Southwest Blasts Revised Slot Deal

[Benjamin Dover]

The problem is you taxi a lot more in one day than DL pilots do. Get used to it, no more 1 or 2 leg days----you will work hard the rest of your career. Yes, the pay will be good, but you will grow tired of ELP and MAF. Variety for you will be the blur of airport hotels and 25 min turns. Enjoy it.


Bye Bye--General Lee

Yawn - same old stuff General. You need some new material. Just got back from my 3-day, 2 legs each day. Nice long 18 hours in San Diego. Same Holiday Inn by the bay as Delta btw.

I know you just fly Int'l and enjoy those $10 beers, but here in the USA Southwest hotels are as good if not better than MD-88 Delta hotels when I was there. Some cities we're at the same place. Only difference is SWA discount way better. Oh, and no more short MD-88 overnights. Most at least 15 hours. Maybe things have changed since so many of those cities I used to go to on the mad-dog went to your regional "partners" forever. Like ATL-Montreal! Still can't believe that is an rj.

Also, just like most pilots would rather not have all those 1-2 hour (or more) domestic DL turns/ATL lounge snooze that result in long duty days. Any duty day over 10 hours is a long day at SWA. Check with your domestic buds - or with your boy wonder Scope - and let us know the average mainline domestic duty day and layover time GL?

I know, standing by for how awesome your ER trips are, all about choices, we have great stews, etc. Same old gravy. Yawn again. Need more coffee.

Nice to hear from you again though...

 

[Cobraair75drvr]

Dude.... Chill out, I am not deltacentric like the general. Just stated some facts. I sincerely hope you are never in a position to have to make that VOTE as I have a sibling who is a capt. with y'all. More importantly with luv with your contract still more efficient than ours a paycut to our wages would put that much more pressure on us.

Delta and Northwest pilots VOTED for what you guys have now. Take that crap and try it somebody that doesn't know the facts.

The key is voting in contracts that are sustainable for a profitable company.

Gup

 

[FlyinGuy]

Here comes another LBB overnight and 8 legs a day comment....

Que the General in 3...2...1....

 

[Scope out RJ's]

Dude.... Chill out, I am not deltacentric like the general. Just stated some facts. I sincerely hope you are never in a position to have to make that VOTE as I have a sibling who is a capt. with y'all. More importantly with luv with your contract still more efficient than ours a paycut to our wages would put that much more pressure on us.

They're profitable because their training costs are low due to one aircraft type and their pft program.

 

[maxblast72]

You are at the top now not due to anything swapa has done, but more so bankruptcy judges and the ch11 process.

I would say that Southwest pay is on top now because Southwest is one airline that has been consistently profitable for the the last 30 years. Hard to keep you pay up when your company is losing alot of money and shrinking.

 

[zasca]

I sincerely hope Southwest and Schumer explode the deal. It would be nice to see to USairways be forced to stay in a focus city and work hard to make money for once.... Instead of cutting and running. Us lowly prop pilots actually like that base...

Where would southwest go anyways? More BWI and MDW? Can't fly to Texas or Denver.

 

[GuppyWN]

1250 miles is a big arc. And there's always the exemptions.

Gup

 

[General Lee]

Yawn - same old stuff General. You need some new material. Just got back from my 3-day, 2 legs each day. Nice long 18 hours in San Diego. Same Holiday Inn by the bay as Delta btw.

I know you just fly Int'l and enjoy those $10 beers, but here in the USA Southwest hotels are as good if not better than MD-88 Delta hotels when I was there. Some cities we're at the same place. Only difference is SWA discount way better. Oh, and no more short MD-88 overnights. Most at least 15 hours. Maybe things have changed since so many of those cities I used to go to on the mad-dog went to your regional "partners" forever. Like ATL-Montreal! Still can't believe that is an rj.

Also, just like most pilots would rather not have all those 1-2 hour (or more) domestic DL turns/ATL lounge snooze that result in long duty days. Any duty day over 10 hours is a long day at SWA. Check with your domestic buds - or with your boy wonder Scope - and let us know the average mainline domestic duty day and layover time GL?

I know, standing by for how awesome your ER trips are, all about choices, we have great stews, etc. Same old gravy. Yawn again. Need more coffee.

Nice to hear from you again though...

Sure Ben, riiiiight. Yeah, and you also flew on your new SWA 787 to Tokyo, followed by your 56 hour layover in Rio........ (oh wait, that was the Rio Grande---HRL. Enjoy that this Summer). Something that you do not know is that the ATL ER category also has plenty of 4 day domestic only trips, and I do them occasionally to get landings if I need them. The trips are pretty darn good, with long layovers on at least 2 of the 3 nights, which is normal for domestic at most airlines. I think you were on the MD88 at DL, and that is a whole different animal, a lot like the current SWA 737 schedules probably. Go up from there and it becomes totally different. 737s and 757/767s mainly do longer legs, with an occasional 3 leg day, but mostly one or maybe two. And beers are $10 everywhere INTL? Not really. Also, INTL perdiem is more than domestic, covering most of the difference, unless you are a boozehound like yourself.

