Just curious Gup, what made you buy the type and go to WN before they "made real money"?
Gup already answered, but I'll answer for myself. In two words, job security. I was hired pre-911 when WN was making less than the legacies. When I got the call that I was hired, I stopped filling out the United app, cancelled my upcoming Northwest interview, but held on to my American interview til after I started class at Southwest. The second day of class, I called American and cancelled my interview in 2 weeks, handed my cell phone to a classmate, who proceeded to do the same.
Now you might think I was lucky because of 911, and I'll admit luck does play a part in anyone's airline career, but the ravaging of the industry and the downward slide that all the other airlines experienced was on the way, with or without the 911 attacks. That's just the cyclical nature of the industry, and more specifically the industry as it refers to the way the legacies run their business plans (hire big when times are good, furlough big when times are bad). The history of Southwest, imo, showed that they had always planned in the good times to be ready for the bad times. And in my potential 27 yr. career, I was willing to make a little less to not have to worry about selling used cars periodically on furlough. Turns out with our 2002 extension I got my cake and got to eat it too. No, I don't get to go to Paris on the job (at least not yet), but considering over the last ten years I've probably made 500k-1m more than my contemporaries at Delta/NW/AA/UAL etc, I can afford to take my family to Paris anytime I want.
I'm not trying to brag about my career; again, all airline success stories involve luck and timing. But I am letting the troll known as OYS that, in actuality, us poor Texas 2-step Southwest guys are the ones that are "duh, winning". Obviously, a fact that he knows and it galls him into spewing bitter drivel in a constant manner on this forum. Please keep it up, buddy, green really looks good on you.
Fraternally,
PapaWoody