SWA Contract questions.

[Secret Squirrel]

How does your vacation work? Do you have a touch drop where if a trip touches your vacation it drops the trip so you can have a couple week vacation? If so do you get guarantee? Is there a minimum hours you can personal drop to in a month?

How does your pass travel system work? Can an employee or dependent get passes at any ticket counter or do you have pass offices at every base? Do you have agreements with lots of international companies? Are the ZED based? Do you have buddy passes for those not on your dependent list?

Do you have loss of license insurance through your union? Long term disability?

I heard you can be extended on trips. Does this happen often? Do they extend days or just turns?

Thanks

 

[spciii]

I'll take a crack at this, though I'm sure there are guys on here much better versed in our contract.

How does your vacation work? Do you have a touch drop where if a trip touches your vacation it drops the trip so you can have a couple week vacation? Yes, and for 20 bucks you can get a speadsheet sent to you telling you the best lines to bid for max vacation pay. Very worth the money. If so do you get guarantee? Guarantee for vacation is 26.50 I think. Is there a minimum hours you can personal drop to in a month? No personal drop and no zero trip lines like I hear you guys can currently bid.

How does your pass travel system work? Can an employee or dependent get passes at any ticket counter or do you have pass offices at every base? For passes on SWA, you electronically sign your dependents up for passes. No paperwork needed anymore. Offline, we may have a couple walkup agreements, but every time I've gone offline, I've gone thru our Pass Bureau in DAL. Do you have agreements with lots of international companies? Yes. Are the ZED based? Sometimes, depends on agreement. Do you have buddy passes for those not on your dependent list? Yes, but you can only get a max of 16 per year, assuming you fly at least 210 trips per quarter. They are transferable though, so you could theoretically get more than that.

Do you have loss of license insurance through your union? Long term disability? Yes and yes.

I heard you can be extended on trips. Does this happen often? Do they extend days or just turns? Depends. During the summer, a guy flying a Wed-Fri line might be ripe for a day of JA the following day. I have flown mostly reserve and have not been JA'd online. Also if you have a very early returning AM, you could get tagged to do a quick turn, especially on weekends. You will get paid extra, but if your day is rigged, it may not be a good deal.

Thanks

Any contract gurus care to chime in?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Are there pass offices in all bases?
How much are buddy passes?
How do you determine seniority for non rev travel on line?
Are crew members a higher priority than say parents, rampers, and retirees?
How expensive is LTD and Loss of license? Is it a good program or do a lot of people get theirs from a private company?
If you are extended do you have any way out? My wife and I work opposite shifts and getting extended a day could mess up day care.

Thanks again.

 

[spciii]

Are there pass offices in all bases? No, just in DAL
How much are buddy passes? For tax purposes, they are considered worth 40 bucks imputed income. Probably 10 bucks apiece for you.
How do you determine seniority for non rev travel on line? First come, first served I believe.
Are crew members a higher priority than say parents, rampers, and retirees? Crew members are higher than retirees and parents. Rampers, I'm not too sure. I haven't worried about that one, since there's usually a jumpseat open or a 4th FA jumpseat open.
How expensive is LTD and Loss of license? Is it a good program or do a lot of people get theirs from a private company? I need to check my paycheck on this one . . get back to you. . . .
If you are extended do you have any way out? My wife and I work opposite shifts and getting extended a day could mess up day care. You could try to convince the scheduler. If that doesn't work, try your CP. If that doesn't work, try your union who will try your CP. Then there's always fatigue . . .
Thanks again.

Hope it helps.
spciii

 

[Bake]

SWA, the company pays for loss of license, it does not come from union or your paycheck. LTD is 1 or 2 percent, can't remember.

 

[737tanker]

All SWA employees have the same priority for non-rev, so a ramper who gets to the gate counter 1st would be listed before a pilot. Family members traveling with an employee has the same priority as the employee, other wise they get prioritized behind employees. Buddy passes have priority just before nonrevs from other airlines. The 4th F/A jumpseat is 1st come 1st serve for all employees. Pilots do have priority on the cockpit jumpseat, except for must rides.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Is it first to check in at the counter or first to check in at the gate? So if I am first to the gate with my wife and kids as a hypothetical 2007 hire, I would have priority over a pilot and his family that is a 2001 hire? How about if I don't get on a flight and get rolled over to the next flight? Are non revs always loaded last? Even if it looks like the flight is going to have seats? Do people have any luck nonreving with family on SW. On Airtran I hardly ever rely on nonrev to get my family anywhere.

 

[scoreboardII]

First to get on the list at the gate wins. You win/your family flying with you wins over any hire date if you get there first. Non revs load last unless they know they have seats then they give you a standard boarding pass, which is normally how it's done, you load in your boarding order. Yes you have luck, but need to be ready to take first flight or last.

If you get "rick rolled" to a later flight, as long as nobody else is signed up for the later flight, your first, if someone is signed up for a later flight and your bumbed into that flight, your after whomever signed up first, choose wisely.

Fridays, Mondays, Sat are bad. Sun is best except West coast North South. Mid week depends on season or holidays. All Holidays suck.

 

[Flying the Line]

You can check in to non-rev 2 hours prior just about anywhere, even at curbside checkin as long as it is an agent and not a skycap. First come-first served, it you are rolled you are ahead of the the next flights non-revs.

 

[Dolce]

You also need to watch how the CSAs are listing you when you sign up. I've had people slide in front of me because they worked at the station from where I was non-reving. Had to call BS in a very tactful way and asked to see their non-rev list where I pointed out those individuals were several names below me and my son...helps to pretend to call chief pilot also! Never show fear and never blink...it's a sign of weakness.

D