Pay Comparison Misnomer

[Andy]

SWA is my 4th airline. Q of L is better here than anywhere..trust me

You list AD, F9, HP, WN. Is AD Aspen Mountain Air?
http://www.avrefdesk.com/two_letter_airline_codes.htm

While it is a sampling of various airlines, it's not the most comprehensive list in the world, and by no means does it make you an authority to say that Q of L is better there than anywhere. How do you know it's better at Southwest than at JetBlue?

 

[Andy]

Face it, you f up!! You move on and so does life! Be glad you were able to get on AD.

In this business, you never know if you made the right choice until the day that you retire. Even then, you usually don't know with any certitude.

 

[cactuspilot]

You list AD, F9, HP, WN. Is AD Aspen Mountain Air?
http://www.avrefdesk.com/two_letter_airline_codes.htm

While it is a sampling of various airlines, it's not the most comprehensive list in the world, and by no means does it make you an authority to say that Q of L is better there than anywhere. How do you know it's better at Southwest than at JetBlue?

a little birdie told me

 

[canyonblue]

Pay? Obviously it wasn't the key since I applied to SWA in 2000.

737? Didn't care, at any airline I'm in a seat looking out a window. Behind the cockpit door is not important to me.

Domestic? Hotel is a hotel, it's still away from home.

The number one reason I wanted to work at Southwest was the culture, and it is still incredible. I still enjoy going to work more than any other previous job and even most of the 15+ year Captains I fly with still feel that way. Unfortunately they like it so much that they don't want to leave, ever. If someone is applying to Southwest because it has higher payrates think again. No one can guarantee our pay past September of this year.

 

[Andy]

a little birdie told me

Dude, don't let the AME know that. He may not renew your medical.

 

[Thedude]

AD was actually Lone Star Airlines. They were bought by a conglomerate in Aspen and partially changed the name to Aspen Moutain Air. I know cause I worked there.

 

[Andy]

AD was actually Lone Star Airlines. They were bought by a conglomerate in Aspen and partially changed the name to Aspen Moutain Air. I know cause I worked there.

Ah, yes. I see that from this website: http://www.ruidoso.net/reservations/lonestar.htm

Daily flights to Del Rio, TX. Yep, that'd be an airline that I'd use as a gold standard for QOL in the aviation industry.

But I guess anyone that was able to make $15K in a month as an FO at Southwest must know what he's talking about.

You can stay at home and sit on your ass all month or fly alot and collect $15k a month. I've done both as an FO @ SWA.

 

[SWA/FO]

Southwest is awesome baby.... Its the best job in the whole World. We even have the best Pilots too.. We rule, you're jealous. :cartman:

 

[Falcon Jet 1]

hey big slit,

those two guys that quit were in my class, and one quit because his wife just left him and th other just couldnt stand sittin in the right seat. Yes both were military and both were Kolonels.

 

[CaptainMark]

Southwest is awesome baby.... Its the best job in the whole World. We even have the best Pilots too.. We rule, you're jealous. :cartman:

you are right..just this morning i was behind swa in fog in an unnamed airport and they were cleared for t/o and taxied across the runway onto the other side and lined up on the other taxiway..we all should be jealous

 

[Big Slick]

Falcon Jet1,

Sorry, these two guys got out of the AF as Captains. Must be a couple of other dudes that quit.

I was in Albuquerque with one of them recently in the airport. Naturally, our government contract had us flying on SWA. He was telling me about the last time he was at KABQ as a SWA FO. He said he was literally running across the airport trying to get some lunch in time to turn the jet. We both laughed. He has no regrets. He's a Major in the guard flying F-16s.

SWA is not for everyone.

-Big Slit

 

[radarlove]

Sounds like a p&ssie to me.

Oh heavens, "running across a terminal!"

The cool thing is to think of the millions of dollars he gave up.

 

[Big Slick]

Yeah, my F-16 war-veteran buddy is a real p$ssy.

Hey Radar Love, have you heard the good news?

The Canadian oil sands are hiring folks to work as miners. You get paid $120,000 U.S. dollars a year to be a miner - this is for real. You need no job skills or education. All you have to do is be willing to work in an oil sands extraction plant on the Canadian plains. They have medical benefits, a 401k and stock options. With the increase in oil prices lately, the stock should be worth a fortune someday.

If you started mining oil sands when you were 18 and worked until you were 65, you could make millions. Think of how much your 401k and stock would be worth after all that time.

Radar Love, since you only care about money and not about quality of life, this sounds like the perfect career for you. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Falconjet]

Hows the schedule and quality of life up there in those oil sands?

How long on reserve?

Inquiring minds you know.

FJ

 

[radarlove]

Yeah, my F-16 war-veteran buddy is a real p$ssy.

Hey Radar Love, have you heard the good news?

The Canadian oil sands are hiring folks to work as miners. You get paid $120,000 U.S. dollars a year to be a miner - this is for real. You need no job skills or education. All you have to do is be willing to work in an oil sands extraction plant on the Canadian plains. They have medical benefits, a 401k and stock options. With the increase in oil prices lately, the stock should be worth a fortune someday.

