Newby life at SWA

[Flyingtoohigh]

BQuinn,

I hope I fare a little better. I'm flying to DAL to interview an internship in Flight Ops for the Spring semester.

I'm nervous as hell, no matter how much people say I shouldn't be. It's posts like this that help me calm down a little.

I can't wait to see this supposed "Room 501" and "free beer."

 

[iflyhigh72]

Hey lucky dad. Thanks for the great post. A quick question for ya. Is the money you referred to in the paycheck before or after deductions. Just curious. Thanks again for the post

 

[Russ]

As I understand it, OAK is the junior domocile. How long to get off reserve and to hold a descent line out of there. I know there are a lot of variables, but a general idea of the time frame would be great. Thanks....

 

[DalLeardriver]

"I guess what I am trying to tell the poolies is that you can make alot more in the first year if you learn how to work the system."

I have a buddy that learned early how to work the system. He is in his fourth year at SWA and has been off every Christmas.
I am in my second week at Higher Power and can't wait for SWA to start hiring again. What a great company.

 

[Slug]

After tax

I was hired in Feb 03.

Those numbers are after tax.

I make $1380 on the 5th (TN = no income tax)

and about $2100 on the 20th



Slug

 

[Falconjet]

A different perspective

I don't work at SW, but in the last few threads I think the concensus was that it would take about 2 full months worth of classes behind you to get out of OAK. That would be about 50 people. The real question is how long will it take for SW to hire 50 people after you hit the line. That is the million dollar question. If you are hired at the head of a wave, you'll only sit in OAK for 2 or 3 months, but if you are in the last class hired for a year, it will be at least a year and 2-3 months.

I get the same type of question from friends and relatives who ask me how long I'll have to sit reserve or fly at night at FedEx. I tell them that at our current rate of hiring I will retire as an FE in the back of the Boeing. There is no magic number of years or months to "pay your dues", you just have to wait your turn and be patient. Of course, I also tell them that I will be flying at night my whole career here, that is what we do! Its pretty frustrating to try to explain those concepts to folks who aren't in the industry.

Pay and work rules comparison to SWA for anybody who is interested:

On reserve or on the line at FedEx you can drop (or move) R days and drop trips as long as there are enough reserves to handle the flights. In other words, nobody has to take them from you as long as scheduling can determine there will be enough reserves to cover whatever is left in open time. There is some magic formula they use to decide and of course certain holidays are locked out, you can't drop them. If you do drop a trip or R day, the value of the trip or R day goes into a make up bank that you can use to pick up trips in open time in that same month or down the road. Of course you don't get paid for those trips or
R days either. I've had pretty good luck dropping R days when I really need to, but there have been times when I was unable to due to a lack of reserves.

I have been on the line a little over a year and have only been able to hold Reserve lines. At first year pay it has been more beneficial for me personally to drop a number of days per month and have more time at home, while giving up the pay that would have gone along with those days. Right now I have 82 hours in my make up bank, which I can use to grab trips from open time, and will get paid for those trips at the rate of pay I am making at that time. So theoretically, after I move up a seat or two, I can fly those extra 82 hours at FO or Capt pay.

Even with 82 hours in the make up bank (some of that came from carryover that I dropped to protect min days off per month, but only about 20 of them) I made about $45,300 in my first 12 months, before taxes. That is gross pay, no per diem included. Next month the pay goes to $49.86 per hour for first year S/O and $63.96 for a second year S/O. I could have made more (82x50 or so = $4100) if I had worked all of those hours that I dropped.

Our trips are much different also, at least in the Boeing. Mostly out and back type trips, which I described in a different thread I think. In the first year here I have only had one 4 day trip, and that was on IOE. Since then I have had maybe four or five 2 night trips but mostly one night out and back type trips. You can get lines with pure trips if you are senior enough (good for commuters) but being on reserve most of the trips I get are pretty short. Breaking up the R day blocks in the line by moving them around helps facilitate this somewhat.

I didn't want to completely change the subject, just got a little carried away. Thought some folks might like to make a comparison between the two companies because I'm pretty sure FedEx will start hiring again next year hopefully both pools will drain quickly.

FJ

 

[zymotic]

LuckyDad and Slug have both posted that they are taking home about $3500 per month after taxes and I'm assuming numerous other deductions. After all my deductions I usually take home about 70% of my pay. If I work the math backwards you guys are on par to make about $60K per year. I thought first year pay was much lower. Are you guys picking up extra time and working the system or mostly just flying your line?

 

[T1bubba]

Russ,

Depends on what you consider a "decent" line. One class behind you should get you a blank line (vacation line). Three or four classes behind you should get you a normal line. Of course if you go to another domicile you start over at the bottom.

One other thing about staying in OAK- it's almost impossible to give away trips there so it's much tougher to work your schedule to pick up 2nd year pay. Better seniority in OAK does not equal better pay.

Just for a data point at the low end of the scale, as a single guy with no deductions to speak of in a high tax state (MD) who is still paying off payroll deductions for uniforms and the leather jacket, I get $1160 on the 5th and anywhere from $1800 to $3500 on the 20th. Pay rates go up by 13% next September, so anyone hired now will make more in their 1st year than we did.

FJ,

Your make up bank sounds somewhat similar to the Enhanced Line Improvement Trip Trade system that we are voting on now. If it is accepted (I think it will be) it is supposed to start next spring. We will be able to drop/trade trips down to about 2/3 of your schedule as long as other people are picking some trips up (the total open time can't increase). You can still give away to other people directly with no restrictions.

T1

 

[Russ]

T1
Thanks for the info.

 

[mdf]

Just to add to some more jr guy info. I was in the second to last class. I went right to OAK and was given the hard line for month one. Then went right to reserve for one month until the last class came on line. I am able to hold a weekend line, or blank line with only 26 people below me. The already mentioned hiring wave is the key. I have a friend hired a year and 1/2 ago who never saw OAK. Recent history seems to suggest with the steady stream of classes people spend 1 month. For the last 2 classes it seems like it will be 8-12 months in OAK. My pay pretty much matches what everyone else has posted. I can also confirm that giving away trips in OAK is tough.