SWA class rumors

[Tbone]

One of my buddies is in the July 15 class and said that the word being put out at training is that SWA is not sure if they will have anymore classes this year.

I know that things in this industry change minute to minute, and I hope this is one that will change too.

I guess I will just keep drown-proofing! And remembering that I am lucking to be on a list.

Tbone.

 

[OakRBust]

I am with you.... We are all still very fortunate to be in the pool!!!!!




Oak

 

[Slug]

In the pool, but

Looks like I might have to go find a real job instead of waiting it out. Oh well.

 

[OakRBust]

Slug...


I'd bet one billllllllion doooollars that you'll be in Dallas by September.

Hang in there man!!!


Oak

 

[Cropduster]

Slug...


I totally agree with Oak. Its the calm before the storm. Hang on man, its setting up to be a head spinning ride for the competition!!!

 

[tredding@swa]

AUG 19TH...

Let us not forget that in 15 DAYS the SWAPA vote will be done on the contract extension.

The officers/management are "required" to do a good job for the shareholders of LUV (I am one of these too!).

Pressure from management in the form of bad news, bad economy, rising costs, increased competition (JBLU), misinformation, etc., etc., are all part of the game.

I could be 100% wrong about this.... but I would like to have some hope that I will be out of the pool before a hard freeze sets in.... swimming with an ice pick could be hazardous!!!!!

Happy to be tredding - Tredding

 

[pegasus]

A friend of mine currently employed with SWA was flying w/a CP last week and he was told that there will most likely be 1 class in late August.

I like good rumors!

 

[Slug]

Thanks fellas (or gals)

Thanks for the pick me up. I think I'll be in class before October, too. It was just a bad post to read on a slow weekend with the inlaws in town. As the vast majority of ya'll know this Mr. Mom thing is great I'm just ready to get on with the rest of the ballgame, so to speak. Anyway, the family and I are packing up and heading to Panama City Beach for some R&R and its good to head out on a good note. Peace and love

Slug

 

[keeb]

pool info

I called at the end of last week for my monthly checkin. Same news of no classes planned just yet but things change. I asked about how many classes there will have to be for me to start. Answer 6-7 depending upon class size. I am # 60 something in the pool so we might have about 50% of the actual people in the pool. Just more info to pass the time.

Keeb

 

[w8n4swa]

more info and thoughts...

I stumbled across a SWA newsletter dated March 2002 that said there are currently 275 pilots in the pool...this is a published fact on a swa website. Let's say this was dated March 1 and we subtract 20 people per class from Mar 14, Mar 27, Apr 25 & Jul 15. That's 80 less people in the pool from March 1st. Now that figure is 195. Our latest unofficial list has 160 folks as of March 1st meaning we're off by 35 people for that date. Now, let's say that newsletter was taken on March 31st and we only subtract the classes of Apr 25 & Jul 15....40 less of 275 leaves 235 people in the pool on March 31. Our latest unofficial list has 192 poolies for this date leaving a difference of 43 folks. Either case, I believe the class predictions by southwest are very conservative and the actual number of classes before we go are lower than we're hearing.

Just my thoughts....I could be wrong.

 

[InHot]

Checkin

Hey Guys,

I just called this morning for my check-in. When I called JB's number I got a recording telling me to call Lindsey Lang's number. JB has gotten a promotion - a position in the training dept. Congrats JB! Lindsey is handling the poolies for the time being

LL gave me the standard response to the class situaton...nothing planned, could be 2003 before we have any more classes, however this could change - we will evaluate on a monthly basis.

I asked LL (is this a superman story?) about pilot staffing per airplane and she confirmed they look at 11-12 pilots per jet.

LL said they had already hired around 200 so far, so any more classes would be the result of additional aircraft orders. She then said that SWA had said in Jan 02 they would need hire about 250 pilots for the year.

That "250" number has been widely reported and jives with our speculation on this board. 17 net aircraft gain = 204 pilots + about 50 planned pilot retirements for the year 2002.

If that is the case and there really are 50 pilot reirements for the year then SWA will need two more classes to staff the fleet.

I also asked LL about where I stood in the quque. She said they would have to have a "handful" of classes before they got to me, she then said that would be 5-6 classes, depending on class size (I'm #68 on our list).

