Southwest guys, what are you folks able to credit?

[Airway]

This question is mostly out of curiosity. I know a lot of guys who are senior at other airlines who have no problem crediting 110-115 hrs per month for pay. Just wondering what the situation is like at place like SWA.

 

[dhampton]

There usually isn't a problem picking up your monthly total to 115 trip credits, but it depends on the base and time of year. Many of us aim for 100 to 110 per month.

 

[Airway]

Great thanks, that's all I wanted to know.

 

[CaptainMark]

is that block time?

 

[Widow's Son]

I know a guy who averaged 135 TFP every year for the last ten years of his career. Several guys break 150 a month on a semi-regular basis. Most of the heavy trip hitters use reserve to light up the scoreboard. The sky whores should even do better now that we can double dip on vacation. Once as an FO I did 164 but it was because I was assigned to a Check Airman and kept getting pulled so he could do IOE and I then picked up other trips. On the other side, we have lots of pilots who fly half their assigned month or less. In our system you can do as much or as little as you want.

 

[swaforme]

No. Trips for pay is not block time.

 

[CaptainMark]

yeah ..didn't think it could be..legalities and all..thanks

 

[chase]

Here's a quick sample of hours & trips for pay (TFP) for March for a PHX/FO.

5 lowest flight time lines for a PHX/FO

Fllight time TFP
66.55........ 91.00
70.15 ........89.07
70.20 ........92.40
70.40 ........95.20
72.50 ........92.35

5 highest flight times
92 .............104.87
92 .............111.20
92 .............109.28
92 .............106.7
91.55 .........108.52

 

[TreeTopFlyr]

Thanks Chase,

Another extremely helpful post that lets us get a look inside SWA. Keep them coming. I'm heading down to HPA in March to get the type. Then I'll be anxiously waiting for the phone to ring.

 

[TrumanSparks]

For example:

I averaged 120 Trips For Pay per month and blocked 745 hours in 2005. My highest month was Dec. at 153 TFP and the lowest was June at 96 TFP.

I live in base so it is easier to pickup, but you can see that there is allot of flexibility in the schedule. The 100 to 110 average per month is what most guys shoot for and I would say have no problem attaining.

Hope this helps.

 

[vv100]

204 TFP/ 65 hours block
Had vacation and training that month
Tournament level open time players are hitting 150-175 on a regular basis

 

[psysicx]

How much flight time do you get in one trip?

 

[PSL]

That's impressive ... I need to take some dual from the sport bidders / Maestro Masters ...

I'm about 3/4 of the way up the BWI FO list and did 970 block with 1300(ish) TFP in 2005... what the heck am I doing wrong ?

 

[Slug]

... what the heck am I doing wrong ?

You are only 3/4 of the way up the seniority list.

At about the 50% mark you can start maximizing pay vs. block.

I sort in WBid using the max pay/day option. I hardly average less than 8.0 TFP per day. I also like to fly weekends, so that makes ELITT a lot more useful in "improving" my line. My worst paying 3-day this month is 24.8.

You'll get the hang or get senior first.


Slug

 

[PSL]

Let me state it another way ... I'm in the top 25% of the BWI FOs ...

I sort with WBID using Weekends off, Max Pay Per Day and Max Days Off ... I usually end the month with TFP in the 98 to 105 with 76 to 85 hours.

Not bad ... but nowhere near the numbers of 120 per month on an annual basis or the occasional 150-170 TFP.

How do you guys do it? Do you play the reserve game with VJA or do the EF/DOT/EXF lists ?

 

[SWA/FO]

I got 126 TFP with 74 block hours in Feb. 17 days off (vacation month).

 

[psysicx]

It might be me but I could think of better things to do besides picking up extra time.

 

[firstthird]

I suspect that the guys who are hitting more than 115 regularly are making sure that they are off at the beginning of the month to be available for VJA/JA/EF and probably getting holidays/long weekends off but then being available to skeds to VJA. I don't see how else they could hit that high of totals without getting a fair amount of premium pay. Maybe up around 125 by bidding for paid deadeads but I think the FAA block times would start to kick in sort of fast.

 

[Purpledog]

It might be me but I could think of better things to do besides picking up extra time.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. We need some more of you highly productive SWA types over here so I can drop more trips!

 

[Slug]

To get over 115 TFPs or so, you have to find trips with deadheads. Over 115 and you start running into block time problems, specifically 100 in 30. VJA and JA are how you see all the big time TFPs. Unfortunately, that is a luxury the commuters aren't able to use as effectively.


Slug