Is the 'worm turning'? Could SWA finally be going international (Canada)?

[GuppyWN]

I wonder if there has ever been an airline pilot that has said at the end of his career that he spent too much time at home?

You've got that right!

But you gotta admit. That South America sounds pretty good. I've flown with a couple guys that go on "fishing trips" down there and say it rocks.

Gup

 

[flint4xx]

There are only two reasons to be an airline pilot, money and time off. I've got you on both accounts. A good company is icing on the cake.

A mini vacation in a crew hotel? Is there a big L on your forehead? I'd be happy to never spend another night away from my family.

 

[Quimby]

Some of these guys don't get it.....and never will. That's why airline pilots have the reputation's they do.

1000's of women swarming on you? Lol. Great. Everyone's impressed. Send pics. You must be the Mayor of Cool Town.

A now retired TWA captain I knew finished on the 727 after flying the intl stuff for many years, said the domestic was easier, less fatiguing and more fun. Different strokes...

 

[Whataburger]

You've got that right!

But you gotta admit. That South America sounds pretty good. I've flown with a couple guys that go on "fishing trips" down there and say it rocks.

Gup

To VISIT all those those places on VACATION would rock. You get to pick the folks who go with you, and you can do what ya wanna do when ya wanna do it.

 

[General Lee]

I know your instigating, oops I mean debating, right now but I'll bite.

It paid less than 25 "trips." I said "my 3 day paid more than his 5 day." Not 4 day. My trip had 6 legs.
I don't need 1000 hot women, or I'll end up divorced like 75% of the other pilots.
I prefer to play "sidewalk chalk" and "Go Fish" all day vs. lounging in a pool in SA.
I am happy you love your job and it's bennies. That is what's great about airlines; you found your match and I found mine.
I wonder if there has ever been an airline pilot that has said at the end of his career that he spent too much time at home?

DL doesn't have ANY 5 day trips worth less than 25 hours or your "trips". Nope. To be out that long there is a minimum amount of time awarded, and it is more than 25 hours. And, the VAST majority of your 3 day trips have MORE than 6 legs. If you got a SWA 3 day trip with ONLY 6 legs, that would be a miracle. 99% of them DO NOT have that few legs. You must be number 1. And if you are, I am glad you enjoy those trips. Good for you.

As far as spending time at home, some DL trips have 11 or 12 days in Asia, and then 18 straight at home. You can put one of those trips at the beginning of one month, and at the end of the next month, and have more than 30 straight at home. It is all about variety. You can also do day trips and be home every night, or choose 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6 day trips. And if you don't like your trips anymore, you can bid another plane and try INTL or DOM, or a mixture of both.

And, thanks for "debating" with me. Lots of fun.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

There are only two reasons to be an airline pilot, money and time off. I've got you on both accounts. A good company is icing on the cake.

A mini vacation in a crew hotel? Is there a big L on your forehead? I'd be happy to never spend another night away from my family.

Money and time off? So, those 11 or 12 day Asia trips (lots of them available) with the next 18 off don't count? Again, put one at the beginning of the month, and the next at the end of the next month, and you have more than 30 off in a row. You don't "got me" on that account at all. You lose. And more money? How do you know that? Are you a 12 year Capt? Just because your rates are currently higher than DL's doesn't mean it will always stay that way? What happens when the next contract offers huge improvements and your airline then looks like a regional with good pay again? All you have on the legacies right now is higher pay, which could change overnight. You have one type of plane, with multiple leg days and 25 min turns. That won't change anytime soon.

And a mini vacation at a layover usually means NOT staying in the hotel. A lot of places in Europe are great to explore, and Guam and Saipan layovers are tropical and filled with history. But I guess it isn't as "fun" as your 13 hour layover in AMA. Again, you can't remember where you flew to 3 trips ago, but I can. I enjoyed it. I have just as many days off as you do, but I have great pictures of places I have gone to. You have the after taste of a bad quesadilla in LBB.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Tripower455]

Thanks for that Dr. Phil......???? Only one can conclude WHAT again???? Where did you come up with that? Really.

Admit it..... you're obsessed with flying to LBB, MAF etc. and want desperately to be at WN flying the corndog!

First of all, I do fly domestic, sometimes. The ATL 767ER category has both. I am senior enough to fly just INTL, but I usually do about 75% INTL, and the remaining 25% domestic. Any open trip is fair game to swap for or pick up, and I usually start out with all INTL trips but give one away to trade for a domestic trip. That gives me the best of both worlds, and plenty of landings. The key here is variety, and that is something that DL has, and SWA does not.

Awesome.... After 24 years of doing this, who needs/wants variety? If I could have the same trip every week, I'd do it.

While your pay is great, you also know that you will have to WORK for it, and that means plenty of legs per day, which to me is tiring.

