Airtran Pilots

[texman]

That sounds like you know very little about ATL. Great, you flew in there a few times on the corporate side. First, you can't just turn an airport into your operation when it is currently overrun by Delta. They have something like 70 percent of the flights there now. For every 1 Airtran 717 that lands, 5 Delt 757s follow it. Airtran has about 1 terminal worth of gates, and Delta has five. You may try to increase the number of flights per day per gates, but the airport volume may restrict that plan. Good luck with that!

Actually I know a lot about ATL. I flew with a lot of retired check airman and one chief pilot from DAL when they took the early buy out. They talked about how great Delta and ATL was (YGTBFK). I agree you can't turn a airport into your operation. Young man look at the numbers of airplanes Delta has? Now look at the combination that SWA/AT will have. Plus take a look at our high frequency operation at SWA. Once GK takes our new family members and teaches them the SWA way, you will notice how overrun of delta will be a thing of the past. Let me guess your one of those legacy kids, " hey daddy can you make a phone call and get me a job"LOL. I have real world experience in a RJ going to big airports like ATL and LGA or even JFK, Ooooooooooooo!

 

[johnsonrod]

Actually I know a lot about ATL. I flew with a lot of retired check airman and one chief pilot from DAL when they took the early buy out. They talked about how great Delta and ATL was (YGTBFK). I agree you can't turn a airport into your operation. Young man look at the numbers of airplanes Delta has? Now look at the combination that SWA/AT will have. Plus take a look at our high frequency operation at SWA. Once GK takes our new family members and teaches them the SWA way, you will notice how overrun of delta will be a thing of the past. Let me guess your one of those legacy kids, " hey daddy can you make a phone call and get me a job"LOL. I have real world experience in a RJ going to big airports like ATL and LGA or even JFK, Ooooooooooooo!

Wow, you flew corporate with guys who used to fly for Delta. I am so impressed.....not. You probably preferred PDK over ATL because it was easier to follow Cessnas. And GK will "teach" the AT guys your way? If you treat them poorly in this SLI, they won't do crap for you or GK. And how many gates does Airtran have compared to Delta? You don't really know, do you? Not even close. And what about your SLC dominance? Not happening. You just don't have the gates or space, just like ATL. And I do hope to get on with Delta, without paying for a type rating like you did.

 

[birdman1]

Stapling a bankrupt carrier is still a fair deal in my book. Did you know the Frontier pilots arbitration stance was to staple EVERY Republic AND Midwest pilot below the most junior Frontier FO? Didn't think so.

We don't think we can create separate entities and wouldn't want a whipsaw. What "we" are more than willing to do is build a big fence.

Try again boy.

Gup

If this kind of rhetoric continues, than this will turn into something far worse than USAir/AWA. Watch what you post…guys like me are taken notes. Do you want to continue the LUV or start a nightmare?

 

[Crash Pad]

Jrod. If memory serves, I believe you said you don't fly for mother d or aai. Why are you so infatuated and defensive for both airlines? You may have personal career goals, which is natural and apparent, but you don't have a leg in this debate like those that are currently going thru the merger. Flying into atl isn't that hard.

 

[texman]

Wow, you flew corporate with guys who used to fly for Delta. I am so impressed.....not. You probably preferred PDK over ATL because it was easier to follow Cessnas. And GK will "teach" the AT guys your way? If you treat them poorly in this SLI, they won't do crap for you or GK. And how many gates does Airtran have compared to Delta? You don't really know, do you? Not even close. And what about your SLC dominance? Not happening. You just don't have the gates or space, just like ATL. And I do hope to get on with Delta, without paying for a type rating like you did.

What I do know is the departures per day will go up to 300 a day. I didn't tell you about the Delta guys to impress you but to only answer your question that I do know something about ATL and DELTA from the stories they told me. Yea I paid for my type. Did your daddy pay for your school or did you come from a poor family like me? I am grateful for my decision to invest on my type. Keep on building that valuable PIC time so you can get a real job. Oh wait a minute daddy will get it for you. I bet you are one of those guys that start a conversation off " hey I am Jack Wagon and my dad used to fly the 747 at NWA", " do you think I am cool". Or maybe you are one of those tools that post your picks on Face book sporting your RJ.

 

[texman]

Jrod. If memory serves, I believe you said you don't fly for mother d or aai. Why are you so infatuated and defensive for both airlines? You may have personal career goals, which is natural and apparent, but you don't have a leg in this debate like those that are currently going thru the merger. Flying into atl isn't that hard.

Well just like Gen nuts does, J rod is scaaaardddd that his Lovely delta may be affected by little new SWA in ATL.

 

[Crash Pad]

He mentioned 5 75's for every 1 717, that's a 28 mile final! How could one ever land in such conditions!?! Oh the challenge!

 

[27 driver]

He mentioned 5 75's for every 1 717, that's a 28 mile final! How could one ever land in such conditions!?! Oh the challenge!

Flying into ATL is no challenge at all. 10, 15, and even 20 mile finals are normal. ATC tells you how fast to fly, and always give you a good turn onto final. The challenge for LUV will be the quick turns with all the ramp congestion. If any of you don't think they are studying that as we speak you are crazy. LUV will not crush the big D in ATL but sure will be a bigger thorn in their side then little old AAI. Should be interesting to watch.

