Gary Kelly's ATN Comments at Message To The Field

[PapaWoody]

In a merger, there are shortcuts to better pay, for at least one of the two groups. Fairness for the SLIs are better decided by arbitrators, not union types or management. And your contract really came from the Delta rates, which originally started with United. I should know, I was there.

OYS

Actually, our contract came from SWAPA's negotiations and the fact that our company can actually afford to pay our rates, partly because we are the most productive and efficient pilots in the business and mostly because their business plan doesn't suck. Unlike the United and Delta business plans. Remember, we negotiated and gained our contract in 2002, which was during the time you were giving it all (and then some) back, along with the accompanying furloughs (another SWA difference) if memory serves. Of course, when you go through your next round of contract talks, any gains you might realize should be at least partly credited to SWAPA carrying the water for the last decade. I should know, I was there.

PapaWoody

 

[Dolce]

Kinda funny SWAPA was able to negotiate a contract after 2001 while all the big players have been giving back for almost 10 years! So OYS, our contract hasn't come from the so-called "big player" contract of DAL or UAL! The sad part is many of my bros asked me why I applied at SWA in 2001...better pay, retirement, bigger planes and better destinations at the "real" carriers. Funny how a few days in September can destroy so many airlines...not. They may have been hiring, but they were not in a position to sustain the operations they had going. So don't tell us we have you and ALPA to thank for any contracts SWAPA negotiated because it just isn't correct!

D

 

[flynvixen]

I think you spending a very long time on the AirTran island is more likely.

We like to call it the citrus RJ corral, they should pack a bag the stay may be a long one.

Cheers Vato's

 

[flynvixen]

In a merger, there are shortcuts to better pay, for at least one of the two groups. Fairness for the SLIs are better decided by arbitrators, not union types or management. And your contract really came from the Delta rates, which originally started with United. I should know, I was there.

OYS

Great job, ALPA and the brain surgeons at United (their descriptions of themselves not mine) started the fire that burned down the industry and now they want the money back and still want to continue throwing gas on the fires.

They will never get the money back and will never see crazy work rules and huge money for no work contracts again.

They thought they were going to choke the golden goose just a bit more and they ended up killing it.....good job ALPA now they cry and blame management. Its hard to make money at an airline when you have pilots that wont fly and demand to sit home and complain while plotting to burn the company down while running their yogurt shop.

You guys would complain if you had to work one day a month, please go out and get real jobs so you can see how good you have it and give the seat to some one who wants to fly.

Cheers Vato's

 

[Flopgut]

Funny how a few days in September can destroy so many airlines...not.

That's the ugliest comment I've heard on here in long time. It's no secret that that September was a real boost for SWA, but it's still too recent for you to be so flagrant.

If there is any SWA pilot with integrity left monitoring FI, would you please invite this clown Dolce to can it? And Vixen as well while you are at it....

 

[Kharma Police]

That's the ugliest comment I've heard on here in long time. It's no secret that that September was a real boost for SWA, but it's still too recent for you to be so flagrant.

If there is any SWA pilot with integrity left monitoring FI, would you please invite this clown Dolce to can it? And Vixen as well while you are at it....

Airtran ALPA has the class to at least try and police its own pilots, I have yet to read or hear of SWAPA giving us the same courtesy.

 

[Flopgut]

I've tried to tone down our [CAL] village idiot on here with a few PMs with some success. You Airtran guys are really keeping it together very professionally. Kwick is a bit of a tool, but he always has been....

 

[Dolce]

Flopout,
You know exactly what I was talking about! The airlines who were clamoring for government handouts because they had to set on the ground for several days after the attacks. They were in trouble long before 9/11, so don't try to take the sanctimonious high road against me with the "it's too recent to be so flagrant" beat down and calling for my head on a platter. Brother, I was serving my country during this period and still am! I'm guessing from your avatar, you know exactly what I'm talking about, and for that matter, what Vixin was stating also. Funny thing is, my reservist brothers who fly for OALs like to talk about their checks they get for setting at home instead of working for them. So go try to start a witch hunt somewhere else and worry about your own SLI. By the way, a unions job is to protect it's members all the while not destroying the means in which they rely on to survive!

D

 

[S3sundowner]

YGBSM floppy; some of the baiting from the likes of Ty Webb (who has been "found out" btw, so he's "backed off") has been off the scale. But I do agree that some of the swa guys should tone it down and go cut the grass or something. Nothing gets solved on here but let's be fair; the mud slinging from the aai pilots has been rife on here too and the swa pilots are very aware of it.

 

[Flopgut]

Flopout,
You know exactly what I was talking about! The airlines who were clamoring for government handouts because they had to set on the ground for several days after the attacks. They were in trouble long before 9/11, so don't try to take the sanctimonious high road against me with the "it's too recent to be so flagrant" beat down and calling for my head on a platter. Brother, I was serving my country during this period and still am! I'm guessing from your avatar, you know exactly what I'm talking about, and for that matter, what Vixin was stating also. Funny thing is, my reservist brothers who fly for OALs like to talk about their checks they get for setting at home instead of working for them. So go try to start a witch hunt somewhere else and worry about your own SLI. By the way, a unions job is to protect it's members all the while not destroying the means in which they rely on to survive!

D

No dude, you and Vixen are way off base here. Every airline got re-imbursed for the time grounded. Most who applied for ATSB money got turned down. UAL got turned down twice. The second one was what wiped out the retirement. They probably deserved to get the money the second time. What the ATSB enabled at UAL was for poor mgt to make petty, easy changes that didn't help the business but hammered labor. But, that's really another discussion...

Remember, in 2001 UAL was a Dow Component. And they had been for a very long time. That's a big difference in what we see right now in SWA. You do great work and you've got a great company. But you'll work a long time before you'll match UAL's history. Until you put the dollars way out in front of where any major pilot contract put it in the past, you won't get any credit for helping this profession.

Additionally, when you and FlynVixen pop off about these OAL pilots not working, remember they are doing something a lot different than you. I don't feel like I work a lot right now, but I'm close to FAR limit at any given time. 10 to 17 hour legs will do that to your schedule. You don't do that stuff so it's easy to forget that it is out there. If anything, I've got even more respect for legacy pilots after having started to fly to some far reaches of the globe and seeing so many AA, DAL, and UAL airplanes. They are out there all day every day and they have been for 50+ years. These pilots sit around a lot because when they do take off they stay in the air for a long time. You just think you work a lot because you don't go anywhere.