2-4 legs in a 8-9 hour duty day is vastly preferable to one 10 hour on the same airplane. You really like those?

Even the domestic trips I fly have one or maybe two legs a day max (I try to get 4 leg 4 day trips), which allows me to relax a bit.

Sounds like a complete waste of time to me. I'll take my 8-10 leg (2-3 legs per day) 4 day and relax at home.

So do longer layovers, allowing me to sleep and enjoy the layover. Your compact 3 or 4 day trips are stuffed with legs, because that is how your business model works.

Define "packed"...... 2-4 legs per day is about average. Every so often, I'll fly 5 on one day of the trip. What's the difference anyway? Who wants to be on a friggin airplane all day?

Last trip, I had 17 hours in MHT, and 19 in SAN, and no "security" issues, so I was even free to leave the hotel! I've got 2 more of these this month.

That is pretty much what you have to look forward to FOREVER.

I hope you're right....

If I wanted to do that, I would bid the MD88, which is another example of variety. Different fleet types do different missions, and your mission is to fly, a lot. That just isn't something most pilots really want to do.

Then why are you harping on the intl. stuff? You don't fly a lot? 8-10 hours in ONE leg isn't a lot? Why are there thousands of pilots waiting for the call for an interview or class at WN? Most pilots want the most pay. Period. That's why they go international, since the largest airframes pay the best.

I thought the goal was to get paid a lot (which you do) to fly a little. As you get older, you will understand that. I wince if I see more than one leg per day. But, if you like that stuff, good for you. Enjoy it.

As I get older, I get more pragmatic, and after 24 years of airline flying, realize just what's important in a job. Variety is a PITA. It's nice only having to know ONE airplane (even if they are constantly changing the way we fly them, but I digress). I had enough variety in my previous lives to last me for the rest of my career. When you get older, maybe you'll see that too. I wince when I see PHL-OAK or something like that.

How long have you been on this board?

Since 11/2003......... Probably about the same as you, with a fraction of the number of posts......

I usually bring up LBB or something like that to get a rise out of guys like Gup or Redflyer69, but I usually state that I think SWA's pay is great, the stews are nice, and management is great (so far).

Really..... You bring it up on every thread that even MENTIONS WN (and many that don't). Maybe you're too close to it to see it or something, but it's incessant and has been for years.

I rarely visit this forum anymore, mainly because if anyone posts anything about WN, it's an immediate bashfest. So instead of getting any useful insight or discussion from other "professionals" about whatever the latest goings on are, we get your "LBB,MAF,ISP" diatribe, or nonstop input from the "PFT" moron.

As I've said before, you (and a few others) really need some new shtick.

It's like watching a bad sitcom over and over again.

There are a lot of things I like about SWA, but I just don't like the flying (legs) or the lack of variety. The people are great (mostly), but some people just don't want to do it.

So, as I've said in other threads.... You AREN'T doing it, yet you mention it every chance you get.

That really irks some people, and it is interesting to watch them become very defensive. I point out some perceived flaws, and I get jumped all over.

LOL.... Pot, meet kettle......

So, you enjoy your job, and I will enjoy mine. I am not insanely jealous of SWA pilots. I just like to see them get all bent when someone doesn't want what they have.

Just admit it.... you're jealous. Otherwise, you wouldn't bring it up so often!

 

[General Lee]

Some of these guys don't get it.....and never will. That's why airline pilots have the reputation's they do.

1000's of women swarming on you? Lol. Great. Everyone's impressed. Send pics. You must be the Mayor of Cool Town.

A now retired TWA captain I knew finished on the 727 after flying the intl stuff for many years, said the domestic was easier, less fatiguing and more fun. Different strokes...

Thank gawd we do BOTH. The 757/767 categories at ALL bases do both now. You can CHOOSE. Wow.........


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Admit it..... you're obsessed with flying to LBB, MAF etc. and want desperately to be at WN flying the corndog!

NO, I really NEVER want to fly to those places. I drove through once and burped.

Awesome.... After 24 years of doing this, who needs/wants variety? If I could have the same trip every week, I'd do it.

Oh come on! Capt's I fly with LOVE to go certain places, and they have been around just as long. They go to Hawaii to relax, then to SA to see the girls, then Europe for the beer. INTL flying is very easy, since the planes have to be 100% to cross the oceans--ETOPS. It is so much different than DOM flying, but you can still fly those DOM trips if you want to.



2-4 legs in a 8-9 hour duty day is vastly preferable to one 10 hour on the same airplane. You really like those?