Talk about same old material, you have that on each of your trip pairings. Can you remember what you did 3 trips ago? Probably not, because it is all a blur, also thanks to your 1 2 3 rule. Go enjoy that and try not to wish you had some actual variety in planes and destinations from your past job. Enjoy your next 5 leg day, which is almost everyday for you. To say otherwise is ridiculous---since those trips of yours are sooo productive, there has to be a lot jammed in there. You know I am right, again. Bye Ben.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Delta and Northwest pilots VOTED for what you guys have now. Take that crap and try it somebody that doesn't know the facts.

The key is voting in contracts that are sustainable for a profitable company.

Gup

Such BS. DALPA voted for a 47% pay cut and to lose the pensions? Give me a break. The DL pilots voted to be the HIGHEST paid (which pulled your sorry butts out from mediocrity at best) and then the DL CEO at the time squandered the money in the bank with a Comair strike (Cost DL $1 billion at the time), and other poor choices. The DL pilots were a fixed cost (they knew exactly what it was), and it was poor governing.

You guys would have NEVER gotten close to your current rates without a bump from the DL contract. Sure, you are profitable, but showing what the DL pilots made and the SWA profit potential left your manangement with no choice. Now, you need to keep yours where it is at now so the DL pilots can use that as a jumping point eventually, and then you guys will be back to square one---good pay but regional schedules compared to the better paying legacies.



Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[Scope out RJ's]

I know you just fly Int'l and enjoy those $10 beers,

Beers are 1 euro all the time on the beach in Malaga!
They're free in the club lounge in TLV
They're 1/2 price at the upstairs bar in GRU.

I'm not sure what you're paying in the airport holiday inn in BWI, but I'll bet it beats the beach on the med any day!:laugh:

 

[StopNTSing]

This message is hidden because General Lee is on your ignore list.

This message is hidden because Scope Out RJ's is on your ignore list.

It's amazing how much more enjoyable FI has suddenly become.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

This message is hidden because StopNTSing is a pft moron!

 

[Cometman]

It is amazing how much more enjoyable FI has suddenly become since I blocked them also.

 

[OurMoney1]

It pays to play, perhaps SWA should have made it to the table sooner!

 

[EMBpilot]

None of that matters you guys, lets be real! It is all about favors!!

It is Delta Air elite jet rides to politicians vs. pizza parties and free type ratings for the feds from SWA.

Will see who wins

 

[kwick]

Certainly I do however, a little here a little there, Calgary, FLL on Spirit, does not allow any ONE large competitor to gain a foothold and offer any "real" service. Granted Airtran is a threat but NOT with 5 slots. Now give them 15-20 just like SW and then they DO have a problem. All very self serving to minimize impact. Certainly it would be in OUR (WN) best interest to gain more slots, with this the consumer ultimately would be the beneficiary in a much bigger way.

Cry me a river!

 

[SWA/FO]

How about nothing smaller than a 757? LGA is political. Small planes will always be there because small communities want access and their representatives will ensure it. Gridlock or not.

This would not work for SWA, cus we dont have any 757. Thats why I said B737. We should have gotten into LGA when jetblue was doing it.

 

[Moon-dog]

It's amazing how much more enjoyable FI has suddenly become.

It is much better with ScopeTard blocked, he is such an idiot. The Gen is close to reaching obscurity.

 

[johnsonrod]

Sure Ben, riiiiight. Yeah, and you also flew on your new SWA 787 to Tokyo, followed by your 56 hour layover in Rio........ (oh wait, that was the Rio Grande---HRL. Enjoy that this Summer). Something that you do not know is that the ATL ER category also has plenty of 4 day domestic only trips, and I do them occasionally to get landings if I need them. The trips are pretty darn good, with long layovers on at least 2 of the 3 nights, which is normal for domestic at most airlines. I think you were on the MD88 at DL, and that is a whole different animal, a lot like the current SWA 737 schedules probably. Go up from there and it becomes totally different. 737s and 757/767s mainly do longer legs, with an occasional 3 leg day, but mostly one or maybe two. And beers are $10 everywhere INTL? Not really. Also, INTL perdiem is more than domestic, covering most of the difference, unless you are a boozehound like yourself.