If you started mining oil sands when you were 18 and worked until you were 65, you could make millions. Think of how much your 401k and stock would be worth after all that time.

Radar Love, since you only care about money and not about quality of life, this sounds like the perfect career for you. I wish you the best of luck.

If some kernel can't hack walking across a terminal to grab lunch, then yes, he's a p&ssy. Sorry. An F-16 driver doesn't really work particularly hard, sometimes one sortie a week, sounds like he likes that pace. So, he's a p&ssy.

And he will be materially poorer for being such a p&ssy. That's good news.

I'm not quite sure where the comparison to being an oil worker in remote Canada and having to walk down the terminal in ABQ to buy lunch came in, but the good news, to me is, that the p&ssy who couldn't hack walking all the way down the terminal will make less than even oil workers in Canada.

To me, that is true Karma. A p&ssy who costs himself a fortune because he's lazy. What's not to love about that?

If he's really a friend of yours, can you honestly tell us he's not a p&ssy?

 

[Falconjet]

Radar: you are starting to sound like one to me.

FJ

 

[Big Slick]

How old are you Radar Love? You seem immature. Am I arguing with a guy still trying to get his CFI?

I'm not sure why you insist on calling us p&ssies. You should join the Air Force and come to pilot training. I'll personally volunteer to be your instructor pilot. You can find out first hand how easy it is to be a miitary pilot.

Anyone who has worked hard enough to get hired by SWA could handle the workload if they wanted - military or civilian. Not everyone wants to do 20 minutes turns for the rest of their life.

It has become blasphemy to say anything even mildly derogatory about SWA on this forum.

 

[Benhuntn]

I just took a pi$$ and it is still blue. I must be full of koolaid. I have a lot of mil experience (28 yrs). I have been to 162 airports in 142 countries. I never minded the 11.5 hr legs, but did hate doing two of tem in 1 day with 15 hrs crew rest. My civilian experience is far less but I look forward to dealing with real air traffic controlers with real radar,that speak english as a first lang. So am I this newbie guy you talk about?

Yep and comparing my military flying experience to SWA-it is much easier here, it is better paid and it is better QOL. I enjoy the 737 I could care less if my A/C is bigger or faster, in fact the SWA aircraft here are the dirtiest a/c I have flown, but I know why now. They turn 9-12 times a day making money. We don't have quite the same comradre as the military units I was in but it is close. I have had more free beer and dinners here than at anytime in my flying career and if I become a captain I wiil continue that tradition for any individual that is dumb enough to join us koolaide drinkers in the SWA family, and that is all I am going to say about this.

 

[astroglider]

12 year Captains???

How many 12 year capts do CAL and AA have on the payroll??? To be realistic, one would have to pro rate the pay out over a career which would include the amount of time as FO and as capt in smaller planes. I don't have the inclination to look up payrates but I would assume, and I may be wrong, that one spent a lot more time making less money as an FO at CAL and AA than at SWA and were a bit behind the curve before they made the upgrade to Capt..epecially to 777 capt.

Uh, huh, huh??? 12 Captain pay = 12 years with the company...not 12 years on the 777!!!

So to answer your question virtually all Captains are in 12 year pay.

hmmmm......

 

[K-Mart]

How long did you fly the line at SWA and AA?? What made you realize SWA wasn't where you wanted to be when you hit the line?




How long were you an airline pilot??


You quit SWA and went to AA. What are you doing on Active Duty now? How much have you deployed since coming back to AD??

You never answered the questions Big Slick. Would you pleeeeeaaasseee?

 

[radarlove]

How old are you Radar Love? You seem immature. Am I arguing with a guy still trying to get his CFI?

I'm not sure why you insist on calling us p&ssies. You should join the Air Force and come to pilot training. I'll personally volunteer to be your instructor pilot. You can find out first hand how easy it is to be a miitary pilot.

Anyone who has worked hard enough to get hired by SWA could handle the workload if they wanted - military or civilian. Not everyone wants to do 20 minutes turns for the rest of their life.

It has become blasphemy to say anything even mildly derogatory about SWA on this forum.

You can say anything you want about SWA, I was just commenting on the fact that some guy felt he couldn't hack the workload, culminating in actually having to walk across a terminal to get lunch. What's up with that complaint? I'm not calling you a p&ssy, I'm calling that guy one.

What's weird is that he was able to get hired in the first place, I always thought that was a pretty easy factor to weed out. I doubt SWA wants to hire guys that tremble at a busy day.

Are you honestly defending his decision as one that you would have made? If you wouldn't have made the same decision as he did, then why not?

As you probably have figured out, I don't have a lot of patience for lazy people and anyone who would make it all the way to fighters, gets an interview at one of the highest paying airlines in the world, earns a type and then freaks at how hard the job ends up being (c'mon!) to the point of actually complaining about the effort it took to walk across (sorry "run", sure) the terminal to buy lunch...that guy comes across, at least in your writing, as a complete buffoon.

If he's not a complete buffoon, tell us why. Do you think he did the smart thing?

I had a friend that got a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League college, including housing. He was back home living in his parent's basement within nine months. Do you think I would defend him the way you defend your military colleague?

