Kelly: SWA costs too high

[lakemead1]

Everyone mocks and laughs at United, but I'm beginning to see a money making machine. In a few years, I think United will be the hot place to be. Especially if we get a good contract, it'll be hard to get an interview. With the upcoming movement and retirements, this will be the place to be.


You guys need to get your seniority list figured out or it will be like trying to go to LCC!

 

[SKC]

Just out of curiosity, what does SW offer on their flights? DirectTV or Wifi? Do you guys have loyalty credit cards or frequent flyer accounts? Lieflat seats on transcons? I'm not bashing or flaming, just don't know the answer.

DirecTV - no
Wifi - yes, on an ever increasing number of -700s
loyalty CC - yes
FF - yes
lie flat seats - if you really don't know this....nevermind, there's no one that would actually think SWA has lie flat seats in an all coach config

 

[LandGreen]

GENERAL CHEESE, How many block hours for you this year on the 767?

Would DAL have made money last year w/o charging for bags? Should your airline be in the "CARGO" section?

Geez whataburger!

question for you: would you rather have your airline charge for bags and keep your nice pay and contract? Or...have GK take some pay cuts from you and the rest of the labor group to allow him to pay for the bags fly free campaign.

i would love to know what SWA management put in your koolaid! i need it to put in my 10 y/o son's cheerios in the morning!!!

 

[Jim Smyth]

When you work for an Airline you need to work with them in Good and Bad times. Hopefully SWA management can right the ship before its too far gone. SWA has struggeld with profits for a while now and competition has become very aggressive through Banktrupcy and Large cost cuts on other employee groups in the industry. If SWA management believes they need to lower costs to be competative then they need to do that and the employee's need to work with the Company.

 

[filejw]

Hope you guys are comparing monthly hard time because that is all that matters to the airlines bottom line. I think you will find SWA does lots more with less pilots.

 

[SWA/FO]

and just like that..... nothing happen :cartman:

 

[Donald]

I figured this was coming. It does seem like a cycle for all airlines. Charging for bags may help, but now the Feds are pushing taxes for those fees. I do feel that the company will explore every avenue of possible revenue or savings before asking for concessions. If worse comes to worse, what is better, giving in to concessions or losing your contract in bankruptcy?

 

[Linedriver]

A lot of speculation here. SWA has always been an employee focused airline and it makes sense to me that if they needed an increase in the bottom line wouldn't GK do something like charge for bags before asking for money from the employees?

That's just my thinking, am I on the right or wrong track?

 

[madjack]

"Bags fly Free" campaign has been successful...our load factors are through roof and we are making money...but with fuel costs and the great recession II looming we may face hard decisions at SWA...the legacies are flourishing because mgmt was able to achieve concessionary contracts in bankruptcy and has systematically raised fees and reduced capacity....all these measures are bad for pilots and bad for customers...

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

The Delta and SWA pilots fly the same amount of hours. Some months the 777 guy flies more, some less (seasonal changes). But overall, when a 777 Captain flies 85 hours, and a SWA Captain flies 85 hours, it's the same. The main difference is that they 777 Captain can get 15 hours in ONE LEG (LAX to SYD), and you guys have to do 15 intra Texas legs to get the same.

. And there are guys at Delta that only fly a couple different plane types in their career. He is just as "productive" as any SWA pilot, but nobody likes to bring that up.....



Bye Bye---General Lee

General, let me expose the fallacy of your post in regards to productivity.

Using your theory, it takes the Delta crew 15-hours on the 777 to transport 268 passengers. Over that same 15-hours (@ 1-hour per leg) the Southwest crew can potentially transport 2250 passengers...or 1,982 more passengers in the same 15-hour flight block as the Delta crew can. So, how can it be possible when you say that the Delta crew is just a productive as the Southwest crew because they each flew 15-hours?