Southwest to Newark!

[Whataburger]

Since GL seems to be out of touch at the moment, I'll briefly fill his shoes. The first destination will be EWR-LBB with connecting service to MAF and AMA!

Careful, if you wanna fill General's shoes you'll need to wear an old pair of Bitannia acid wash jeans that are 2 inches too short, or tight rolled, and wear a pair of old loafers or penny loafers with the penny actually showing; no belt, a trucker style hat from a family reunuion in 1987, and a cheesy "I went to Zimbabwe and all I got was this T'shirt" shirt. Ketchup stain down front and tucked in.

 

[GuppyWN]

One thing I can say with the utmost certainty -

General Lee's international flying makes him the man he his.

You're gonna have a rough ride Cowboy when/if you ever upgrade.

Gup

 

[SKC]

Nothing can be broken (ETOPS requirements),

Of course, what you meant to say was that no ETOPS-specific item can be broken, because while I don't have a DAL MEL in front of me, I'd have to guess that a 25-10 (psgr conv) isn't going to keep an ATL-CDG flight on the ground.

One good thing about our domestic network is that it's not very often that a SWA pilot has to decide whether he's going to divert into Narsarsuaq or not. :laugh:

 

[Plug]

Frankfurt is a dump compared to Hamburg. Koln is my second favorite city, Gaffel Kolsch is da bomb! But LUV does have the 1-2-3 rule at their layover hotels, the Circus Circus in LAS is so much better after a few bottles of Bud!

 

[Patriot328]

General:

As to your comment about 17 legs in a 3 day trip ... we have very few trips that have 17 legs in a 4 day let alone a 3 day.

As to your comment about compensation, most of the FOs that I fly with average 110 to 120 TFP. That equates to a range between 120K and 150K a year.

I had the pleasure of flying MD-11(s) in my previous life.

I agree 101% with your comment about Germany, the Germans (especially downtown EDDF) and the food. What I remember most about the city was how devoid of litter the area was. But I digress ...

Some of us a SWA do understand, with great clarity, what it is like to fly outside Texas.

My wish for you and my friends at DAL is that your merger with NWA brings each and everyone prosperity and career stability.

I can't believe I'm joining this fray.. but.. 17 legs in 3 or 4 days? It takes me over two months to fly that many legs....

Of course, I fly a plane twice the size for probably 3/4 the pay.... hopefully we change that soon.

See ya in Newark.. Learn this phrase.. "Contract clearance on your second radio for new airways."

 

[General Lee]

One thing I can say with the utmost certainty -

General Lee's international flying makes him the man he his.

You're gonna have a rough ride Cowboy when/if you ever upgrade.

Gup

Really? I flew plenty of domestic stuff in my first 10 years, including on 3 types of 737s. I think I will do just fine, and most of the 737-800 trips have only one or two legs a day too. Jealous? I bet you are. Throw in first class meals too and now you are darn right angry. Ah, running to Pizza Hut in ELP between 25 min turns is healthy for you guys.....


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[General Lee]

Of course, what you meant to say was that no ETOPS-specific item can be broken, because while I don't have a DAL MEL in front of me, I'd have to guess that a 25-10 (psgr conv) isn't going to keep an ATL-CDG flight on the ground.

One good thing about our domestic network is that it's not very often that a SWA pilot has to decide whether he's going to divert into Narsarsuaq or not. :laugh:

Ummmm what? Can you have a broken APU across the Atlantic? Nope. Do you even know what an ETOPS check is before EACH crossing? That is a lot more than just a visual check by an FO. And you shouldn't be bragging about your SWA mx procedures, since the bad press lately points to some "interesting" stuff going on. Didn't you guys keep certain planes flying for months when they were supposed to be fixed? Weren't they older 733s? Should I look up the story for you? Oh wait, here it is:


From Drew Griffin and Scott Bronstein
CNN Special Investigations Unit

(CNN) -- Southwest Airlines tried to keep serious problems with its maintenance program hidden and pressured the Federal Aviation Administration to keep out an inspector who noticed the problems, according to two FAA inspectors who blew the whistle on the airline.
Bobby Boutris and Douglas Peters told CNN Wednesday they brought information about Southwest's lack of compliance with mandatory inspection protocols to their supervisors, but the FAA did nothing.
Boutris said the airline tried to have him removed from the inspections.

