire is off reserve in 2 months, flying a Widebody a year later to Paris, and then a Capt in 5 years. All the while, you are stuffing sour dough bread up your corn hole in San Mateo, hoping you can find another reason to sick out of your next day's 5 leg trip to El Paso in an old 737-300. $150K a year in OAK don't mean much. But you knew that. In your dorky Fonzi Jacket...."Ehhhaay!"


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[FurloughedAgain]

There are two ways that movement occurs at an airline. Growth and retirements. True, retirements will be slow at SW for a long time. There are however, growth "opportunities" both domestically and near internationally (Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean). Now, I'm no bean counter but my assumption is that the shareholders will press the company to increase revenue over time. They can do that by adding seats, adding airplanes, or adding new destinations. With the exception of seats, all of those will require additional staffing. Will it yield a 5 year upgrade? No. But I don't think it will be as stagnant as you are prognosticating.

The legacies, on the other hand, are already pretty tapped out on expansion. Their growth will most likely come from recapturing RJ flying (thankfully!) I suppose my point is that the situation isn't as dire at SW as you make it out to be. Delta is a good company but they can't hire ALL of us. Thankfully there are other good companies out there who continue to hire. Besides, I love ELP. Free hot breakfast. ;-)