Come on again! Not all of your trips are like that. 4 legs for you guys means BWI-SLC-LAS-OAK. Long days. And, 10 hours in a plane means a few hours sleeping in First Class (we also have some planes with an enclosed crew rest facility, it is pretty sleek---bunk beads), then eating a really good meal. If you don't want to sleep, you can watch a movie. Sleeping means dozing for dollars.


Sounds like a complete waste of time to me. I'll take my 8-10 leg (2-3 legs per day) 4 day and relax at home.

You must be the number 1 SWA pilot, since most trips are NOT like that. I have friends over there, and they always tell me the story. Most trips are not that civil. Your model is to fly as much as possible within your 3 or 4 days. Come on.


Define "packed"...... 2-4 legs per day is about average. Every so often, I'll fly 5 on one day of the trip. What's the difference anyway? Who wants to be on a friggin airplane all day? Again, 4 legs for you means BWI-SLC-LAX-RNO. I would have been tired after the 2nd leg, and so would you, but you have 2 more to go.

Last trip, I had 17 hours in MHT, and 19 in SAN, and no "security" issues, so I was even free to leave the hotel! I've got 2 more of these this month. We don't have all INTL hotel security issues. Most hotels in Europe or Asia do not have security problems. I guess leaving the Holiday Inn in Ronkonkoma (ISP) at night isn't a security issue? Probably worse than most SA layovers.



I hope you're right....

If I wanted to do that, I would bid the MD88, which is another example of variety. Different fleet types do different missions, and your mission is to fly, a lot. That just isn't something most pilots really want to do.

Then why are you harping on the intl. stuff? You don't fly a lot? 8-10 hours in ONE leg isn't a lot? Why are there thousands of pilots waiting for the call for an interview or class at WN? Most pilots want the most pay. Period. That's why they go international, since the largest airframes pay the best. Again, dozing for dollars might be the best thing since Apple pie. Anything over 8 hours means a relief pilot. That means no walk around for Pilot flying, and an extra set of eyes during the more complex descents (interesting acccents by controllers---although most INTL controllers are better than any NYC controller) You are right that larger planes pay more, but open time and IROPS can be very lucrative for senior guys on domestic planes too. If you are senior on a plane, you can make more than someone who isn't on a larger plane.



As I get older, I get more pragmatic, and after 24 years of airline flying, realize just what's important in a job. Variety is a PITA. It's nice only having to know ONE airplane (even if they are constantly changing the way we fly them, but I digress). I had enough variety in my previous lives to last me for the rest of my career. When you get older, maybe you'll see that too. I wince when I see PHL-OAK or something like that.

You can't sleep (legally) on a flight PHL to OAK. On an INTL trip over 8 hours, you know there is a rest break waiting for you. Most Capt's can sleep immediately, since they have been doing it for so long. And, they can bid a DOM trip if they get too tired from INTL stuff. (on the 757/767) Also, on fleets that mainly do INTL flying, they like one commute, one trip, then home for 18 days. The layovers are long, meaning they can try to adjust. The A330 guys in DTW head off to Hawaii, relax for 24 hours on the beach, go to NRT or KIX (Osaka) for 24, then back to HNL, then over to ATL, then back to HNL, whatever, for 11 or 12 days. With rest breaks, it makes it tollerable, and nice layovers means it is enjoyable.



Since 11/2003......... Probably about the same as you, with a fraction of the number of posts......



Really..... You bring it up on every thread that even MENTIONS WN (and many that don't). Maybe you're too close to it to see it or something, but it's incessant and has been for years. What can I say, it amuses me.

I rarely visit this forum anymore, mainly because if anyone posts anything about WN, it's an immediate bashfest. So instead of getting any useful insight or discussion from other "professionals" about whatever the latest goings on are, we get your "LBB,MAF,ISP" diatribe, or nonstop input from the "PFT" moron. Just think, any time you go to those cities, you will think of me. And, the PFT stuff is not good for our industry. Really, he has a point. We shouldn't have to do that.

As I've said before, you (and a few others) really need some new shtick.

It's like watching a bad sitcom over and over again.



So, as I've said in other threads.... You AREN'T doing it, yet you mention it every chance you get. It needs to be repeated sometimes.


LOL.... Pot, meet kettle......



Just admit it.... you're jealous. Nope, just highlighting some major differences. Thanks for the good "debate" again. Otherwise, you wouldn't bring it up so often!

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Tripower455]

By highlighting the "major differences" (over and over and over and over....... ad nauseum), you've convinced me General! I didn't realize how bad I actually have it at WN! Thanks for the education.

As soon as DL starts hiring, I'm gonna give up 15 years of seniority and try to get hired!

I'll have to get over the PFT thing though. It's gonna cost me several million $$$$ and lots of QOL, but it'll be worth it! I can then spend every waking moment berating pilots at the successful airlines on a wanking internet forum, instead of indulging my current hobbies! It'll be great!