Please BUY AAI!!

[waveflyer]

Atl
Calgary
Toronto
Vancouver
Edmonton
cancun
cabo
Mexico city
Bahamas
san Juan, pr
----------
msp- far from saturated
mlk
den
cle
ict
chs
sav
mso
------
job security at Swa comes from doing the job so much better than every other carrier-
first job I've had where i never have to ask for a ramper or jet bridge driver- never. I barely remember any flights at all where i didn't ask for 1 of them at my previous carriers.

Most of my previous flights had at least one aspect that didn't quite work out.
At Swa- most have all aspects work.

It's just run better. Simply better.

 

[Kharma Police]

Atl
Calgary
Toronto
Vancouver
Edmonton
cancun
cabo
Mexico city
Bahamas
san Juan, pr
----------
msp- far from saturated
mlk
den
cle
ict
chs
sav
mso
------
job security at Swa comes from doing the job so much better than every other carrier-
first job I've had where i never have to ask for a ramper or jet bridge driver- never. I barely remember any flights at all where i didn't ask for 1 of them at my previous carriers.

Most of my previous flights had at least one aspect that didn't quite work out.
At Swa- most have all aspects work.

It's just run better. Simply better.

Thanks for the laugh, you should make some buttons or stickers with those quotes, but definitely have the Kool-Aid Guy saying, "SouthWest Airlines, it's just run better. Simply better! Ohhhh!!! Yeahhhh!!!".

 

[Colonel Savage]

"Thanks for the laugh..."

Why do you dismiss his comments as frivolous? Isn't a well running system important? If you had no non-rev travel priviledges and were going to have to pay good money to fly from Florida to the Northeast and back this week for the Holidays who would you pick, SWA or some gummed up, dysfunctional legacy with no plan how to deal with another weather related system meltdown?

 

[Kharma Police]

"Thanks for the laugh..."

Why do you dismiss his comments as frivolous? Isn't a well running system important? If you had no non-rev travel priviledges and were going to have to pay good money to fly from Florida to the Northeast and back this week for the Holidays who would you pick, SWA or some gummed up, dysfunctional legacy with no plan how to deal with another weather related system meltdown?

I would go with the cheapest ticket just like the majority of customers. Price is king my friend and for now we have the advantage.

 

[Lear70]

I would go with the cheapest ticket just like the majority of customers. Price is king my friend and for now we have the advantage.

He's right. I've been without pass privileges now for 2 1/2 years (although I have jumpseat privileges). It's been interesting to see the experience from the other side of the aisle... literally.

Price rules. Back in September I took my son to Disney before I had shoulder surgery. Southwest tickets? $230 per person round-trip. AirTran? $79 per person round-trip, but I had to spend $60 to drive back and forth to TYS. Still a heck of a lot cheaper, so I took AirTran, even though there was only one backup out of TYS if they canceled it.

Not as much goes into a ticket price selection as you might think. Price is king. Schedule is a distant 2nd. Backup contingency plans? You're thinking like a non-rev... Most revenue passengers don't think of it that way.

Otherwise, I'd have to agree, Southwest has a much smoother-running machine than AirTran. However, overall, with assigned seating, business class availability, and the XM radio, I prefer AirTran's actual product over Southwest's if I have to sit in the back, but if you put that product with Southwest's service and performance behind it, and you'd have one heck of an airline.

 

[Colonel Savage]

"...but if you put that product with Southwest's service and performance behind it, and you'd have one heck of an airline."

Maybe they will!

 

[maxblast72]

Atl
Calgary
Toronto
Vancouver
Edmonton
cancun
cabo
Mexico city
Bahamas
san Juan, pr
----------
msp- far from saturated
mlk
den
cle
ict
chs
sav
mso
------

Didn't SWA pilots just vote in a contract that allows management to farm the flying out to Volaris/Westjet for the cities on the top half of your list?

 

[contrail67]

I've heard for 6 months that Q1 2010 SWA will buy AirTran. However, I just can't imagine the train wreck that will insue.