I just checked the SWA web site and came away with 370 jets on the property by year's end. At 12 per jet that comes to 4440 pilots. Anybody have the number of pilots currently on the SWA seniority list?

Maybe we could get an idea of whether they need any more classes based on the number on the seniority list and the 4440 pilots needed to staff the 370 jets.

Well, that's my input for the month. I'm going back to drown proofing.

Seeya

 

[fly26]

Is the SWA pool "competitive" or is it "first in - first out"?

Thanks.

 

[tredding@swa]

priority

I believe that FIFO is the oreder that we are extracted from the pool.... However - those who interviewed WITH a type rating are given a higher priority than those who interviewed w/o the type.

A buddy of mine (Craig Thornton @ SWAPrep.com) prepped a guy last year who interviewed on Oct.23,2001(with a type). He is IN the July 15th class. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out by looking at the interview/type dates to see that he is in class before some others on the list who interviewed prior (some months before) but had no 737 type.... I think having the type before interviewing is weighted BIG in your favor.


WHO knows what "really" happens - I am STILL just happy to be tredding!!!

Regards fellow poolies! Tredding

 

[SentryIP]

LL

InHot,

I think Superman's girl was Lois Lang. By the way, what is LL's phone number?



Rut roh...try one more time...it's Lois Lane...

 

[wnt2fly4swa]

214-792-5446

 

[Maynard]

Numbers

I talked to a friend who is in the July 15th class, and the day that they had breakfast with Colleen, they were told that the total number in the pool is 361. First "official" number that I have heard.

 

[SilentDave]

I talked to LL the other day as well for my monthly check-up. She passed along the same info. as was mentioned in previous posts. She said that I was about 8 to 9 classes away (I'm #72 on our latest list). Yikes!

 

[InHot]

Re: LL

InHot,

I think Superman's girl was Lois Lang. By the way, what is LL's phone number?

Lindsey lang 214 792-5446. Lois Lane!!! - and every women in Superman's life has the initials LL. Guess I'm showing my age!

 

[tredding@swa]

stands to reason...

LL, Superman.... I see the connection here,

poor Lindsey has 100s of "Supermen" (ok, ok AND "Superwomen") who she must deal with!

Tough job, being a lifeguard for such a FULL pool!?!?! Good luck Lindsey, nice to have you back on duty!!

Regards - Tredding

 

[MLBWINGBORN]

The current SWAPA list has 4092 pilots.

Mike
MLBWINGBORN

 

[737dude]

Jet Ratios

The current ratios that SWA is using for manning is about 11.2 bodies per AC. At 370 jets that is 4144 pilots. This is an approximate number and has fluctuated--but not to a 12: 1 ratio--more like +/- .1 ish.
Talked with a chief pilot yesterday and obviously confirmed the cancelled classes for August. They don't have any further word, except there will be a lot of meetings going on on August 19th. Probably some action will happen after the vote is done. Their conservative guess was at least one more this year, but then again with this company, reading tea leaves might be more accurate. Sorry that this is not more encouraging for you all.
Dude

 

[tredding@swa]

Dude...

Thanks for keeping us in the loop!

Actually, Thanks to all of our future fellow SWA family who are kind enough to throw us Poolies a life ring from time to time!

I'll speak for everyone (probably a BIG mistake on my part, knowing some of the "personalities" on this thread!!! ), but "we" appreciate those of you who take time to keep us up to date with fresh rumors, quotes, facts & other assorted data from the "inside"!!

Thankyouverymuch!!!

Sincerely - Tredding

 

[CoopDog]

Why go to all the trouble so soon?????

I just don't get it. Why did SWA go to all the trouble to interview so many people in Jan, Feb, and March and then stop cold turkey. If they only forcasted 250 or so new hires in '02, why not wait until the end of the year or even '03 to conduct interviews. It sounds as if there were already so many people in this pool anyhow. It looks as if they'll be easily able to fill all '02 new hire classes with '01 interviewees with a few leftovers.

Did somebody in planning just get a huge wild hair last December and January and decide to expand big time? And did the huge plans just get completely squashed by upper mgmt? Surely they can't be pointing the finger at the economy. We ALL knew that IF there was going to be ANY growth in the economy, it was going to be very small, and even smaller yet for the airlines. So I have a hard time seeing the logic in hiring huge for anticipated economic recovery.

