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Southwest Pilots To Fly 1.5 Hrs More In Month In New Pact

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canyonblue

Everyone loves Southwest
Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Posts
2,314
DALLAS -- Pilots at Southwest Airlines Co. will be flying 1 1/2 more hours each month after the pilot's union and the Dallas-based carrier struck an agreement, a newspaper reports.

That would save Southwest about $4 million annually, because the discounter won't need to hire as many pilots as it expands its schedule about 10 percent a year, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association said. Carl Kuwitzky, a vice president for the union, said in an interview Wednesday with The Dallas Morning News that the union has been improving its partnership with Southwest.

"Our pilots have no problem working hard," he said.

Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart acknowledged the agreement, which has not been publicly announced. He declined to comment further because the carrier typically doesn't discuss its labor relations. The airline's 4,700 pilots had about 67 hours of actual flying time a month before the latest agreement, reached Nov. 6, goes into effect. Southwest pilots used to average about 70 hours a month a decade ago, the carrier's union officials say. But as the pilots have gained seniority, they've also earned more vacation.

After Southwest asked the union for the extra productivity, the two sides came to terms in a side letter separate from their current contract, the newspaper reports.The two sides are set to begin formal talks next year on their contract, which can be changed starting Sept. 1.

This comes at a time when pilots at American Airlines Inc. are considering their options for improving productivity. The Allied Pilots Association, representing 12,000 American pilots, is holding meetings with members this month to present research that identifies the productivity gaps between the world's largest carrier and its competitors. Though the APA board has authorized its negotiating committee to begin dealing with the airline, no talks are under way. The average number of hours that pilots at American Airlines Inc. produce per month is in the mid-40s.
 
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I replied to a similar post in the regional section. Basically every management wants to sqeeze everything they can get out of the pilot groups and under staff them. This leads to junior manning and fewer days off.

The unions should fight these tactics and the greedy pilots looking to pick up extra flying to stuff thier pockets, shouldn't.

I realize Southwest is hiring, but around the industry, these things allow mangement to understaff and NOT RECALL FURLOUGHED GUYS. Screw that. Let's try to help some furloughed guys and fight management at the same time.
 
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WickedPissa said:
The unions should fight these tactics and the greedy pilots looking to pick up extra flying to stuff thier pockets, shouldn't.

You should leave your ALPA style tatics at your own company. It seems to be working out pretty well for those carriers.
 
Southwest is sort of a model for the industry these days. Low fare. Now other management will look at Southwest and follow if they already aren't doing these things(allowing more flight hours). Whatever, go bring the rest of us down. Just don't run into me taxiing at rotation speed.
 
Other airlines have been allowing more flight hours before SWA. My point is if the guys at SWA said they were against it, that would be a model for other airlines that you can still be profitable and not have to understaff.
 
WickedPissa said:
Other airlines have been allowing more flight hours before SWA. My point is if the guys at SWA said they were against it, that would be a model for other airlines that you can still be profitable and not have to understaff.

SWA has always been "understaffed" compared to the rest of the industry.......

Oh, and 44% of us voted against the new work rules.......
 
PPrune

Tripower455,

Take your disgruntled self back to PPrune. Complain there, keep our dirty laundry out of the public forum. Your PPrune buddies will give you more sympathy and actually care that you are a overworked, underpaid SWA captain.

As an aside, I also voted against SL31.



Slug
 
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It is also only a temporary test period. If the initial rumblings are any indication, it may not be permanent. If intent was to be more productive on our workdays, many would welcome that, but not many would welcome more days at work.
 
WickedPissa said:
Other airlines have been allowing more flight hours before SWA. My point is if the guys at SWA said they were against it, that would be a model for other airlines that you can still be profitable and not have to understaff.
How are we understaffed? I can bid reserve in a slow month (Feb. or Oct.) and hardly fly 20 hours and make my 90 trips pay guaranty, and, at my luxury pick up prime trips at regular pay or help the company on a crappy trip and make time and a half. Or, I can bid a normal line with 17-18 days off, get paid on average 100-105 a month and fly 80 hours a month. Why can't people understand this unbelievably simple concept. A pilot, like an airplane or a gate is an asset, a capital good. CEOs, CFOs, banks or business owners do not sit in rooms crunching personalities, they crunch numbers. If you want to suck off the nipple of some charity, get a government job, or move back in with your parents. SO FAR, the Mgt. at SWA has proved for a very long time that they want to exist in harmony with labor, while, imagine this, making a profit. I dread the day this relationship sours. The greatest thing about working here is that the vast majority of us realize that we must work hard to keep this place together, and for now, at the top. There are guys here that give everything away. There are guys here that whore themselves out at every opportunity, it seems to work out for everybody. Now, if the company wants an absolute minimum flying time each month from EACH pilot, that would be fought harder than anything that has ever been proposed to the pilot group. Some people just don't want to fly. All they are asking for is for us to bring our average up to where it has been in the past, to keep us lean. It is easier to do now because we are more productive with less legs than we used to be. Our scheduling is very efficient. I can pretty much almost be timed out annually by just bidding a 12-13 day on line every month. As far as guys being upset about the side letter, it is a TEST. If it sux, we will get rid of it. If it works great for the pilots, true to our nature, we will cry like babies to keep it. If it works for the company, they will hopefully offer some gravy to us in negotiations to keep it. Job security to YOU and those like you might be the number of pilots junior to you. Job security to me is a profitable company that uses it's assets to the maximum amount possible. Radical concept follows; If I am flying at or near what I can legally fly, how in the hell can they do anything but keep me around (barring anything out of the ordinary like hanging out too much with the unstable flighties and getting in trouble) and most likely hire more sickos like me that wanted to make a living at this flying thing. If I am flying 40 hours a month, or 124 hours a year like I've seen some freight guys brag on this board, that is bad. The bean counters are most assuredly looking at ways to get that number up. You, my friend are not a productive asset, and I would be worried. They will reduce their aircraft types, like what is going on at Delta, and reduce their training costs, so that you, Mr. Asset will be able to fly more instead of being at the training facility 3 months a year. A fed told me that what Boeing and Airbus are trying to do is get common types on all of their equipment through common Cockpits (sorry, I hate "Flight Deck") and common flight characteristics through software. They will all look the same up front and kinda all fly the same. A few days differences training on each bird would be all that is required. Don't vent your frustrations on us because we are not setting a precedent by allowing ourselves to be understaffed. Most of us here "get it." This place is not everyone's cup-of-tea. It is my fourth airline, and the only one I have ever had job security at. Doing my job 13 days a month with only six to nine nights away from home (good for any relationship, in my opinion) is not too tough. What would your ideal schedule look like? Only fly every other Wednesday and make $250,000 like the old joke I would imagine.
 

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