I'd like to start the bidding with pure staple

Gup

Some dork on here was saying that SWA was buying United too....But just in case they do buy AirTran...will all the SWA pilots have to buy a 717 type and 717 Airtran pilots have to buy a 737 type to get a job???

 

[contrail67]

Atl
Calgary
Toronto
Vancouver
Edmonton
cancun
cabo
Mexico city
Bahamas
san Juan, pr
----------
msp- far from saturated
mlk
den
cle
ict
chs
sav
mso
------
job security at Swa comes from doing the job so much better than every other carrier-
first job I've had where i never have to ask for a ramper or jet bridge driver- never. I barely remember any flights at all where i didn't ask for 1 of them at my previous carriers.

Most of my previous flights had at least one aspect that didn't quite work out.
At Swa- most have all aspects work.

It's just run better. Simply better.

That is very easy to convince a walmart customer/ticket purchaser.

 

[Penguin46]

Careful what you wish for. What good is being stapled to the bottom of a list if you are furloughed? Southwest is already overstaffed with nowhere else to grow, take a look at the markets that they have entered recently, markets that they said they would never touch (LGA, PHL). F9 saw the writing on the wall and chose to merge with a commuter instead of being SWAPA furlough fodder. Think about it, and stop drinking before noon.

Just a thought- It may provide a decision point for many of the AAI FO's. Should they hang on by their fingernails for the hope of a better wage eventually at AAI; or take the plunge into better wages or no wages? Also, AAI may not be able to weather the storm and the falling stock price when the next spike in fuel prices arrive. This could be a possibility with an improving world economy or increased usage by other countries.

 

[bizicmo]

General, I do enjoy your your literature on this site but I don't get your recent ramblings. The best schedule I ever had in my life was at a regional flying CLE-DTW-CLE-DTW-CLE every day. An airport is an airport is an airport, who cares if you fly to the same one over and over. I knew those two airports and airspace as if I was a controller there. I got shortcuts like you wouldn't believe it. In addition who cares where the overnight is, Lubbock versus Miami. Either way your at work, at a hotel, not at home and with what 12 hours to do so random crap in a random city.

 

[GuppyWN]

Contrail,

I would never approve of a SWA buying United. Our airline would go from cool to stool and our flight attendants would get even older and more gay.

Not that there's anything wrong with that

Gup

 

[Pilot Knob]

Some dork on here was saying that SWA was buying United too....But just in case they do buy AirTran...will all the SWA pilots have to buy a 717 type and 717 Airtran pilots have to buy a 737 type to get a job???

AirTran doesn't make pilots buy their types. That's Southwests' gig.

 

[PCL_128]

Also, AAI may not be able to weather the storm and the falling stock price when the next spike in fuel prices arrive.

With the lowest CASM in the industry, I think we'll be just fine.

 

[GuppyWN]

With the lowest CASM in the industry, I think we'll be just fine.

I'll take a close second and our pay rates, scope and codeshare language!

Gup

 

[PCL_128]

I'll take a close second and our pay rates, scope and codeshare language!

Well, with the exception of the outsourced near-international, I would tend to agree. I think we'll end up with a good contract, though, and still be doing just fine on the CASM.

 

[GuppyWN]

I hear ya bro. I HATE the near-international language but the cat was already out of the bag and we had ZERO protection from it previously. At least we put firm limits on it going forward and we have SOLID language against Skywest flying our passengers from MKE to DFW.

You guys have been stone-walled long enough that you are seeing some of this creep in before you can get it shut down as well.

Good luck,
Gup

 

[waveflyer]

Haha! ... Yeah.... I'll take it on the chin for that - drunk posting at 4am ya know. ;-)

the point wasn't necessarily that pax's would always notice or care about a 'smoother running machine' - though it helps- especially with bags- I know plenty who pay a little more to fly us bc of they're more confident in the service- but you're right- $$ is king- and that smoothness ought to lead to savings.

I don't know how many times I sat for a gate at ohare in my rj - for god knows how long- burning petro on UALs dime- waiting to get parked- don't get me started on the outsourcing of de-icers to a company paid by the gallon- huge delays while an idiot sprays a completely clean wing w/ type 4 when I asked for quick type1 wings and tail- it's real $$money on just my flights- system wide... I can't imagine

It doesn't happen at Swa- and that saves us money.

Product wise- you're right- and I respect AT- I think it would be a good combo- I have a ton of friends there and I'd love to get them out from the bs they're dealing with now-
again- it'd be counter-culture to buy someone just to furlough

 

[dicko]

In the eyes of an arbitrator handling an SLI, that doesn't make any difference. Your best argument is the age difference, and that may get you some favor with an arbitrator, but not much. We would have very good arguments for something very close to a straight ratio.



Certainly. At SWA's rates, I would be one of the guys dropping half of the month's flying and only doing a couple of trips each month. It still wouldn't be my kind of flying, but at least I'd have a bunch of time off.

I would be much happier keeping AirTran as a separate entity or merging with Alaska, though.



They made the right move.

PCL doesn't want SW for one reason ..... They aren't ALPA. Hence his enthusiasm for Alaska. In fact if SW did buy AirTran the first thing he'd do was start an ALPA drive. Shortly thereafter somebody would invite him to a party with blankets.

PCL is not an AirTran pilot. He is an ALPA clerk and he'd rather work for Republic than a non ALPA major. That way he could begin the assimilation process again.

"SW wouldnt be your kind of flying" ..... ? Well, for a start. You don't fly. You are to busy attempting to lead AirTran to a mediocre contract. If and when you do fly again I think you'll find some similarities between 717 trips at AirTran and SW 73 trips. Hmmmmm. Don't you think ?

PCL does not speak for AirTran pilots. He has no idea how they'd react. He's proven that in the last few months. He really has no idea how they'd react to him when he started throwing an ALPA spanner in the works.

He's right about one thing. It wont happen..... maybe

 

[Kharma Police]

PCL doesn't want SW for one reason ..... They aren't ALPA. Hence his enthusiasm for Alaska. In fact if SW did buy AirTran the first thing he'd do was start an ALPA drive. Shortly thereafter somebody would invite him to a party with blankets.

PCL is not an AirTran pilot. He is an ALPA clerk and he'd rather work for Republic than a non ALPA major. That way he could begin the assimilation process again.

"SW wouldnt be your kind of flying" ..... ? Well, for a start. You don't fly. You are to busy attempting to lead AirTran to a mediocre contract. If and when you do fly again I think you'll find some similarities between 717 trips at AirTran and SW 73 trips. Hmmmmm. Don't you think ?

PCL does not speak for AirTran pilots. He has no idea how they'd react. He's proven that in the last few months. He really has no idea how they'd react to him when he started throwing an ALPA spanner in the works.

He's right about one thing. It wont happen..... maybe

You think the NPA did a great job representing and protecting the AirTran pilots? I give credit to PCL for sticking his neck out in line of fire while management, the Eastern Pariahs and the NPA Useful Idiots were out to get him and yes I've flown with him and was very impressed with his abilities as a pilot.

 

[Nindiri]

Gonna have to agree with Kharma here. PCL has done more in a few months than all of Dicko's buddies at the NPA did in years.

 

[dicko]

You think the NPA did a great job representing and protecting the AirTran pilots? I give credit to PCL for sticking his neck out in line of fire while management, the Eastern Pariahs and the NPA Useful Idiots were out to get him and yes I've flown with him and was very impressed with his abilities as a pilot.

I missed the part where i defended the NPA. They were a corrupt group of sycophants.

The really terrifying detail is that 'your boy' chose an ex President of the NPA as the negotiating chair ... Genius.

Now what were you saying about "NPA useful idiots" ?

Your managed expectations are showing. Wanna cookie ?

 

[27 driver]

dicko, you may not like PCL, but I do think he has the pilot groups best interest in mind. He may have other motives, but I think he is doing a good job. Here at AAI, union officials are sticking their necks out all the time. I will give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove me wrong.
PCL keep up the good work. We need a new contract.

 

[dicko]

Gonna have to agree with Kharma here. PCL has done more in a few months than all of Dicko's buddies at the NPA did in years.

Funny. Your reading comprehension skills are a little weak. Read the post again.

I voted for ALPA and probably walked next to you on a picket line. If you were there.

PCL's motivations disturb me. They should worry you as well.

You just embarrassed yourself.

 

[PCL_128]

What exactly are my "motivations," dicko? Since we've never said more than a few words to each other, I'm curious how you would know.

Thank you to the rest of you guys. Much appreciated.

 

[dicko]

What exactly are my "motivations," dicko? Since we've never said more than a few words to each other, I'm curious how you would know.

Thank you to the rest of you guys. Much appreciated.

Do a search of your posts. They do not defend your company pilots. They defend one entity. ALPA. Admittedly on a few occasions their goals are mutual however I believe ALPA is a tool. You treat it as a cult. Myopically.
Your motivation is to promote ALPA. Thankfully AirTran pilots might get to come along for the industry sub standard ride.

Regarding the thread topic. We agree that it isn't likely. If however it did occur then you would be the last person I would want representing us. You are smart and savvy. You would also rather fall on your sword than see us represented by anything other than ALPA.

You have consistently attacked SWAPA and defended ALPA. Who has more effectively defended their pilots. Care to take a poll ?

What you need to be working on is an industry leading contract. Forget 'standard'. Its not what it used to be.

Peace.

 

[PCL_128]

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. My primary focus is the pilots of AirTran, which is exactly why I supported bringing ALPA onto the property, but if you choose to believe differently, then have at it.

Regarding a possible SWA merger, would you rather have someone fighting for a fair integration, or someone so enamored with the "LUV" that they bend over and take a staple? I would certainly hope the former, because you deserve much better than the latter, as does every AirTran pilot. It's time for AirTran pilots to stand up for themselves and demand to be treated like major airline pilots instead of some second-tier group. Major airline pilots don't deserve a staple.

As far as an "industry-leading" contract, you probably won't be happy with anything that the MEC and NC bring to you, but I'm confident that ALPA will bring back a TA that passes by 90%+. Whether it fits your definition of "industry-leading" or not isn't really the question. The question is what the pilots of AirTran want.

Have a good evening.

 

[Kharma Police]

I missed the part where i defended the NPA. They were a corrupt group of sycophants.

The really terrifying detail is that 'your boy' chose an ex President of the NPA as the negotiating chair ... Genius.

Now what were you saying about "NPA useful idiots" ?

Your managed expectations are showing. Wanna cookie ?

You sound like a typical Useful Idiot, an individual who by attacking and undermining your own pilot group unwittingly helps management.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot

 

[Lear70]

The really terrifying detail is that 'your boy' chose an ex President of the NPA as the negotiating chair ... Genius.

Actually, I'd take Chris Todd or Brad Dunlap as the Negotiating Chair any day of the week and twice on days that end in "Y".

Not interested in labeling, interested in knowledge, base position and what they believe in personally for a contract, and results. I don't want to elect someone who feels greatly differently than me on important issues then rely on them to "do the will of the pilot group". Much easier just to put people in office who already feel the same way the majority of us does.

That said, the only way a T.A. is going to pass is if the pay rates come up to somewhere in between ALA and JB premium pay, with work rules just as good or better as we have now, fixed SAP processes with realistic levels, fixed reserve issues with the MAJORITY of pilots on long call with realistic trigger levels to bring them into base, and TRANSPARENCY of the whole process, not to mention 50 seat or less Scope nailed down to include ANY and ALL "unique marketing agreements" and binding the holding company, as well as stopping this goofiness with the health insurance that changes every year to something worse than we have.

Otherwise, it'll die. Loudly. Painfully. And everyone knows it. Happened before, and now that everyone is even more militant, it'll happen again if something that doesn't meet ALL the above requirements comes across the table. However, if it DOES meet all of those criteria, then yes, it'll likely pass by 90+%. I think the MEC knows all of this very well, and is directing the NC appropriately for it. Therefore, I have faith that they'll bring something worth having to us. Might take all of us walking the picket lines with the company shut down for a while, but I'm you're Huckleberry...

 

[Skybus]

Have to disagree with u Gup. I think we set the bar for "Old and Gay". Hard to believe where we came from to this.