Let's use 400K piano pushers as an example.

[Nindiri]

Meh. I'm like some of the others. I show up, do my job and only my job, try to be friendly, and go home. Outside of the occasional chuckle when some gate agent or other employee tries to lecture me on having a warrior spirit, I avoid thinking too much about the merger.

In their defense, most of the SWA guys have been quite friendly, and several have showed me some excellent ways of working the system for more money.

 

[redflyer65]

Clyde, think what you want. Trust me, many of my SWA brothers and sisters feel we were screwed with this abomination of a merger just as much as you AT folks.

Lets see, I'm further from upgrade, lost domicile bidding power (since all transitions are FOs until 2015) lost vacation bidding power, and received no pay raise or payout to lessen the sting. If we were conspiring with the GO to screw you I would hope we would have done a better job then scewing the bottom half(or more) of the SWA list.

ATrannies do not have exclusivity on the suck factor, but you got a long list of positives to make the sting less. I just hope neither side whines too much once we're all together because that is not productive and we all got stuff we can complain about.

Bingo.

What did the SW guys get out of the deal? Upgrade within the same week (except for the senior FOs)...so nothing there. No equity stake. No increase in salary or any benefit for that matter. I don't know many SW pilots that think this was a good deal for us. I agree with Bubba. I think the CA seats should have fallen where your seniority holds. Nothing more, nothing less. Gary didn't ask me.

You guys are really looking at black helicopters if you think SWAPA had that much power in how this went down. The did have some 'range' of what they hope to get, but in the end...the whole deal (including the list) was orchestrated by Gary.

The first deal with all the C&R's was put together by both Merger Teams. Then Gary signed off with the money. ie, paying the Airtran guys at SWAPA rates immediately.

When the MEC choked on the deal, Gary took over with what he decided would be the next deal. If you think SWAPA put it together then your an fool. Gary plainly took plenty off the table for the Airtran guys. That's exactly what most of us said would happen. Make your best deal the FIRST time. The MEC boned it up completely for all the Airtran guys. The worst move I've ever seen by ALPA. Similiar to the TWA debacle when they wanted AMR pilots back in the fold and offered the TWA guys up as a sacrifice at the alter.

You guys can be angry and resentful for life here, but I don't think you'll find much sympathy if you want to start talking about it. It's a great company with great employees. Keep an open mind, and if you can put it behind you, it will be awesome. Want to stay mired down in the could of/would have, and you'll be miserable for years. Your choice.

 

[Clyde Frog]

Some of you guys are absolutely living in a fantasy world. I remember a whole bunch of you, here on this very website, warning us to "be reasonable" in our seniority expectations because uncle Gary will put us on the street if we force his hand. Obviously the boss was talking to SWAPA and the plan was laid out early on. To say otherwise defies logic and sound reasoning.

 

[Clyde Frog]

Bingo.

What did the SW guys get out of the deal? Upgrade within the same week (except for the senior FOs)...so nothing there.

Nothing there? Are you actually saying those words?

Those "senior FOs" will occupy every 737 captain seat at AirTran at the time that the merger was announced...yeah, that's nothing, you're right...sheesh.

You guys are really looking at black helicopters if you think SWAPA had that much power in how this went down.

It's not a matter of SWAPA having "power". They likely had something mgt wanted, being in section 6 and all..

Now I get to come over and join the big leagues and be a real major airline pilot..yipdee frickin' doo!

 

[redflyer65]

We were speaking on our own behalf and the history of how hardcore the GO can negotiate these things. Tie that in with Gary's public comments of wanting a negotiated agreement ASAP....and you have exactly what we where saying. We just put two and two together...nothing complicated. SWAPA kept us mostly in the dark Frog (to my dismay). I'm sorry those facts get in the way of your conspiracy theory.

There were absolutely no 'SWAPA talking points'. If there were, I'd be honest enough to admit it right here, but there wasn't any such thing.

 

[redflyer65]

Nothing there? Are you actually saying those words?

Those "senior FOs" will occupy every 737 captain seat at AirTran at the time that the merger was announced...yeah, that's nothing, you're right...sheesh.

Frog,

Re-read what I posted. I don't believe any seats should have been 'taken'. I believe the CA seats should have fallen on the merits of the seniority list. Nothing more, nothing less. That part we agree on.

The rest, I'm talking about me personally. I didn't get squat out of this deal. NADA. I didn't double my salary. I didn't get a more stable company. I didn't get to bring my longevity to a carrier that I didn't even work for. I understand what you lost....and what you gained. It's over.

 

[Clyde Frog]

I didn't get a more stable company. I didn't get to bring my longevity to a carrier that I didn't even work for. I understand what you lost....and what you gained. It's over.

I sure wish you would've had the opportunity to plead your case to an arbitrator. Funny how we get all the gains yet your side played dirty pool to keep this out of arbitration. That makes sense.

You got a seniority bump (albeit a small one) as a result of our great seniority loss. It's math, you did, you all did.

As far as what I got...can you guarantee any of that? My new seniority is guaranteed. Pan Am was stable at one time, so was Eastern, they were also the highest paying too. So was TWA. No guarantees going forward, except for my new seniority.

DRC is ongoing so it's not totally over. Not holding my breath, but it's not over.

 

[PCL_128]

Are we still arguing about this? We got screwed because our group is filled with a bunch of cowards. Blame them (or yourself, as the case may be), and move on.

 

[Clyde Frog]

We'll be talking about this for the next 30 years or until the last bit of sand is rinsed from my vagina.

 

[waveflyer]

.

But it wasn't up to us. It was a business decision undertaken by management, and we had absolutely no say. Because we absolutely would have said no. We also can't change it. So we have to live with the results, and make the best of what the future holds.

Bubba

No to rehash history or start a new fight, but you (the pilots)had a say in the intergration and you and your group chose to take as much from us as you could You used management to do your bidding. There was even a proposal to put our stapled guys behind your poolies. Next to AA's stapling of TWA it's the most lopsided intergration in the history of airline mergers. I'm living with it just like the TWA guys did, you won't hear me say anything about it. When you tell me how lucky I am I'll just nod and agree with you, while thinking something else. It's over, we got what we got, but for you to say you had no say in the intergration is completely false. To the victor go the spoils, and you won.[/QUOTE]

And the junior SWA FO's think you're also full of sh/t

I hope we learned that the squeaky wheel gets the grease-

Sorry, but air tran seniority wasn't close to equal - you got a GREAT deal compared to junior SWA FOs