Talk about same old material, you have that on each of your trip pairings. Can you remember what you did 3 trips ago? Probably not, because it is all a blur, also thanks to your 1 2 3 rule. Go enjoy that and try not to wish you had some actual variety in planes and destinations from your past job. Enjoy your next 5 leg day, which is almost everyday for you. To say otherwise is ridiculous---since those trips of yours are sooo productive, there has to be a lot jammed in there. You know I am right, again. Bye Ben.


Bye Bye--General Lee

You're right General, some guys don't get it. I can't wait to fly international flights and enjoy the good life of just one flight a day. Sounds better than my 5-6 legs per day out of our hub. No thanks!

 

[Noserider76]

http://www.swelblog.com/articles/dear-southwest-grab-your-bag-of-fiction-its-on.html

 

[GuppyWN]

I don't disagree. We choked when we had an "in" to LGA and DCA. Now we've got to PAY for that decision. That being said.......... I don't think you should GIFT those slots to competitors. You either scatter them around equally or you sell them to the highest bidder.

Gup

 

[hockeypilot44]

I don't disagree. We choked when we had an "in" to LGA and DCA. Now we've got to PAY for that decision. That being said.......... I don't think you should GIFT those slots to competitors. You either scatter them around equally or you sell them to the highest bidder.

Gup

How do you think Delta and US Airways feel? They are trying to slot swap, and the government is forcing them to give up some of their slots that they paid for to competitors for nothing in return. The decided to give them to the competitors that are the least threat. There is a huge double standard. The government needs to either regulate the industry or not. This half-ass approach is extremely hard on the industry.

 

[FlyinPiker]

I don't disagree. We choked when we had an "in" to LGA and DCA. Now we've got to PAY for that decision. That being said.......... I don't think you should GIFT those slots to competitors. You either scatter them around equally or you sell them to the highest bidder.

Gup

I'd say 4 different airlines getting a piece of the new goods constitutes "scattering".

If Southwest was one of these four airlines I'd doubt we'd be hearing the same argument from them.

 

[Draginass]

Stop flying commuter jets into LGA. Nothing smaller then a DC-9-30 or B737-500. To many regional jets....its a joke, why waste a slot on that?

Hmmm. Then what are connectors from the outlying smaller cities in the NE suppose to do? How about cutting down the number of airlines allowed to fly into LGA?

 

[GuppyWN]

I'd say 4 different airlines getting a piece of the new goods constitutes "scattering".

If Southwest was one of these four airlines I'd doubt we'd be hearing the same argument from them.

What I meant was spread EVERYTHING around equally, not just a few here and there. USAir and Delta have 100's of slots at these airports. If you think 4 slots to WestJet is going to be considered competition then you aren't dealing in reality.

Gary Kelly wants DCA and LGA slots. Our business model is obviously morphing into large, high yield markets. Problem is we can't even BUY slots because everyone that has them is smart enough to hang onto them.

Gup

 

[hockeypilot44]

What I meant was spread EVERYTHING around equally, not just a few here and there. USAir and Delta have 100's of slots at these airports. If you think 4 slots to WestJet is going to be considered competition then you aren't dealing in reality.

Gary Kelly wants DCA and LGA slots. Our business model is obviously morphing into large, high yield markets. Problem is we can't even BUY slots because everyone that has them is smart enough to hang onto them.

Gup

Kind of like Southwest in BWI, MDW, LUV, etc.?

 

[GuppyWN]

BWI, DAL, and MDW are not slot restricted.

Try again,
Gup

 

[SWA/FO]

Hmmm. Then what are connectors from the outlying smaller cities in the NE suppose to do? How about cutting down the number of airlines allowed to fly into LGA?

Who connects through LGA? Are they nuts?

 

[FlyinPiker]

What I meant was spread EVERYTHING around equally, not just a few here and there. USAir and Delta have 100's of slots at these airports. If you think 4 slots to WestJet is going to be considered competition then you aren't dealing in reality.

Gup

What a joke. Fine... take those 4 slots and give them to Southwest, does that really change anything? Or do you mean spread all the slots out to everyone? What is the point of this transaction again? To take slots away from US Air and divide them up amongst all the remaining carriers?

Reality? Really?

What's up with the very small group of SW pilots on this board that call foul whenever a business transaction looks like it's going down without them. Luckily all the ones I know can care less and have better things to worry about.

I'm going back to flying airplanes and leaving this thread alone, it's a joke...just like trying to tell me the industry is "deregulated".

 

[FlyinPiker]

BWI, DAL, and MDW are not slot restricted.

Try again,
Gup

Change slots to gates and it's the same animal. Not many places to put airplanes in DAL and MDW.

By the way I don't think he's the one arguing that this isn't fair.

Just calling it hypocritical, which is not a far stretch.