For SWA Poolies

[4 Fan Trashcan]

LGA, BOS, MSP, MKE, Expanding in DEN, rumors of San Juan, now CHS and GSP in the near future. The days of the 5 year upgrade may be over, but there's still a LOT of opportunity for SWA and new pilots. Keep your heads up- people have been predicting the demise of Swa for years. So relax, be aggressive with mother D if it's a place you could be happy- like Gup said- choices are better than no choices- but I predict you'll be here soon.

There's a 180-ish of us out here hoping so too!

 

[chase]

Talk about thread drift!!!! Glad to see the advice coming for the pooklies and good questions also.

Will some leave? Inevitably some, very few will. Commuting, slower upgrades, pressure from spouses, the factors are many but regardless, good luck to those.

I was hired in late '99...one guy from our class left to go to Delta when he got the call for a class. At the time, DAL looked pretty good. The new contract for DAL was not in play yet but certainly the pay at the time was much higher (probably 30% or more after probation) and he was from the ATL area. Certainly couldn't argue the logic. Don't know what happened to him but suspect he has had at least one furlough and career expectations altered somewhat. I hope he is doing well but I wouldn't want to change places but who knows, maybe he won the GA lottery and didn't need the money.

SWA had a dozen or so folks leave just prior to 9/11 for UAL and other carriers too after the mega contracts were signed....lots of talk on the forums as to why this was smart and again, the pain those have suffered through is not something I would want.

Right now the same scenario is playing out, i.e. grass is greener at other carriers but not in the form of better pay necessarily but "possibly" shorter upgrades, improvements to QOL possibly if one doesn't have to commute possibly and maybe some other benefit I'm not thinking of.

Jumping from the bottom of one to the bottom of the other is still a tough call. If you haven't confirmed a class with SWA yet, go with who offers you the job and press on...you never know what will happen. When the call comes as a poolie and with a steady job, then you have a dilemma but not before. A good dilemma but think it through carefully because as they say, you won't know if you made the right decision until you are at your retirement party.

Speaking of that, I met one of the original SWA hires, Bill Arnold on this forum. As he told me his decision to leave SWA after 2.5 yrs and go to Delta in 1973 at the time made perfect sense. He candidly told me though he wished he could've done it all over even though he finished up flying international 767 and had flown all over the world....big metal, international wasn't as good as enjoying going to work everyday and working with people who had a good attitude and still enjoyed the love of being around aviation.

Choose carefully grasshopper and good luck.

 

[slaquer5]

[QUOTEChoose carefully grasshopper ][/QUOTE]

I want to know how many on this board know that phrase.

 

[Moon-dog]

"Snatch the pebble from my hand."

 

[Captzaahlie]

Just remember to breathe when you are doing the horizontal mambo.


(auto-erotic asphyxiation, it will leave you breathless......)

 

[Richard Gozinya]

From a CP yesterday, we are making money by the truck loads............no interviews next year but plan on the pool to be emptied in 11, after stage 4 is complete.

Keep your contact info with the PD up to date and be ready to act when called. Initial contact will be to get a urinalysis.

Dick

 

[Bigoober]

Goz, haven't heard from you in awhile. Thanks for trying to keep the info fresh.

 

[redflyer65]

ICT to be announced shortly, along with -800's off the line.

 

[Moon-dog]

Wichita?

 

[murano]

From a CP yesterday .....

Any statement that starts with "heard from a check airman" or "the chief told me" should be considered bogus until proven true.