SWA is not the low cost provider, planning 2-3 weels in advance you can beat SWA on most routes. Last spring under pressure to produce a profit they rasied all advance fares by around double, they saw such a drop off in advance bookings that the prices had to come back down in a month to the old levels. People with spare time, school teachers in the summer, retired people, etc book in advance based almost solely on price alone. If SWA is not low they don't get that marginal flyer. If the marginal flyer does not fly that empty seat on Tuesday produces no revenue.
As stated many posts ago, SWA pays its pilots well because it is profitable, they have unique business model that gives them one of the lowest CSM in the business. Although because of wages, as shown above, that CSM is under tremendous pressure and as stated above they are no longer the low cost carrier because of their higher labor costs. Fed Ex and UPS pay there pilot well because they are profitable. Airlines that are not profitable can not afford to pay as well. There is no fantasy there. Now if you have the answers to make manage an airline and make it profitable in order to pay the pilots more then it is your duty to leave the cockpit and come into management and make the world better for all your brother pilots. But we wouldn't like to deal with that fantasy would we. Talking of going back to square one, only time will tell how the new 1500 mins will effect pay and the airline industry. BTW you can get a free subscription to Air Transport World, ATW and get some great reading on how airlines are managed.
Thought I did, prices go up, and not everyone's wages go up, talk to the auto workers who wages have gone down, unless you are a gov't employee. So what is your solution, raise fares? Everything has an unintended consequence. Now I do not know your seniority or airline or anything about you. But if flying is reduced because people elect to use alternate means of transportation, and it only takes a small percentage to impact airline empty seats on Tuesday and Saturday. Now less flights, means less pilots, means loosing your Captain's seat. As I posted before in this thread only time will tell how the new hires mins will affect the regional business model. BTW I don't think I have comprehension problem, but I know I cannot speel, 4th grade teacher told me so.
That is the sin of using reality in arguments on Flightinfo, many don't like the answers. However they have no reasoned rebutal, other than attacking the poster who brought up the reality. The old message if you like the message kill the messenger.
Where have I said you should accept lower your wages? I wish you were paid like a 20yr FedEx Captain. But the market and individual self-interest will dictate what wages should be. You complain, but offer no solutions. What are your options? Go on strike, shut the place down show them who is boss, there is a down side to that. Mug new pilot in the parking lot who accept entry level wages? there is a down side to that also. It is basic economics, if you raise the price of commodity, less people will purchase that commodity. With less people purchasing there is not as much demand for that commodity, therefore there will be fewer, but better paid pilots. That is what we had under Regulation. Pressure on entry-level employers will increase with the new hiring minimums, as it becomes no longer possible to redefine competitive hiring minimums any lower. It is small start, but all changes start as small steps. BTW “Who wants to be first to sacrifice his job for the benefit of someone else?”
I was not even thinking of you when I made that post. BTW That is quite a statement since I was one of DA-20 pilots fired. Only to find out that 2 months it was decided that not flying the DA-20's was not such a good idea, something that I had said all along. But that is reality in this business you have to get used to it.