 

[K-Mart]

The Canadian oil sands are hiring folks to work as miners. You get paid $120,000 U.S. dollars a year to be a miner - this is for real. You need no job skills or education. All you have to do is be willing to work in an oil sands extraction plant on the Canadian plains. They have medical benefits, a 401k and stock options. With the increase in oil prices lately, the stock should be worth a fortune someday.

I'd rather do that than be on the government welfare train.

 

[Spudbud]

Time to ignore this tool!

Dudes--it's time to ignore the meaningless drivel that Big Slick tosses out for flame bait and let his posts fall to oblivion where they belong. He must have got bored eating Cheetos and surfing free internet porn so he's taken it upon himself to take the lead in the SWA detractor du jour contest. The SWA he quit 5 years ago is not the 400+ jet company that it is now. Hell, they even teach the -700 as the base model in new hire nowadays. Sure there are some 6-7 leg days (especially for the DAL/HOU lines due to the Wright Amendment) but with our growing transcon schedule there are 2 and even one leg days out there. It's a great place to work with an incredibly flexible schedule that lets people work as much or as little as they want. Besides--last time I checked no one else gets the 1/2/3!

 

[radarlove]

Dudes--it's time to ignore the meaningless drivel that Big Slick tosses out for flame bait and let his posts fall to oblivion where they belong. He must have got bored eating Cheetos and surfing free internet porn so he's taken it upon himself to take the lead in the SWA detractor du jour contest. The SWA he quit 5 years ago is not the 400+ jet company that it is now. Hell, they even teach the -700 as the base model in new hire nowadays. Sure there are some 6-7 leg days (especially for the DAL/HOU lines due to the Wright Amendment) but with our growing transcon schedule there are 2 and even one leg days out there. It's a great place to work with an incredibly flexible schedule that lets people work as much or as little as they want. Besides--last time I checked no one else gets the 1/2/3!

Is this the dude that quit to go to Fedex? No wonder he's grumpy.

 

[Mamma]

Uh, huh, huh??? 12 Captain pay = 12 years with the company...not 12 years on the 777!!!

So to answer your question virtually all Captains are in 12 year pay.

hmmmm......

Astroglider,
What are you talking about??? Read the post again. I'll try to make it simple for you.....12 years at AA or CAL...are you flying a 777 as a captain and making the payrates posted? If you are 12 years at SW are you a captain and making the pay posted? It's not that difficult.

 

[SWA/FO]

Anyone who has worked hard enough to get hired by SWA could handle the workload if they wanted - military or civilian. Not everyone wants to do 20 minutes turns for the rest of their life.

Cliff Notes Version: Some folks don't like to work, but they could if they were forced to that goes for military or civilian. Not everyone wants a paycheck for the rest of their life, some people like wasting time eating hotdogs sitting in airports with long duty days, getting nothing done.

You should join the Air Force and come to pilot training. I'll personally volunteer to be your instructor pilot. You can find out first hand how easy it is to be a miitary pilot.

Some of us chose not to join the air force just like some have decided not to become Southwest Airline - pilots. You should try being a civilian pilot (Oh, you are now aren't you). At least you military folks had good pay and bennies from day 1... something most civilians don't have early on.

 

[ivauir]

It has become blasphemy to say anything even mildly derogatory about SWA on this forum.

Actually several people seem to make great sport of using every opportunity to bust on SWA. A small number of SWA pilots have decided to fight back. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

SWA is what it is. I doubt many are surprised by the "workload" or lack of crew meals. No need for name calling, but any viper driver who thinks this is hard should be ashamed.

On the other hand, I have great friends who wouldn't fit in here. Not because of some personality problem, or aviation shortcoming, but simply that this isn't a job they'd enjoy. I don't think "Big Slick" (BS) is providing any public service here, it doesn't take too much research to figure out what the lifestyle at SWA would be like. BS just has a chip on his shoulder. For future referance, if you do want to say something derogatory about SWA have your feces collocated and be prepared to be challenged.

I hope the great pay comes back to the legacy carriers, and all our furloughed freinds get their jobs back. SWA is not the second coming - it is a job. Folks who think that more pay for more work is a bad deal should look elsewhere.

We need to stop arguing about pilot pay and start discussing executive compensation. SWA and SWA pilots are not the enemy. We are not the reason the industry is coming apart.

 

[Scrapdog]

You're right, we did get benefits from day one, and we worked our tail off to get them and get where we are flying fighters or heavies in the best military in the world. I never have scoffed anyone on here and I really enjoy some of the good advice that folks post on here, but please don't start down this cheesy road of comparing military flyers to civilians, it's just lame. Trust me, leading a 4 ship of fighters in a complex sortie is extremely challenging. OK, I'll shut up now...

V/R
-Scrap-

 

[Scrapdog]

As a side note, I respect FedEx, SWA, and CAL and I think each one of them presents some great qualities and benefits to a dedicated pilot - heck, I'd love to work for any of the three and I've got my app's in as we speak. I'm not scoffing any one of the operations, but this comparing civilian flying to military flying has got to stop. I've done both, and there is no comparison, it's just different.

 

[SWA/FO]

Good luck with the job search Scrapdog. :beer: