SWA/AAI and the flight deck jumpseat

[Ty Webb]

The only fool here is the fulltime property manager playing partime airline pilot.

The discussion is why was the strike vote irrelevant, not the state of how sucky or unsucky it was to work. You read to much between the lines. I think it is a relevant point, you don't, we'll see.

I guess your "answer", when you don't have one, is to try to take it personal . . . try to "out" me, huh? What a pathetic little chicken ******************** you are.

I'm not a property manager, but I do develop commercial websites. Something you might want to take into consideration the next time you want to "out" someone. Might want to check with your "sources" a little better next time. . . .

 

[miles otoole]

However, the "better company that is paying us a lot more" (your words) isn't coming from you as much as the mgmt that has promoted the culture that you enjoy. If it weren't for their mgmt style, you'd be sluggin it out like the rest of us.

Bingo-summed up perfectly. You could transpose every Airtran/Spirit/AAI/US/AW pilot with every pilot ever hired at SW and you would have the exact same company, thanks to the business model and some hedging decisions. For some reason they think they have a unique skill set.

 

[redflyer65]

Will it be pay, longevity, seats, career expectations, future growth,

These are the things that Ty thinks is just 'anecdotal'. That will have no relevance on the SLI. I believe most AAI pilots know better than that and understand why.

Everything is on the table and will be argued before the panel..

1- Huge strike vote at AAI
2- Huge pay and QOL (ie career expecations) between the two carriers.
3- Number of AAI pilot applications on file.
4- Seniority of pilots that jumped ship from AAI to SW.
5- Number of SW pilots with apps on file at AAI.
6- How many actual SW pilots made that move.
7- The senitment of 'High Fiving' AAI pilots when the deal was announced.
8- Even 'Please Buy and staple us' post on this website will be brought up.
9- Difference in hiring standards at both carriers. (type rating, PIC time)

If you think a list this long is just 'antecdotal', I think you might be mistaken.

Wouldn't the AAI guys argue all of this if the roles were reversed? Of course they would. This is a huge gap for the arbitor to award anything close to realitive seniority.

 

[Lear70]

So, again, why is the strike vote irrelevant?

Well, I'll take a bite at that, just for grins and giggles...

It's irrelevant because it never matured into a strike or even into a release into a cooling off period, which could have resulted in a contract without a strike as well at the 11th hour.

The point is that you can't play "worst case scenario" without also admitting the possibility of the "best case scenario" (where we get our current CBA without a strike) and that won't fly in trying to argue using a strike vote as a "negative career expectation" outlook for AAI pilots. Too many carriers have held successful strike votes and have never gone on strike to attempt to paint it as a "doomsday scenario" for that airline.

So yes, it's irrelevant. You *DO* have *MANY* arguments that work in your favor, such as number of retirements, slightly higher age group pilots in the CA seats, higher career expectation in total income (yes, I said money will be a factor - maybe not as much as some think, but it's a factor), and some other items, too. We bring our own advantages as well, such as our international growth that was needed and deliveries, and it will all be submitted, weighed, and decided, without our input from the FI peanut gallery.

In the end, something fair will happen. In the meantime, I know the waiting sucks...

 

[Ty Webb]

I think you should go with those.

 

[dicko]

These are the things that Ty thinks is just 'anecdotal'. That will have no relevance on the SLI. I believe most AAI pilots know better than that and understand why.

Everything is on the table and will be argued before the panel..

1- Huge strike vote at AAI
2- Huge pay and QOL (ie career expecations) between the two carriers.
3- Number of AAI pilot applications on file.
4- Seniority of pilots that jumped ship from AAI to SW.
5- Number of SW pilots with apps on file at AAI.
6- How many actual SW pilots made that move.
7- The senitment of 'High Fiving' AAI pilots when the deal was announced.
8- Even 'Please Buy and staple us' post on this website will be brought up.
9- Difference in hiring standards at both carriers. (type rating, PIC time)

If you think a list this long is just 'antecdotal', I think you might be mistaken.

Wouldn't the AAI guys argue all of this if the roles were reversed? Of course they would. This is a huge gap for the arbitor to award anything close to realitive seniority.

I really don't know where to start Red. Its actually very funny.

I'll put it this way. If your lawyer stands up in that room and starts talking about; "somebody saw some AirTran pilots highfiving at an airport". I'll give you $ 100.00.

Are you high ? Please tell me you are closely associated with, or on your MC.

 

[waveflyer]

Bingo-summed up perfectly. You could transpos every Airtran/Spirit/AAI/US/AW pilot with every pilot ever hired at SW and you would have the exact same company, thanks to the business model and some hedging decisions. For some reason they think they have a unique skill set.

Not unique skill sets, but unique work ethics, attitudes, and people, yes. And absolutely not- you cannot plug just anyone into this model. Hence our worries about the culture. That said I do believe most AT guys will fit in if they don't get poisoned by the SLI as ALPA's out the door.

Swa's philos has always been you can train the job, but not the attitude and person. Many many airlines made their pilots selfish and bitter, so I get your point. But I have too many friends who have always thought certain things swa pilots do are beneath them- ie: cleaning up, getting strollers, pushing wheelchairs- and if not- let the union infect them with a 'not my job' attitude.
I agree that much has to do w/ mgmt- but it really doesn't work with just anyone who doesn't care.

 

[ivauir]

The more times you bring it up, the more you look the fool.

The more you resort to name calling the more you reveal of your true nature.

 

[Music]

Blah!!

Not unique skill sets, but unique work ethics, attitudes, and people, yes. And absolutely not- you cannot plug just anyone into this model. Hence our worries about the culture. That said I do believe most AT guys will fit in if they don't get poisoned by the SLI as ALPA's out the door.

Swa's philos has always been you can train the job, but not the attitude and person. Many many airlines made their pilots selfish and bitter, so I get your point. But I have too many friends who have always thought certain things swa pilots do are beneath them- ie: cleaning up, getting strollers, pushing wheelchairs- and if not- let the union infect them with a 'not my job' attitude.
I agree that much has to do w/ mgmt- but it really doesn't work with just anyone who doesn't care.

Wave,

Everything you sight above, we have done and continue to do. Ironically, the 'culture' that you speak of is nowhere to be found here on this site from SWA pilots. I guess that's because you don't want your 'gene pool' to be tainted by our group of wheel chair pushers and stroller retrievers!

 

[greenpilot]

The strike vote will not matter. Let's take a look at the DAL/NWA merger. How many times did NWA take strike votes? How many times did NWA go on strike? If a strike vote made a difference NWA would have been stapled to the bottom of delta's list.