SW to hire 650 this year

[737tanker]

Heard the same rumor coming out of training about a larger increase in hiring. One of the reasons is that SWA picked up an additional 7 -700s from Boeing that an airline in South America were no longer getting. Right now SWA has announced they will be getting 9 -700s in June & 25 more in the remainder of 2004. Even if all the -200s leave this year that would mean a net increase of 14 more aircraft for the remainder of this year. So 7 more on top of the scheduled 14 would be a drastic increase.

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

This summer will tell

Classes are supposed to taper off in June and then pick back up in October. Or atleast that is what I got the first few days of training.

650 would take a class of 24 every two weeks with out break. (52 weeks per year = 26 classes x 24 per class = just 624 pilots)

So if the classes and interviews continue with out pause, we know there is creedance to my rumor. If they break in June/July until October, then we know the originally scheduled 450 is closer to the mark.

Anyone care to wager? Where is RightBettor when you need him?

 

[Swerpipe]

from the Boeing website

737tanker,

Interesting rumor... On the Boeing website, they cite Southwest as having ordered 3 aircraft in the past few days. I have seen no other reference to the purchase anywhere else. So at least 3 of the rumored 7 aircraft are coming to SWA.

 

[wil]

Sorry Chase, if you guys have the op specs for 15 knots then I stand corrected. Don't think it's prudent however.

 

[johnnyV]

SWA Accident Rate

Anyone?

 

[TexaSWA]

I enjoyed seeing another SWA 15+ knot tail wind departure !

Doubtful

 

[SWAdude]

I have seen quite a few SWA departures in the last 10 years. Never seen a 15kt tailwind departure. Thats right never. And never is a strong word.

 

[flint4xx]

I enjoyed seeing another SWA 15+ knot tail wind departure ! Not sure why SWA throws the dice so much but good luck. I guess that's what the traveling public gets when they want to fly across the country for .99 cents.

Flame bait. Back up your claims with facts, Mr Kerry.

 

[apdsm]

SWA tailwind limit is 10kts. I highly doubt you saw a 15kts tailwind takeoff....

 

[TrumanSparks]

Wil,

Your a CRJ capt and your blasting SWA fares?

Does the flying public know how little is required to get into the right seat of a commuter?

If you really knew anything about SWA ops then I doubt you would be running your mouth.

If you think SWA isn't the future, then think again.

 

[chase]

Addendum

For those of us lucky enough to fly the -200 the tailwind limit is 15 knots, all the others are 10. Only once did I see it that high, rarely do the Capts I fly with go with any tailwind above 3-5 knots, just ain't that critical. I agree, most likely flamebait!

 

[PTinbound]

But really guys, how about getting this thread back on track with more rumors of how many we are going to hire this year!

For all the wannabes/gonnabes: I'm only doing one month in OAK after training, and I was right near the bottom of my class.
I got BWI for my second month, and some of my classmates got other bases. I should get MDW for my third month, I hope.
Some of the blankety-blank folks JUNIOR to me in the class after me got BWI right out of DAL. If I was a betting man, I'd guess that BWI is going to replace OAK as the junior base for new hires. BWI is growing and OAK isn't really.
I got a hard line in OAK this month, and it looks like my reserve schedule for June in BWI has 15 days off, including all Sundays off to go to church with my family, and even Father's Day off! After six years at the regional I came from, I would have killed for a schedule like that. Will somebody pinch me?

Anyway, I'm to OAK for another trip.
PS. Chase, thanks again for all your help and encouragement during groundschool. It helped a lot!

 

[canyonblue]

Don't think it's prudent however.

You don't, they did. Do you use an OPC to figure takeoff data? Or does the F/O look through a big book and come up with a magic go/no go decision? Better technology makes for better decisions.

 

[Lear70]

Originally posted by wil
Don't think it's prudent however.

If you've got enough runway in case something goes wrong and/or enough RELATIVE airspeed for a problem after V1, and the tailwind isn't related to thunderstorms or other dangerous weather patterns, what does it matter?

Is it legal? Is the aircraft performance such that it's not a problem? Then what does it matter? Why bash someone else? Can't we all just get along? Where's did all the LUV go in this relationship??!!

 

[SilentBob]

So let me just review what we've learned on this thread so that I can make sure I've got it all straight . . . Southwest is going to hire 650 pilots - mostly in October - to fly 7 new 737's in South America with a 15 knot RELATIVE tailwind in thunderstorms using OPC takeoff data from CLT or PIT . . . but only on Tuesdays . . . except for OAK.

I think I got it now.