SWA/AT differences on Trip Trading/OPs

[freightdogfred]

Why do we need to learn all this ********************t... ELITT, sniping programs, joining a cartel?
We already won the lottery, right?

 

[bluesideup1]

Why do we need to learn all this ********************t... ELITT, sniping programs, joining a cartel?
We already won the lottery, right?

Now your just learning how to play with the winnings.

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

Quick question...I'm moving to a base when I get over there. How far from the base would you consider too far a drive to take advantage of this stuff??? Looking at an hour and a half drive to the employee lot. Hope someday to join the exclusive "tournament level players club"!

Be careful, we have no base rights nor right of return, unless you are buried in the bases seniority list, there is the possibility of being displaced! We have guys that have been displaced for 5 plus years(Captains), and everytime a group gets together to try to get ROR, they get laughed at by the union because the senior guys say it "disrupts seniority"! Ie. they can't move their boat south for the winter or bid from a base where they are very junior to a base where they are senior in August so they can get choice vacations and once awarded, immediately bid back!

"tournament Level Players Club" has its privileges but it can take a lot of work, flew with one last week, 200 trips plus a month but it takes a lot of work and right now there's not a lot out there...probably easier to join a Cartel but they are very discrete on new membership!

Good Luck,
KBB

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

Why do we need to learn all this ********************t... ELITT, sniping programs, joining a cartel?
We already won the lottery, right?

You don't have to learn any of it, that's the beauty of it, their are plenty of guys that just fly their line, nothing wrong with that!

All the other stuff is like the "power play" in the lottery, "so you want to Double your pay" click here!

My first year here (on probation of course) I get assigned a reserve trip, one leg the first day that is only 45 mins. In length. The capt. Gets it at premium (the system has changed a lot but in the good old days scheduling would call the guys who they know could make push time first) so the trip pays 19.5 but at premium it pays 26. We get to talking and he had come of a three day premium trip that morning, one leg from St. Louis. Our trip is his last of the month. He has got 240 trips (hours basically) of pay for the month and has blocked on 84 hours of flight time. The FA asks him how much money is that for the month and he says "before taxes and without per diem it's $44k!" I just started laughing. He asked what was funny and I explained to him that was more than I'd make my first year here! (I actually made way more because I learned the system and picked up half of every month at second year pay!)

Long story short, you can work as little or as much as you want here!!! Say you're a captain and wifey wants a new pool, work your a$$ off one month and pay for it! Stories floating around of guys working over their vacation last summer with 300+ trips and gross income for the month over $60k but I can't confirm that. (yes, you can work over your vacation here but me personally prefer my time off!)

Good Luck,
KBB

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

Sniping Program? Tell me more...

I've seen it but don't have it, think its an android product, heard theirs one coming for the IPhone. Flew with a Cappy that had it, he says it's $10 a month and easily makes him a $1000 a month but I can't confirm!

Good luck,
KBB

 

[fam62c]

There are some things that you can do at AT that you can't do at SW but that's understandable because AT has 25%+ of the pilots in each assignment on reserve. Personally I would prefer the SW system where there are more (very efficient) lines and less reserve....it's hard to fly beyond guarantee on reserve and make any money. The high reserve percentage and inefficient schedules at AT represent millions of dollars in above guarantee money that is not being earned by a sizable percentage of the pilot group. How many pilots at SW go for essentially YEARS only earning guarantee like the AT reserve pilots will be doing?

At one division of the company we have highly efficient lines that pay well with lots of days off and a small reserve percentage. At the other division where the pilots are doing the same job we see inefficient lines with lower pay, less days off and tons of pilots on reserve making guarantee. The bad news is that at AT is going to just keep getting worse as the airplane count decreases and more flying is moved to SW.

AT and SW are two totally separate planets in the SWA corporate solar system. It's going to be a long, bumpy road for the decreasing number of pilots stuck on the AT side as the company unwinds, things will get worse for these folks long before they get better.

 

[freightdogfred]

Say you're a captain and wifey wants a new pool, work your a$$ off one month and pay for it!
Good Luck,
KBB

I could say I'm the emperor, but the Kulture Kommittee has ensured I won't be seeing the kapitan's seat for quite some time, if ever.

messueris vestro, quid seminat, seminare

 

[UALX727]

KBB,

Thanks for the info! I figure I might as well start learning things now than later.

 

[b747dogg]

Long story short, you can work as little or as much as you want here!!! Say you're a captain and wifey wants a new pool, work your a$$ off one month and pay for it! Stories floating around of guys working over their vacation last summer with 300+ trips and gross income for the month over $60k but I can't confirm that. (yes, you can work over your vacation here but me personally prefer my time off!)

True, MDW mid level Captian, 43000 number. Worked last summer over vacations every other week. June was about 298 and July was 348. That was about 120k in two months. Saw his board first hand. Good for him, it's nice to be able to do this if you please.

 

[DonVerita]

Is there a phone alerting system for when a trip appears in Open Time or Elitt that meets certain parameters that you've set?

For example, at AT, we use the FLICA system, which a bunch of other airlines use as well. Awesome and easy to use. One of the items is called Flica Alert. You set up the parameters and then Flica notifies you via text message the instant a trip appears in Open time no matter if that trip is a result of Crew Scheduling building it, a sick call, a pilot self-drop, or whatever. You get on your smartphone, access Flica in a few seconds, and bam..it's yours if someone else hasn't beaten you to it. No seniority, cartel, or gaming nonsense; simply first come, first serve.

Just curious to know if there is anything at SWA like that?

 

[waveflyer]

AT system sounds better.

 

[27 driver]

AT system sounds better.

Not necessarily better Wave. Just a little bit different and a bit more modern.

 

[DonVerita]

AT system sounds better.

I truely hope that SWA & SWAPA will approach this with an open mind and be willing to look at and study the possibility of bringing FLICA over to SWA. If it is shown to benefit our Internal Customers, then it should be given a shot at implementation.

I'm sure that the fine folks at FLICA would be happy to set up a full on demonstration with all parties. One important thing to note - FLICA can do A LOT of stuff, but it is up to the particular airline's management to decide which "switches" they want turned on. This is where SWAPA Scheduling Committee would need to shine in order to ensure full access and transparancy.

If SWA truely wants to get serious about state of the art I.T., this would be a prominent spoke in the wheel.

 

[Ky.BrownBourbn]

If SWA truely wants to get serious about state of the art I.T., this would be a prominent spoke in the wheel.

Don't hold your breath!
KBB

 

[waveflyer]

Being able to flat out drop trips would be nice- and in the scheme of things, wouldn't cost much bc most pilots have a target tfp to reach every month- somebody will do the dropped flying-
What restrictions are there? I wouldn't imagine every pilot at AT can drop on Christmas ...
Apologies if it's been covered, but I've been a bit unplugged