Newby life at SWA

[GogglesPisano]

Is the cost of getting a type tax-deductable?

How brutal are the schedules? (Short legs, quick turns ...) It would be great if one of you guys could post a typical trip print-out.

Is there a commuter clause?


I'm at ACA and am cautiously optimistic about our future here, but the more I hear about SWA, the more I think getting the type and jumping ship is worth it (especially if this MESA disaster actually happens and 800 ACA captains start knocking on the door behind me.)

 

[T1bubba]

The type is tax deductable.

The schedules vary tremendously. Last week I did a two day with two legs total (BWI-LAX and back), that's one end of the spectrum. The other extreme is seven legs a day in TX or CA. Out of BWI the average day is probably three or four legs. I think I've done one day with more than four legs in the last two or three months. Quick turns are easy, I'd rather spend my time at the overnight than sitting around between legs.

There is a commuter clause, if you aren't able to get on your primary or backup flights to work you call and they drop the legs without pay until you can rejoin it.

There were two ACA guys in my new-hire class at SWA. They're both very happy here.

Good luck.

T1

 

[OakRBust]

I haven't been on this turnip truck long but here is what I have seen so far....


The schedules vary a ton.

I have a turn (Day Trip) on Friday which is 4 short legs. The longest break is 25 minutes. That is the norm here. 30 minute turns are scheduled in LAX and a few others. I have seen a few 20 minute turns still in HOU and a few others. If the turn is longer than 30 minutes it is definitely going to be an A/C Swap. I am with the above post... Heck with the 2 hour sits. Lets hurry up and get to the overnight.

Some days are two or three legs some are 5 or 6 legs.

I did a three day last week with 5, 6, and 5 legs with a 13 and a 12 hour overnight.

My normal PM reserve trip has been a 3 or 4 day with 2-4 leg days and with overnight lengths of between 15 and 19 hours or so.

After you get a little seniority and a line... If you don't like the multi leg days you can trade em for a long haul in Line improvement trip trade. Click a trip you want to get rid of, and it will show you other trips you could have in its place. If it is legal, click it and it's yours. No bs, no phone calls.


I came from Mesaba. I loved it there. That being said, no way in hell am I goin back. This place is a really fun place. I am sure it isn't for everybody. 737, Domestic, 12 leg days, blah blah blah... But it sure is right for me. I am really happy to be here as most of my ex Mesaba pals are too.

I hope this helps...

OAK

 

[GogglesPisano]

Thanks guys. God, I love this message board!

 

[firstthird]

Be careful with the tax deductable 737 type. I think now that SWA changed it from required to apply to required to start work, it may have changed the ability to write it off. It was mentioned a month or two ago, don't remember what the final verdict was though.

 

[Lear70]

After you get a little seniority and a line... If you don't like the multi leg days you can trade em for a long haul in Line improvement trip trade. Click a trip you want to get rid of, and it will show you other trips you could have in its place. If it is legal, click it and it's yours. No bs, no phone calls.

Man, what a dream! You know the beautiful thing about SWA? I don't think I've ever heard anyone who works there ever really say anything negative about the place... that says VOLUMES about quality of life, and as we all know, quality of life is EVERYTHING!

For one of the previous questions, when I was flight instructing years ago, the owner's wife was a tax accountant who specialized in pilot taxes. She still does my tax returns and I have been forwarding her all my tax stuff for this year, including my 737 type I did in February. She maintains that it is definitely tax deductible, as it was money I spent in the normal course of job improvement and obtainment that is not directly applicable in any other life endeavor except work.

Good luck to all, hope to see all of you at one of those rooftop parties I hear about from time to time...

 

[tredding@swa]

Dear PoolRats,

I brought this ever from another thread..... Tred


I feel that it is necessary for me to come out of "retirement" to say a few words to my former pals in the pool.....

There I was, (no sh!t) last Wednesday, Nov 5th.... at FL370, looking out the window of the canyon blue 737, on my way to SLC. The last leg, of the 1st day, of yet another 3 day...

This was a great day for me, exactly 6 months ago on this day I had just finished my first day of new hire class in DAL. My wife and I were sitting in our room, enjoying dinner and discussing the day's events. Our #1 reflection was how lucky we were to be there.

Three weeks prior to May 5th, there were rumors that SWA may not continue classes for 2003. My number on the Flightinfo pool showed that I was really close to being in the next couple of classes..... what IF??... what IF?? The reality was, the company had 2 more classes, and here I am.

So what's my point!?

One thing that each and every one of you PoolRats has in common is that you have passed the interview, and the background check(s) and have been extended the offer of a future class date. The fact that SWA has choosen you to be our future pilots is a pretty big deal.

Relax. No really..... take Flightinfo off your favorites list, don't look at the rumors until Jan. Give it a break!

Enjoy the upcoming holidays, spend time with your families, work on your hobbies, finish that house project your wife wants to see completed, hang out with your kids, read a book, go hiking.... whatever you do, please realize that your fretting and gnashing of teeth is not going to make the future change. You are just creating unessesary stress in your lives.

Classes will start again, you are more than welcome here, trust me, EVERYONE wants to see you "on property" a.s.a.p.!! I personally can't wait to end my commute to OAK, and I am not alone.

This is, and I am pretty certain, will continue to be the best job I have EVER had. I can't wait to share that feeling with a few thousand more lucky people!!

As is said on almost every flight from one or both of us up in the pointy end of the plane.... "sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride..."

Happy Holidays!

Tred
CEO(retired)
Pool Rat, Inc.

 

[zymotic]

Still looking for an answer to my question:

Is $3500 normal first year take home pay or are people bringing home this amount per month "working the system" by picking up extra flying, etc? If I was taking home this much per month my gross income for the year (including per diem) would be about $60K and I thought first year pay was closer to $40K.

 

[OakRBust]

To make a long story long and confusing...


First year rates are 37.65/ trip.

A reserve line credits 90 trips for pay. 15 Days off.

90*37.65 = 3388.50 / month
Thats 40662 / year + per diem

Now the wacky part. It is best to give away all your first year trips because everything you pick up is at second year pay.

BUT.. giving away a 3 or 4 day reserve block is like getting rid of the HIV.

That being said... Lets say you fly your 90 tfp reserve line. You would be earning 3388.50 / month at 15 days off. I have been picking up to about 120-130 tfp's. That takes you to about 11 days off. Lets say You fly 125 trips...

125 - 90 = 35 tfp's * 63.53 (second year rates) = 2223.50

That would make your monthly pay 5612.05.


So I guess the answer to your question is you can make 40 or 67k. Just depends how hard you want to work.


Now... If you get hired early in the year you will probably get a line befor the hiring stops. That would allow you to give away many of those first year trips. Then you could pick up and fly more trips at the better second year rates. That would allow you to earn the same amount of money without working as many days.


Hope this didn't confuse things to badly...

OAK

 

[InHot]

Take Home pay

I don't think you can get a clear cut answer. Variables include state/federal tax, 401k contributions, uniform payments, life insurance, medical/dental insurance, pilot mutual aid, etc. Does the guy have a hard line or reserve? Is he a commuter or does he live in domicile. Does he want to be home with the kids or at the bar with flight attendants?

With that in mind, for the month of Sep I took home $2800.00. I was on reserve in BWI. Picked up one extra day of flying @ 1st pay (traded into it).

I have 15% taken out for my 401k, I pay an extra $30.00/month for extra life insurance, $60.00/month for uniforms, $20.00/month for "pilot aid" and $25.00 per month for medical/dental.

First year pay rate is $37.65/trip. Average reserve guarantee is 90 Trips/month = $3388.5 gross

Plus add in any per diem @ $2.15/hour. I've averaged 250hrs/month so far. 250 X $2.15 = 537.5

Average total = $3926.00 per month.

My gross pay for my six months of feeling the LUV is $23,196.65

Hope that helps

 

[Falconjet]

Zymotic: I think the short answer to your question is yes, the guys who make closer to 60K are working extra trips. They are also dropping trips at first year pay to pick up trips at second year pay to further increase their pay, which seems like a no brainer if you can do it.

Hope I didn't mischaracterize anybody's repsonses.

FJ

 

[Flash 7]

As a Second year FO what are extra trips worth 1.5 Times your rate? Third year pay?

 

[OakRBust]

Flash...


I am not sure what you are asking but...

Secon year pay is 63.53

Next september it goes to 70 and change.


One bummer about the system is that the pick ups at second year pay only count for probies. If you pick up anything after year 1 it is at straight pay.


After first year, the only way to make extra $'s per trip is to sigh up for JA or VJA. Junior Available and Voluntary JA. On these trips you get 1.5 TFP. The bummer is that you can't refuse these trip when called unless you let them go to voicemail. When you call back a VJA you can refuse the trip. If you call back a JA they got ya. It still is a really good deal.


Back to extra fly in your first year. If they call you for a three TFP turn you can refuse it no questions asked.

One extra note, when you are on reserve they cannot JA you!

Oak

 

[Flash 7]

Thanks OAKRBUST!

That answers my Question

 

[GogglesPisano]

What is "Pilot Aid?"

 

[SWAdude]

OakRbust

Its the other way around....You can call back the JA without obligation....VJA call back and your at schedulings mercy.

Just a small point...you only sign up for VJA. JA is for everyone if they catch you.

Dude

 

[zymotic]

Thanks for the explanation. I have a question about second year pay for probies. Do you receive second year pay when you pick up trips others have dropped or just for MOT and DOT? What about for LITT and JA? I know VJA is time and a half which is less that second year pay.

Also, how risky is it if you hold a line to drop all of it if possible and pick up whatever time pays second year pay? Do you run the risk of losing your scheduled trips but not picking up time and ending up with very little flying or is that scenario somewhat rare?

 

[T1bubba]

Second year pay is for any trips picked up in monthly open time, daily open time, or extra fly. LITT and trip trade/give away pay normal first year rates. VJA and JA pay 1.5 first year rates which as you mentioned is less than second year pay.

As far as dropping your line to pick up second year trips, it depends. Unfortunately the easier it is to give away your trips the harder it is to pick up at second year pay (the reason people are more likely to take your trips is the lack of daily open time). This is especially true on reserve, as some folks might pick up a reserve trip hoping to not get called only if there's nothing in DOT. I've almost gotten myself in trouble when someone took a four day reserve block from me the night before it started because there was nothing in open time. I ended up being able to get some extra fly, but for a little while I thought my pay for the month was going to drop by 25%.

As long as you have a big enough block of time off and are willing to fly the entire weekend you should usually be able to find something to pick up. I opened up a three week hole in my schedule last month and picked up a four day and two three days over the weekends. The hardest part is giving away your trips.

T1

 

[zymotic]

Very informative. Thanks!

 

[SWAbigdaddy]

OK, i'm normally a reader and not a poster.
Also i'm going to catch hell from all the SWA folks:

Disclaimer: SWA is a great company and a great place to work.

I am in my second year at SWA and its not for me. The reasons people like this place are the same reasons i don't. I like flying big airplanes to international locations while eating lots of crew meals. I like longer trips and longer blocks of days off. I like to do stuff on lay overs besides pounding beers and flying 12 hours later.
I know a few people here that feel the same way as i do with various aviation backrounds. Once you expand your world it's hard to go back. I thought i would love it here, but i was wrong. I wish someone made me think twice about coming here. Before you come, ask yourself long and hard if you want to fly domestic 737s for the rest of your career. There is just a lack of adventure for me.

This is not a flame, just my view.
SWA is Great, don't get me wrong, it's just not for everyone!!!