DELTA vs SWA from another thread....

[General Lee]

So says the guy who sounds like a broken record.

If the truth hurts...(just admit that I am right and I will move on, probably)

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Howard Hughes]

To be fair there were alot of Delta Pilots preparing to jump ship. Depending on what story you listen to, Delta was within two weeks of shutting down. Some elected to jump to safer ground at the time and there is nothing wrong with that. They made a choice based upon the information and circumstances at the time. Those that ended up at SWA, UPS, FedEx are in a decent spot. I know a 777 guy that punched out at Delta to get retirement while the getting was good. He's 57 right now and would be number one on the seniority list had he stayed. He said it was the most difficult decision he has ever had to make to decide to leave early. He misses the flying alot and will tell you stories about trips to South America and Europe that sound pretty nice. He recently migrated back to Delta to work in the training dept to keep his hand in aviation. He says the feel post BK at Delta now is radically different than when he punched out less than two years ago.

I know two people who left Delta and have now been flying with SWA for about a year.

One was a 9 year JFK Based International B-767 FO.

Another was a 25 Year International B-767 Captain. He retired early to protect his A fund and came to SWA at the age of 56 to pull the gear.

Flying heavies international can only go so far. The way you are treated by your company, your pay, and your QOL are much more important.

Some think it is better at Delta, some think it is better at SWA. However, I do find it ironic that 2 tenured Delta Pilots left to come to SWA because they stated that Delta "was a lost cause." Who knows if they will be right in the end.

 

[General Lee]

>>1. You will fly a 737 the rest of your career (or until you get 787s...no orders yet)<<

Probably not, but I wish it would be true. I've got 23 different aircraft types logged. The smaller ones were the most fun. After you've put in a decade or two you realize that an airplane is an airplane and enough familiarity to only need a half hour review before a PC is nice.

>>2. You will fly multiple leg days<<

We can fly long haul or short. I have found as someone who still enjoys flying that the arrivals and departures are the most interesting and make the day go by fast. The only time I find myself droning along looking at the clock is on a long boring cruise.

>>3. You will fly only domestic (no INTL cities yet, and Kelly said ATA would do INTL to Europe)<<

I've flown Europe and S. America. Got old fast. Got caught in 9/11 and gave thanks for being on the right side of the border. I also ended up in a hospital one time and was equally glad of being where I was.

>>4. You will do 25 min turns<<

As opposed to sitting on your butt for chump change perdiem? Sitting is far more fatiguing than flying and flying pays much better. When you were growing up did you tell your third grade teacher you wanted to sit in airports for a living? Our quick turns are one of our best quality of life features.

>>5. There is a chance you will see LBB, AMA, and MAF<<

I have never had a flow restriction, ground stop, holding pattern, or even held out for a gate at any one of those places. Never been more than number two for arrival or departure either. Usually on a PM arrival the controller will clear you for the visual from 40 miles and clear you to land and to the gate at the same time. Talk about stress and hassle free flying. Nice clean hotels, friendly people, and great food at huge discounts. What exactly is the problem again?

Wow, impressive. 23 type ratings. And, you think an airplane is an airplane? Okay, see if you think that way after a few more years on the 737. You will be yearning for something different. And will you get 787s? I doubt it, but maybe---if you guys are allowed to change the cockpit forever and ruin it for every other airline---like the 737NGs....thanks for that. (you guys love switches, not push buttons)

You fly long haul and short. Well, your long haul flights USUALLY have an extra tag on to it, like PHL--LAX---and then onto LAS. SWA wants you to fly to the max everyday. That could be great, except that you are tired unless you are Superman. You might be able to do that as a youngster, but not after 50 years old. You are probably done mentally after the 6 hour leg from PHL--LAX. Don't say you aren't.....

Got old fast going to Europe and South America, eh? I would expect you to say that, since you now fly for Southwest. If you said "I really miss the great layovers in Europe" then you couldn't debate me. Our INTL hotels are the best in our system, and the destinations are sweet. Maybe you went to some real poop holes, but most of ours are NICE (like Nice, France). Can you say anything bad about Nice? I bet you could, but then again you frequent ELP often probably. If you get sick in an INTL city there are protocols to help our crews. The station managers are briefed on all of that. Security is also very good. If you get mugged in Barcelona, you probably got mugged in Vegas or New York too.

We don't sit around too much anymore, especially at ATL, where we used to sit for 3 hours at a time. We got better softwear or something that now limits us to about an hour between flights, and ATL just opened an extra runway (10/28) that has helped reduce holding etc, and we have PRM approaches too that keeps things moving. (all of this at ATL, the busiest hub in the world with the most passengers by far, and Delta has 70% of the traffic there) INTL flights have no wait times at all. You sign in, meet with the other crew members and talk about the tracks you will be flying and look at the charts, and then get your Starbucks and go to the plane. A first class meal is waiting for you.

LBB, AMA, and MAF sound really boring. It is great that you enjoy it, though.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Quimby]

Great responses. You have proven my point. Southwest flying can be described I guess as *yawn*. Thanks.


Bye Bye--General Lee

Thanks, I knew you'd appreciate my insight.

Please tell me how much more exciting flying a 76 is over a 73?

If you want excitement, go rent a Pitts.

Ciao.

