SWA/Airtran pilot integration thoughts, what will the new list look like?

[GuppyWN]

OK..... whew!

Translated from "trips" to hourly it is $203 and could be as high as $211. Is that more than $153?

Gup

 

[DougCorp-9]

Just a bit.

 

[DougCorp-9]

Is all SWA training done in DAL? Do you guys do AQP? And what is this "Lance Captain" deal?

Thanks

 

[kwick]

No, SWA gets growth, SWA pilots get integrated into a larger company with slowed growth, taking longer to upgrade. So what do SWA pilots get again?

Better call the SW BOD and tell them this merger is not in the SW pilot's
best interests.


Maybe, It's the stockholders interests that have a little higher priority.

 

[StopNTSing]

Better call the SW BOD and tell them this merger is not in the SW pilot's
best interests.


Maybe, It's the stockholders interests that have a little higher priority.

Agreed, but I think he's just pointing out who is getting the windfall as we head into SLI negotiations.

 

[StopNTSing]

Is all SWA training done in DAL?

Yes

Do you guys do AQP?

Mostly

And what is this "Lance Captain" deal?

A likely casualty of our next Sect 6. They are captain-qualified FOs. I'm guessing the program will be effectively gone by the time SOC rolls around.

 

[waveflyer]

Why do you think growth will "slow" bc of this?

First, how can growth be slower than the no growth we've had in the last few years?
A few points-
AT is growing now
Atlanta is not like any city we've added in a long time-
Will it surprise you that adding LGA has increased business travel on the OAK-LAX route? Atl is not Greensboro or charleston:
FORTUNE magazine in 2010 found that Atlanta has the 4th most Fortune 500 companies of any US city with 14 firms on the list
FORTUNE magazine named Atlanta in top 10 of cities worldwide with the most Global 500 Headquarters in 2009
Atlanta ranked as the 2nd cheapest major U.S. city in which to do business, according to KPMG’s 2010 Competitive Alternatives Study
Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Atlanta the 7th-best Start-Up City in America, calling Atlanta the "Grower" city, in its 2009 study
Forbes named Atlanta the #1 Best Place for Business and Careers in its March 2009 study

Simply, it's been the gaping hole in our route structure for some time- and one that keeps many business travelers away from us.
This morning we announced looking for a new reservation system to handle all the near international-
AT is the one company really holding it's own competing with us- it'sa good thing to join up with that competition- it's like adding chris bosh to the d wade and Lebron show. They can't get cocky and aren't the biggest star in the mix-(ESP w/ how their mgmt has been treating them) but they're a class group if pilots who's business adds a lot to ours.

Call me naive, but it's my opinion that there is a lot of upside to this merger that will lead to a lot more growth for all involved-
You may say that we should have grown organically in Atlanta- I don't think that recognizes the realities of Atlanta physically and politically.
JMO-

 

[boomlrd]

Man can you just imagine if those Midwest pilots wouldn't have fought against AirTran buying them? Where would they be now? Not on the street.

As in Dave Chappelle: "When keeping it real goes wrong"

 

[islandhoper]

I'd venture to guess the reactions for the majority of FO's at SWA and the majority of FO's at AT were polar opposites. The main reason for this are career expectations. I am a 3.5ish yr FO at SW. I am on track to make $145K this year. This is average for my sonority. I will get a $10.00/trip increase for next year so I should make around 155-160K. I am a commuter so I do not make the extra $ like the guys who live in base. We have FO's making over 200K and CA's making over 400K, but again I am talking averages. Based on my career expectation snapshot yesterday I planned to upgrade in about 8-10 yrs (in a down economy and slow to no growth mode). As a topped out FO I plan to make around 180K/yr. When I upgrade to CA it will be 275K/yr. At SW we get a minimum of 15 days off per month and I almost never have less than 17. I know the future can change at any moment but this is an honest future expectation. Based on pay and benefits of AT as posted on APC and posts from AT pilots in the past, there is no gain for me as a SW pilot in terms of pay, contract, an benifits. Now, I didn't say there was no benefit at all. There will be more destinations, and eliminate a competitor. I also think it will be good for SW if done properly. There are many great pilots over there as well who I would enjoy working with.
But the main point I want to make is for AT pilots to understand my point of view. I am not in their shoes but I know enough about their situation and have talked to many AT pilots to get an idea. So if you see some SW guys talking about "fair and equitable", this is where we are coming from.

Are you sure about your numbers Mr. Chub? My LUV contacts don't seem to agree... Or were you talking about your wishes more than your expectations? Did you factor in the previous SW statement of no growth during 2010 and 2011? Just curious, 'cause your numbers are way higher than anything I have ever heard of before for a WN "average".

 

[Mr Chub]

My numbers are correct from what I see on line. My pay rate is $99.02 TFP (equal to $108/hr as indicated on APC). The average pilot gets 108-110 TFP/month. This equates to $130,706.00 for the year. This summer was good for reroutes and move ups (where you are paid time and a half), so I was involved with some of that which put me over 110/tfp in the summer. I wasn't the only pilot who made more $ this summer. The $180K/yr as a senior FO is the earnings I can expect five or so years from now with the projected pay increases from longevity and our contract. If you feel more comfortable by moving those numbers down 5K, that would still be fairly accurate, but I still stand by my post in that is what I make and probably will make without much extra effort by gaming my schedule. No VJA for me...tooo junior.