"My supervisor called me into his office ... and told me he had had a meeting with the director of quality assurance and the AD [airworthiness directive] compliance leader from Southwest Airlines, and he had requested my removal from the inspection," Boutris said.
Linda Rutherford, Southwest's public relations vice president, wouldn't comment on the inspectors' allegations, noting that company Chairman Herb Kelleher and CEO Gary Kelly would be testifying Thursday before a House panel convened to look into the issue.

"Out of respect for the congressional hearing process, we will present testimony there, both oral and in writing, that addresses many of the questions being asked," she said. "Out of respect for the committee hearing process, we need to let those questions wait for the committee."
CNN was unable to reach FAA for a comment Wednesday night, but earlier in the day, acting administrator Robert Sturgell would not discuss specifics of the Southwest matter.

"We had a breakdown in the system with SWA, It was a two-way breakdown," Sturgell said, without elaborating.
Boutris and Peters, along with representatives from the FAA, are also scheduled to testify at Thursday's House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which conducted an investigation after the two inspectors brought forward their concerns.
Peters said he doubted anything would have changed if he and Boutris had not spoken up.
"Bobby and I were not happy with the state of Southwest Airlines' maintenance program," Peters told CNN Wednesday. "We weren't happy. And we saw the airline was at risk due to the lax oversight. And because of this, we just weren't willing to accept anything other than sweeping change."
In early March, CNN obtained documents from the House committee investigation that alleged the discount airline kept dozens of aircraft in the air without mandatory inspections -- and in some cases, with defects the inspections were designed to detect.

Boutris and Peters said FAA managers knew the Southwest planes were flying illegally and did nothing about it, according to the documents.
The inspectors wrote that Southwest, which carried more passengers in the United States last year than any other airline, flew at least 70 planes without a mandatory inspection on the rudder unit, part of the steering mechanism, some of them as much as 30 months beyond the mandatory rudder inspection.

The airline also flew at least 47 planes beyond a mandatory inspection of the fuselage, or skin, of the planes for possible cracks, the inspectors said. When the inspections were carried out, six of the planes were found to have possibly dangerous cracks, they said.
Speaking with CNN Wednesday, Boutris questioned why the airline did not immediately ground those 47 planes when they learned they were out of compliance.

"It is sad that an FAA inspector has to become a whistle blower in order to do his job," Boutris told CNN. "And the job is -- that we were hired by the taxpayers -- to ensure the airlines provide safe transportation for the flying public. It shouldn't have to come to this."
Boutris and Peters are seeking protection via the federal whistle blower protection program.

After the initial revelations, the FAA proposed a $10.2 million fine -- its biggest ever against an airline -- against Southwest for flying Boeing 737s without mandatory checks for fuselage cracking. Later, the agency ordered its inspectors to ensure airlines were complying with 10 airworthiness directives -- orders to check or correct a known unsafe condition -- and to expand the review to include more directives thereafter.



Sturgell, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the audit showed 99 percent compliance with federal airworthiness directives. There is room for improvement, said Sturgell, adding he is proposing several initiatives to strengthen the reporting role and regulatory process.
The new reporting system is to be in place by April 30, he said.





YO SKC, clean up your own messes before criticizing others.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[scoreboardII]

14,111 posts and this is the best you can come up with? Your postings are inversely proportioned to your life outside this forum.

 

[SOVT]

"Ummmm what? Can you have a broken APU across the Atlantic? Nope."

Unless Delta's specs. are different from the rest of the industry it is entirely possible to cross the Atlantic without an APU. Just takes a little more fuel.

 

[redflyer65]

General, you need to get up to speed on the non-APU procedures...

GL always hangs himself when given enough rope, every single time.