 

[Quimby]

Wow, impressive. 23 type ratings. And, you think an airplane is an airplane? Okay, see if you think that way after a few more years on the 737. You will be yearning for something different. And will you get 787s? I doubt it, but maybe---if you guys are allowed to change the cockpit forever and ruin it for every other airline---like the 737NGs....thanks for that. (you guys love switches, not push buttons)

You fly long haul and short. Well, your long haul flights USUALLY have an extra tag on to it, like PHL--LAX---and then onto LAS. SWA wants you to fly to the max everyday. That could be great, except that you are tired unless you are Superman. You might be able to do that as a youngster, but not after 50 years old. You are probably done mentally after the 6 hour leg from PHL--LAX. Don't say you aren't.....

Got old fast going to Europe and South America, eh? I would expect you to say that, since you now fly for Southwest. If you said "I really miss the great layovers in Europe" then you couldn't debate me. Our INTL hotels are the best in our system, and the destinations are sweet. Maybe you went to some real poop holes, but most of ours are NICE (like Nice, France). Can you say anything bad about Nice? I bet you could, but then again you frequent ELP often probably. If you get sick in an INTL city there are protocols to help our crews. The station managers are briefed on all of that. Security is also very good. If you get mugged in Barcelona, you probably got mugged in Vegas or New York too.

We don't sit around too much anymore, especially at ATL, where we used to sit for 3 hours at a time. We got better softwear or something that now limits us to about an hour between flights, and ATL just opened an extra runway (10/28) that has helped reduce holding etc, and we have PRM approaches too that keeps things moving. (all of this at ATL, the busiest hub in the world with the most passengers by far, and Delta has 70% of the traffic there) INTL flights have no wait times at all. You sign in, meet with the other crew members and talk about the tracks you will be flying and look at the charts, and then get your Starbucks and go to the plane. A first class meal is waiting for you.

LBB, AMA, and MAF sound really boring. It is great that you enjoy it, though.


Bye Bye--General Lee

and the hits keep coming. *yawn*

 

[328dude]

Backpeddling to start in 1,2,

 

[Archie Bunker]

Most Delta domestic has very few legs though after farming the small thin routes to RJ's.

Unless things have dramatically changed at Mother Delta for bottom feeder pilots (read: junior guys), I don't know how you can make that statement. When I was an ATL M88B back in 2005, 4-5 legs a day was pretty normal for us. We were in and out of ATL all day and night. While we may have had 45-55 min turns, they were eaten up by pulling into A-1, and going out on D-35 in ATL. Those BHM and JAN layovers were really great too.

BTW, what is the Kracker Kremlin telling new-hires for length of time to upgrade to the left seat? This hasn't been talked about very much by you, or the General.

 

[Quimby]

Unless things have dramatically changed at Mother Delta for bottom feeder pilots (read: junior guys), I don't know how you can make that statement. When I was an ATL M88B back in 2005, 4-5 legs a day was pretty normal for us. We were in and out of ATL all day and night. While we may have had 45-55 min turns, they were eaten up by pulling into A-1, and going out on D-35 in ATL. Those BHM and JAN layovers were really great too.

BTW, what is the Kracker Kremlin telling new-hires for length of time to upgrade to the left seat? This hasn't been talked about very much by you, or the General.

what's this? a side of the story GL never mentions?

sinner.

 

[waveflyer]

It's apples and oranges... Southwest flying begins and ends with the culture there... I think it's mind boggling to many that SWA pilots can separate so easily hard work from stress. It's stess that is tiring-= not necessarily hard work- a lot of legs where the operation runs smoothly is not that difficult. I just think a majority of stations for most airlines don't run smooth and efficient turns which can lead to stress and being tired. SWA pairings are real efficient which leads to more days off-- that's a good deal.

General-- you know there are real senior pilots at every major who bid domestic in order to do locals and be home more. Are they wrong too? It's a matter of taste- that's it.

Widow's son- you can accept a visual 40 miles out?? j.k well said post.

 

[General Lee]

Unless things have dramatically changed at Mother Delta for bottom feeder pilots (read: junior guys), I don't know how you can make that statement. When I was an ATL M88B back in 2005, 4-5 legs a day was pretty normal for us. We were in and out of ATL all day and night. While we may have had 45-55 min turns, they were eaten up by pulling into A-1, and going out on D-35 in ATL. Those BHM and JAN layovers were really great too.

BTW, what is the Kracker Kremlin telling new-hires for length of time to upgrade to the left seat? This hasn't been talked about very much by you, or the General.

For the most part, most of the MD88 trips now do old Song routes thanks to the Song 757s now having to cover old domestic 767 routes. That is why there are more CR9s and E170s in ATL, they are covering the old MD88 5 or 6 leg day routes. A lot of the MD88 trips are two leg days up and down the East Coast, with nice layovers in between. There really aren't as many BHM or JAN layovers, most now are Manhattan/BDL/BOS or FLL/TPA/MCO/PBI. MD88s also now go to CUN 3 times daily with a layover, nonstops to GCM, MBJ, KIN, GDL, and there is a St Croix turn twice a week worth 7:45 from ATL. There is even an ATL--San Juan flight on the weekends on the MD88 for spillover Cruise traffic. A lot has changed for that plane.

Time to upgrade will be shortened considerably soon. That is all I can say, primarily because it is all rumors right now..... You will hear about it soon I would guess.


Bye Bye--General Lee