 

[redflyer65]

How have you guys done against Delta in Salt Lake City? Have you expanded that operation a lot? The ATL airport has some constraints you might not be able to overcome very well. But, you can certainly ask for short approaches. It didn't sound like The General was that nervous......Have you ever been to ATL? The Delta operation there is very impressive.

Statements like this show how uninformed you are.

Wow.

 

[FlyinGuy]

Taking a comment out of context to make your point?

My comment was in response to the ascertion that the nature of a corporate transaction (who acquired who) is germane to the construction of an SLI.

It's not.

Whenever I hear someone say it is, I realize they have no idea what they're talking about.

I'm sure that ultimately the new SWA will do well, but I'm also sure, judging by the comments made on this forum, that there will be many expectations not met by the SWA pilots who post here when all is said and done.

Maybe that is not what you were trying to say, but you said it. As far as your last paragraph.....that is probably the most accurate statement anyone has made. Why, because many SWA pilots see this as a lopsided transaction (perception is reality no matter which side you fall on). Many might be disappointed, but in the end it is up to each individual to determine their own happiness. When it is over....it is over! We must all move on as a new SWA no matter how it ends.

 

[GuppyWN]

Thanks Pops..... In arbitration your lawyers will try to get the best SLI for their team. But, you don't shove it in the other side's face. You will be flying with these people eventually. The NWA pilots went for DOH, and the Delta guys went for straight relative, and it turned out to be a little from both, eventually favoring Delta a bit more. The Frontier guys were also told by Bedford that they would be by themselves, but didn't know about Republic's contract, just like you don't know much about the Airtran contract. It can come back to bite you. And, how would you have a fence and not swap planes around through different hub or focus cities? Would Airtran 737 pilots only fly their own planes? Sounds inefficient, and like a seperate operation, which may not be allowed in Airtran's contract. Also sounds like a B-scale operation, and a culture killer. Not a good plan, Stan.... But I suggest you do it. I bet Delta would approve!

Only shows your true ignorance to what my brothers and my future Airtran brothers face.

Every WN pilot I have talked to wants a peaceful resolution and UNITY going forward. A fair agreement will foster that but yes, I do think any agreement should be tilted WN's way.

A fence has nothing to do with fleet type. I has everything to do with the number of seats in a base (excluding expansion of said base), who holds them and for how long.

Another East vs. West will hurt us in the long run. Hopefully calmer heads will prevail.

Gup

 

[texman]

Flying into ATL is no challenge at all. 10, 15, and even 20 mile finals are normal. ATC tells you how fast to fly, and always give you a good turn onto final. The challenge for LUV will be the quick turns with all the ramp congestion. If any of you don't think they are studying that as we speak you are crazy. LUV will not crush the big D in ATL but sure will be a bigger thorn in their side then little old AAI. Should be interesting to watch.

While the long line may be true. A former ATL controller told me that having a company that is willing except visuals all the time will help reduce there work load a lot. I see a lot of 15 mile finals for delta but not SWA. Example LAX. Just got to click off the automation and fly like a -200. Get er done!LOL

 

[ATLplt]

While the long line may be true. A former ATL controller told me that having a company that is willing except visuals all the time will help reduce there work load a lot. I see a lot of 15 mile finals for delta but not SWA. Example LAX. Just got to click off the automation and fly like a -200. Get er done!LOL

You will almost always get a visual into Atlanta unless the visibility is down. Every airline, including Delta, accepts them. Southwest isn't rewriting the book here. Volume stretches final to 20+, not our unwillingness to crank out a 2 mile final. That and the fact that your downwind is flown 11,000 ft above the field makes super short approaches "sporty".

Gup, good post. A lot of unity after the fact is what, I believe, all of us want. Getting there will be bumpy, but the road will eventually smooth out.

 

[Ty Webb]

While the long line may be true. A former ATL controller told me that having a company that is willing except visuals all the time will help reduce there work load a lot. I see a lot of 15 mile finals for delta but not SWA. Example LAX. Just got to click off the automation and fly like a -200. Get er done!LOL

Accepting a visual only goes so far in ATL and usually involves calling the traffic you are following, not the airport. That does get the separation down a little and helps the hourly arrival rate, but it doesn't shave a whole lot off of your own particular "aerial tour", since you were probably somewhere between 7000 and 11000 on the downwind. The exception to that is Rwy 10-28, but it is so far from the terminal you wouldn't normally want to use it.

I think anyone who was operating into PHL or BWI before SWA arrived probably noticed a subsequent big improvement in the ground operation, which I suspect was the result of coordination between SWA and local powers-that-be (and perhaps a few big TV's donated for ATC break rooms). Sequencing is no longer a closely-held secret during the early-morning congestion and I can actually single-engine taxi . . . at least before the PHL taxiways start melting in the summertime heat . . . :laugh:

So, like BWI and PHL, I would suspect we'll see some improvements in ATL Ramp and Ground Ops that will improve turn times as much as possible. De-Ice operations will no doubt change considerably from their present Ringling Bros. 3-ring operation.

 

[texman]

Good info Ty.