Captain Upgrade at Southwest

[Hoke]

Despite the fact that I work there, someone asked me the other day how long to upgrade at SW nowadays and I honestly didn't know. I have a ballpark idea, somewhere around 6 years. Does this still hold true...

Chase?
SWA F/O?
Canyonblue?
Anyone else know?

 

[maxpwrset]

Hoke,

If you go to the SWAPA site, there's a link you can click on that will kinda estimate when you will upgrade. You can change variables, such as # of aircraft taken, age 60, etc... Obviously reality can be different, much different, from the model, but it's as good a swag as anything.

 

[SWA/FO]

I'm sticking to 5 - 6.5 years as my answer. I don't like what the SWAPA site says - I don't believe it.

 

[Slug]

I have recently flown with two CPs whose upgrade occurred almost to the date at the 6 year point. This is at MDW, times may vary.

As an aside, the upgrade time to line holding CP is the shortest at BWI, but the upgrade to Lance is shortest at MDW.



Slug

 

[Jim Smyth]

It depends on if you mean to be a lance Captain or actualy be sitting in the seat. If you did a search on this issue, as of 11-28-05 here is what I had put up in that thread.
___________________________________________________________________

Also, to getting back to the orginal question. Your upgrade will depend on where you want to be based/live. The bases that are senior for the most part are in order from when there were put on line. If you want to be a Dallas Captain you will wait a very long time. Bases came on line in the below order. The number next to each base it the very most junior Captain in that base as of this month.

1. Dallas............11 years, 8 months
2. Houston..........8 years, 5 months
3. Phoenix...........8 years, 5 months
4. Chicago...........6 years, 5 months
5. Oakland...........6 years, 8 months
6. Baltimore.........6 years, 4 months
7. Orlando...........6 years, 8 months

Also when I say junior CAPTAIN above I am refering that he/she holds the Captain seat (not a lance). You will upgrade sooner than the years posted above and you are called a lance Captain. Lances upgrade when they get in the top 8 percent senority of the base they are in. So when you are a lance you can pick up Captain trips on days off if you wish and are paid at Captain rates for the extra trips you pick up in the left seat while still being a senior FO. This allows you to build some left seat time before you are actulay tossed into the hopper. This also allows lance Captains that are already trained to be used by the company, so if the company gets a few more unexpected airplanes. Then there isnt a problem with slideing a few guys over to the left seat ASAP.

 

[StopNTSing]

I'm an Oct '99 hire, and will probably upgrade sometime this summer as a Lance in PHX. Yeah, the upgrades ain't what they used to be...
...but then again, neither is the senior FO pay! :beer:

 

[want2fly]

How long to hold lance capt in BWI?

 

[pedropcola]

Took me 6 years 4 months to lance in BWI

 

[Falcon Jet 1]

Even more reason to call your senators and tell them to keep the age 60, if it changes you are looking at another two years on top of those posted earlier. Unless if they want to change it so that the old guy can only sit in the right seat is of course fine with every fo that doesnt want his or her upgrade delayed two years. this delay is straight from the swapa projector.

 

[Jim Smyth]

Even more reason to call your senators and tell them to keep the age 60, if it changes you are looking at another two years on top of those posted earlier. Unless if they want to change it so that the old guy can only sit in the right seat is of course fine with every fo that doesnt want his or her upgrade delayed two years. this delay is straight from the swapa projector.

Lets see, a straight forward question about upgrade that once again turns into "get that old guy out of my seat"! Very short sighted indeed! Your turn is coming...............