OldManPilot & other Airtran (Future) SWA pilots,
I understand where you're coming from and think you will be very happy once on property. I also think that you will be treated with dignity and respect...but how warm a reception the AT pilot group receives will be influenced by the group's attitude.
You see, the one thing all SWA pilots have in common is that we all feel genuinely blessed to be a part of this company. Many of us had it as a long term career goal that took 10 - 15 years to attain. We paid for our type rating for just the hope of getting an interview and then it took some of us 2 or 3 interviews until finally hired. We happily took huge pay cuts (100K in my case) that first year and commuted to sit reserve while sweating out our probationary year. The thing we have in common is that every one of us was willing to crawl over broken glass to get this job. We have an "attitude of gratitude" and a "can-do, servant leadership, how can we help the team mentality."
For those of you at AT the never wanted to be part of SWA...I'm sorry things didn't work out for you to stay at AT for the rest of your career. Starting in two years, all world wide Majors are forecast to be hiring like never before over the next 20 years, so hopefully you can find a long term employer that suits you.
I think most folks there see and appreciate the opportunity they're being offered here. While I understand that you want to get the best deal possible. Please keep the big picture in mind and resist the temptation to over-reach and appear ungrateful. From the perspective I shared above about our attitude towards getting this job, here's what I see you're being offered. You get our dream job without having to get your type rating. You don't have to interview. You don't have to sweat out a year of probation. You don't have to take a $100K cut the first year (in fact, most of you will get in the neighborhood of a $70K raise), and we'll build in some fence protection for a few years so you don't have to do the commute to sit reserve like we all did. That's such an unbelievable, smokin' deal in my mind after what I went through, that it wouldn't bother me a bit to start at the bottom of SWA's seniority list (like we all did without any of the bennies you're getting). If this would have been offered to me, I'd be walking on cloud 9...feel twice as blessed as I did to get the job the way I got it, and I'd have that attitude of gratitude, can-do, servant leader, how can I help the team mentality that would ensure I fit right into the Southwest culture. If the AT pilot group recognizes and appreciates my sentiments above, I guarantee you will be treated with dignity and respect...you'll be welcomed as family the way each of us was.
Fraternally,
Speed