9/3/07 Delta New Hire Class

[BILL LUMBERG]

While I will agree that the General has had a snort or two of the Delta Kool Aid, I guess the same could be said about most SWA guys/gals.

Anyone crowing about their payrates/contract in this industry should have their heads examined. You can be on top today, like Delta in July 2001, and the goat tomorrow.

I was hired at SWA in early 2000. My buddies that got hired at AA, United and such were like you got real close kid maybe you'll get hired to a major later. Believe it or not SWA did not have the best payrates on the planet and you work hard for your money.

SWA, UPS and FEDEX are on top now. Back in the late 90's pilots were leaving them to go to United. Our battle cry, during contract negotiations, was United plus. Now look at United's payrates and work rules.

I guess what I'm saying is make your words sweet because you may have to eat them later.

No truer words ever said....

Delta WAS one of the best places to work back about 20 years ago...then...well you know...

About the complacency some of our collegues pronounce, My HS football coach told me, "When you are King of the hill, everybody (read: management) is working HARDER to knock you off."

 

[General Lee]

Dude, you absolutely take the cake for being the number one kool-aid drinking clown! Are you f'in kidding me when you say DAL is even close to the class act and pay that exists at SWA? SWA and DAL might as well be in different galaxies when it comes to pay, QOL, retirements, and customer service. Here's a tough one to swallow General Buffoon - no one gives two flying F's how neat it is to flip on the autopilot on your 777...you're doing it at half the pay and QOL that SWA has. Let's look at the pay shall we? 5 year 73NG F/O at DAL...$92. 5 year F/O at SWA...$119. 12 year 777 capt at DAL...$188. 12 year lowly 73 captain at SWA...$198. And guess what, people love going to work at SWA - namely because they don't have to listen to complete clowns like yourself that think flying a 777 on autopilot for 12 hours from ATL to CDG is the ultimate demand of skill and daring. Here's a tip for you General (or lake thereof) - lay off your sunchips and your $5 snack packs.

Yeah - I enjoy working at CAL and think it's a good company. But I don't toot my horn about how I get to fly a 756 at less pay than my counterparts on the 73 at SWA. And I certainly don't get in a pissing match with them. No one except you cares how many seats are in the back - it has absolutely zero to do with skill sets or pilotage.

Dude, you have no clue what I am talking about here. I don't WANT TO FLY REGIONAL FLYING ANYMORE. That is what you get mostly at Soutwest. I don't want to fly 5-6 legs a day, and most of the days there are like that. I have plenty of friends over there and they tell me their schedules all the time. YES, their pay is great, I have never said otherwise. I also said I like their stews and I like their current management. GREAT. You obviously don't read before you post. Take a gander if you can.

Also, I don't fly 12 hour flights yet on the 777, but it is Great to have that option. You can stick it out in any of the three armpit hubs of your (3 armpits? I guess 3 pits--you can guess where the third one is) and have a blast. I don't think Delta is the best thing out there, but I say there is at least options to do different types of flying, and that is what I am comparing Southwest to. Only being able to fly domestic multiple legs on one type of plane would get really boring quick. Got it yet Viper? You sound like a complete tool who can't let fgo of your fighter jets (F22---wow--stealthy too---oooooo)when you are flying a "bus" or an airliner. Guess what Maverick? We don't drop bombs or formation fly in the airlines. But, you have plenty of cool stories to tell your uninterested Captains. Boring. That's gravy.... You drink your own koolaid when you watch your favorite movie--TOP GUN.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[PCL_128]

Are you f'in kidding me when you say DAL is even close to the class act and pay that exists at SWA? SWA and DAL might as well be in different galaxies when it comes to pay, QOL, retirements, and customer service.

Scrapdog, I'm not sure when you left the military and entered the airline business, but it seems that you're not looking back at how SWA and DAL compared just a few years ago. Before 9/11, and even for a couple of years afterwards, SWA was significantly behind the legacies in terms of pay and benefits. While SWA's contract was far behind, the DAL pilots negotiated the highest payrates for air line pilots in the history of the profession with Contract '01. After the bankruptcies started, management was able to force pilots at DAL, UAL, AAA, etc... to take massive concessions to bring them down to the level of the LCCs. SWA pilots can thank the hard work of pilots at carriers like DAL for the ability to jack their 737 rates up to where they are now. They never would have reached that point had it not been for the industry-leading contracts that pilots at other carriers were able to negotiate.

 

[KCPilot]

General, keep up the fight!

 

[LandGreen]

what is the word on the SWA camp about sustaining payrates compared to post 9-11 legacy payrates.

nothing will be better for the legacies than to have a 737 pilot making 198/hr at a "low cost" carrier when the legacies open contract negotiations.

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

Scrapdog, I'm not sure when you left the military and entered the airline business, but it seems that you're not looking back at how SWA and DAL compared just a few years ago. Before 9/11, and even for a couple of years afterwards, SWA was significantly behind the legacies in terms of pay and benefits. While SWA's contract was far behind, the DAL pilots negotiated the highest payrates for air line pilots in the history of the profession with Contract '01. After the bankruptcies started, management was able to force pilots at DAL, UAL, AAA, etc... to take massive concessions to bring them down to the level of the LCCs. SWA pilots can thank the hard work of pilots at carriers like DAL for the ability to jack their 737 rates up to where they are now. They never would have reached that point had it not been for the industry-leading contracts that pilots at other carriers were able to negotiate.

It's true about SWA following Delta's contract in 2000. SWA always was about middle to low end of the pack. Then Delta got the contract which was labelled in 2001 by our buddy Leo Mullin as the "Best paid pilots on the planet"......so much for that....

I hope that SWA continues to be the highest paid and that Airtran get theirs too. We can follow the lead of those contracts.....I am happy to be riding the coat tails.......

Again, It's going to be tough to explain how an LCC pays more to groups of pilots who gave up so much......

Good luck to all as we spell out to the management types what "pattern bargaining" is all about......no judge to hide behind, no 9-11, no pensions (that makes some guys vote yes)........Fight's on!!