Southwest Upgrade

[PCL_128]

That still makes me laugh to this day. Just what great benefit did we get in the way ALPA exerted its influence in the implementation of the bill?

:bomb:

Quite a bit, actually. I was opposed to the way it was handled, because I believed we could have achieved a phase-in over a longer period of time, and we probably could have held it off completely for at least another year or so. But when it comes right down to it, the protections that ALPA achieved were significant. Under the original bill, which "Saint Paul" wanted, anyone betwen the ages of 60 and 65 could have returned with seniority. ALPA ensured that if you were already retired, you were done. No returning unless you started at the bottom. That saved thousands of furloughs.

If the union was really in it for ALL pilots they would have lobbied to make the switch from 60 to 65 over a 10 year phase in so no one yeargroup would have had the extreme windfall

Some of the people in national leadership positions pushed for exactly that. Unfortunately, they were outnumbered.

 

[dojetdriver]

http://gandt.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-custom.cgi?d=robert-gandt-productions&page=6652

I thought I remembered that the author hired on in 66 and went to Delta. It turns out I had his Pan Am hire date wrong, it was 65. I remember thoroughly enjoying the book.

Me too. My favorite part was the long lead up of the young AF pilot who all his life wanted to be a "Skygod" And when he showed up his first day, he realized the Skygod was an a$$hole!.

Or something like that.

 

[Sedona16]

Who said anything about SWA flying into Heathrow?

This applies to most international flying. Most of the landing slots were locked down decades ago. You don't just start flying to Europe, China or Japan. You need slots to land and gates to park at.

 

[SKC]

This applies to most international flying. Most of the landing slots were locked down decades ago. You don't just start flying to Europe, China or Japan. You need slots to land and gates to park at.

Eh, we'll just establish new focus cities in Goose Bay, Narsarsuaq, Keflavik, and Shannon. who needs London and Paris when you can have the Iceland-Greenland shuttle?

 

[waveflyer]

Eh, we'll just establish new focus cities in Goose Bay, Narsarsuaq, Keflavik, and Shannon. who needs London and Paris when you can have the Iceland-Greenland shuttle?

Sign me up for Iceland- their ugly chicks are 10's on the American scale
;-)

 

[vetrider]

Me too. My favorite part was the long lead up of the young AF pilot who all his life wanted to be a "Skygod" And when he showed up his first day, he realized the Skygod was an a$$hole!.

Or something like that.

I

Yep, that was funny. Another funny part was when Sky God Coglioni barked over the counter to the dispatcher, "Goddamit Evans, I told you I didn't want any ********************ing new hires in my cockpit.." Or something like that. I think I need to grab it off the bookcase and give it another read.

 

[dojetdriver]

I

Yep, that was funny. Another funny part was when Sky God Coglioni barked over the counter to the dispatcher, "Goddamit Evans, I told you I didn't want any ********************ing new hires in my cockpit.." Or something like that. I think I need to grab it off the bookcase and give it another read.

If I'm not mistaken, that's part of the same story.

The young AF pilot wanted to be a "skygod" all his life, worshipped the "boat captains" as they were called in the flying boat days. FINALLY got his chance to interview and get hired, all along holding the "skygods" in such high regard.

And when he shows up for his first day and introduced himself to his CA, the part you mention above was the skygod's reaction.

It was a long time ago when I read it so I could be off. A good read none the less. I've had the privilege of knowing some of the former Pan Am/Eastern/Braniff guys from crashpads and other places. It always kinda bummer me out when they'd talk of the older days in this job with a "kid, you have NO idea what you missed. It's just not the same these days"