This is what people don't understand. Like Herb said 35 years ago, "We aren't trying to compete (compare) with other airlines. We are just trying to be a little airline that people might take instead of driving from DAL to HOU to see grandma or go to a business meeting." Now Customers have 63 different places to travel if they want a low-fare no frills airline to travel on. If ya want a fancy meal, go to aa or ual.com.
Good for you and MegaD on your B-fund. I hope the both of you are bazillionairs someday. We don't need nor want a B fund. I think that retiring with 5-8 million bones in the bank is plenty. You'll just get more speeding tickets in fancier cars and pay more taxes on more/bigger houses. We are content with ESOP, 401k, and thousands annualy on profit sharing. But if you need more, than great.
We luv our hillbillies, they have been contributing to our 30+ years of profits very nicely.
Hay, if you like 1-2 legs a day/night than great. UPS is for you. I find 5-8 hour legs, 3 hour sits, and 80 overnights BORING. If you wanna be a pilot and work for a living and fly 3-8 legs a day than SWA is the place to be. We are fabulously paid "commuter" pilots.
I have been on line for 1 month and have 110 pilots under me. Will have 500 by 2007. 60 more planes are comming in the next 2 years and life is good. Upgrade should come back down to 5 years. I along with many other pilots have been treated like gold since the day I applied. I had a flower arrangment sitting on my doorstep when I came home from the hospital with a new baby. I hope UPS pilots have the same relationships with thier pilots. How do you suppose the folks that just got kicked out of the pool feel? I sincerely hope we grow wisely, cautiously and smartly and can find a way to pay our fuel bills in the next few years. I have no reason to believe that Kelly and friends will not be able to take SWA into 30 more years of profits and growth. Hopefully we can find a way to do it with ATA's fine group of pilots. I am sure UPS will post profit numbers that far exceed anything SWA could ever dream of, however I believe my little airline from Texas will provide me with a nice future, career, and a way to put my kids thru college. If SWA does not make it, then I will be able to say, "What a ride it was."
I hope the best for both companys.