So there was obviously some reason that so many of us were interviewed and dropped into this pool so early in the year. But I've yet to see or hear any GOOD reason for it to date. I've read all the rumors. Heck, I've even dropped a few of them on you guys myself (just trying to help). So what I guess I'm looking for is just ONE good answer to this. Then I'll feel better about my place here in this pool. ONE good answer might make this water a little more clear here.

Any clues?.... I mean answers?

 

[firstthird]

From what I've gathered on this board there were no August classes scheduled, at least not in the way you mean. I seriously doubt anyone got a call from a Chief Pilot and then had a class offer rescinded. If I remember correctly, SWA has never done that. In fact, they started a class a few days after 9/11 when the rest of the airline world was canceling everything and flushing their pools. So, I think it is not correct at all to say that people quit jobs on a promise of a class. This board is RUMORS, interspersed with a few facts now and then. It wouldn't be too wise a move to be quitting employment based on a "2 classes a month starting next month" rumor. Probably a better idea is to wait for that CP pilot call. Apparently, even when the People department tells you to expect such and such a class maybe 3 weeks out, they make it plain that until the CP calls, it is not a job offer.
Anyway, back to your post. I doubt anyone 'quit their jobs to make the August class,' a class was rumored but since no one ever got the CP calls, apparently there was no class.
(At least not yet, one can always hope.)

 

[Cropduster]

Well said Tredding!


Just fortunate to even be wet. Lets remember not to forget the guys and gals after us once we get on that hallowed ground in Dallas.


Thanks to all of our friends at SWA for at least helping us to breathe from time to time.

 

[Krunch]

Wanting to get wet...

Folks this web thing is as much entertainment as it is a place to vent, share and daydream... When you are all going through indoctrination and training in Dallas remember the rest of us just trying tyo get into the pool. In time we will all be walking down a corridor at an airport and see thousands of people daily embarking to and from SWA painted 737's. The smile on our faces will say it all.

The smile will say we all became part of a team that enjoys what it does and does it well... and you know the benefits/pay don't suck...

"Krunch"

 

[SWA/FO]

Actually, The guys assigned the 9/27/01 class were called September 14, 15 & 16 and told - "No Class til further notice". Most of the guys in that class had put in their two weeks notice at their current employer. (Except me, because I worked for an employment "at will" company - I did not want to lose out on any pay/vacation pay) We had already been called by a Chief Pilot and offered employment.

Rumors were flying....... Then out of the blue I got a phone call on 9/27/01 saying "what are you doing next week?" My Answer - "I'm there if you need me!" I quit my at-will employer an hour later.

The point is things change fast. I went from thinking that we might have to re-interview or maybe attend class in early 2002 to what am I going to take to training?. Things turned out better then I expected. Hang in there! I personally do think there will be more new hire classes this year.

* The heavy interviewing the first part of the year was due in part to all the interviews that were cancelled in September and October 2001

 

[ivauir]

We ALL knew that IF there was going to be ANY growth in the economy, it was going to be very small, and even smaller yet for the airlines. So I have a hard time seeing the logic in hiring huge for anticipated economic recovery

I don't know if you'll ever get the satisfactory answer you want... but let me try: there are two categories of reasons for SWA's actions regarding the pool.

1) It is a savy strategic move as part of a greater plan.
2) Someone steped in it.

Given the remarkable history of this company I'll go with one. In fact, I think your basic assumption ("we ALL knew") is false. People spend their whole lives trying to figure out how to predict the economy and nobody gets it right all of the time. It is relativly cheap and easy for SWA to screen a bunch of applicants. This is a process they will have to go through eventually anyway so why not do it sooner and build a pool when no one else is hiring so you can pick out the very best candidates you can find?

I am VERY confidant that SWA has a fairly precise plan to grow: they know what routes, how many planes, how many captain classes and how many new hires. They know how long it takes to line all of these things up, and (other than the pending contracts) how much it will all cost. The thing that drives us all nuts is that we don't know when we are going to class! But, I don't think they are holding out on us, I think they don't know either. This is because this "precise plan" doesn't work on a calender, it works on some economic data.

Just a theory, and I imagine none of us will ever know how the machine really works ...

 

[PTinbound]

The Big Picture: It's one of the things they show you when you retire.....