SWA Hiring...

[Dash Power]

A good pal of mine, 7 year SWA FO went to recurrent a while back and said another guy in class had already put his notice in and was off to DL.

Off to an airline not hiring.

Who makes up this crap.....

More importantly, what morons buys into this crap......

 

[Dash Power]

I don't know, a lot?

Come on know it all, give us a number as what you know. 50%.....10%.....what?

 

[zippy32]

SWA will start charging some sort of bag fee when Amedeus comes online. The writing has been on the wall for months (no mention of bags flying free on any ad).

 

[PropPiedmont]

SWA will start charging some sort of bag fee when Amedeus comes online. The writing has been on the wall for months (no mention of bags flying free on any ad).

Except for the big ass "Free Bags Fly Here" sticker on the sides of some of our airplanes.

 

[fam62c]

I'm a late 07 hire at UAL (b756). I'll make about 140k this year. I'll also get an extra 16% thrown in to my B-fund at no cost to me...your numbers are a bit off.

Also, for pilots starting out now the upgrade is a factor as well. If the legacy upgrade is at 12 years and SW is at 20 the extra years in the left seat is worth a lot of money. SW pays FO's very well but the years of SW FO's making more than legacy CA's is quickly approaching it's end with this latest contract cycle. Legacy FO pay has also risen although SW is still better in most cases.

I don't think that many SW/AT FO's will choose to start over but there will be some younger ones who will do it. The big question a few years from now will be if the next generation of new, younger pilots will choose to go to (or stay at) SW if there is significant movement and hiring at the legacy carriers. The advantages that SW had for new-hires when the industry was in the toilet and they were the only game in town are not as pronounced now. The fact that career progression at SW today is very different from what it was back in the days of rapid growth will be a factor when new pilots are looking for career positions. How many years does a new pilot want to work weekends and holidays, be on reserve, be at the most junior base, wait for upgrade, etc? Junior pilots working at a company with slow movement do these things....even at SW.

One thing in favor of SW though as somebody else pointed out is that SW weathers downturns far better than most carriers. In this industry the one thing you can always bet on is that there will be another downturn.....there always is.

In any case, the fact the industry seems to be profitable and there is movement and hiring that seems to be accelerating is good for all of us. The last decade has been pretty rough for this industry.

 

[zippy32]

Except for the big ass "Free Bags Fly Here" sticker on the sides of some of our airplanes.

And those have been disappearing of late. Look at the ads in the jetways and any other print/tv ad. Not a single mention of bags flying free.

 

[madjack]

The pilot shortage, if it pans out, will help everybody at every airline! DL needs to get back out in front of the CBA pack...SWA has kept the mark and now that DL is profitable, they need to take over as industry leaders in compensation.

 

[redflyer65]

And those have been disappearing of late. Look at the ads in the jetways and any other print/tv ad. Not a single mention of bags flying free.

Zippy is right. I think the aircraft stickers are down to less than a handful out of around 500 aircraft.

The marketing campaign will focus on Customer Service instead of bag fees.

 

[SWA Bubba]

Bubba,

Sounds like ghetto is actually worried about his job. Maybe he is junior and he might be one of those guys who considers moving over to one of the big three legacies some day? Easy on him, and I think he may be an original Corndog and not a FAT pilot. Think how many of them may be thinking the same? You just never know....


Bye Bye---General Lee

I know he's an "original Corndog" junior FO, and not a FAT pilot. He's not talking about leaving for greener pastures; all he talks about is "impending Southwest furloughs," using nonsensical data that only he's smart enough to decipher. It's probably good for you that he's not over at Delta- he'd be the same depressed, gloomy Gus over there, talking about your "impending furloughs." Hell, your recent news about cutting back in Memphis, leaves of absence, etc. is so "dire," that it probably would have driven him over the edge.

Bubba

 

[redflyer65]

I know he's an "original Corndog" junior FO, and not a FAT pilot. He's not talking about leaving for greener pastures; all he talks about is "impending Southwest furloughs," using nonsensical data that only he's smart enough to decipher. It's probably good for you that he's not over at Delta- he'd be the same depressed, gloomy Gus over there, talking about your "impending furloughs." Hell, your recent news about cutting back in Memphis, leaves of absence, etc. is so "dire," that it probably would have driven him over the edge.

Bubba

He's the perfect guy to man the Furlough Hotline (or is it the Suicide Hotline), no matter where he works.

 

[Ty Webb]

Also, for pilots starting out now the upgrade is a factor as well. If the legacy upgrade is at 12 years and SW is at 20 the extra years in the left seat is worth a lot of money. SW pays FO's very well but the years of SW FO's making more than legacy CA's is quickly approaching it's end with this latest contract cycle. Legacy FO pay has also risen although SW is still better in most cases.

I don't think that many SW/AT FO's will choose to start over but there will be some younger ones who will do it. The big question a few years from now will be if the next generation of new, younger pilots will choose to go to (or stay at) SW if there is significant movement and hiring at the legacy carriers. The advantages that SW had for new-hires when the industry was in the toilet and they were the only game in town are not as pronounced now. The fact that career progression at SW today is very different from what it was back in the days of rapid growth will be a factor when new pilots are looking for career positions. How many years does a new pilot want to work weekends and holidays, be on reserve, be at the most junior base, wait for upgrade, etc? Junior pilots working at a company with slow movement do these things....even at SW.

One thing in favor of SW though as somebody else pointed out is that SW weathers downturns far better than most carriers. In this industry the one thing you can always bet on is that there will be another downturn.....there always is.

In any case, the fact the industry seems to be profitable and there is movement and hiring that seems to be accelerating is good for all of us. The last decade has been pretty rough for this industry.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

 

[madjack]

I pray that DL hires every tranny that wants to go...

 

[scoreboardII]

So, there is NO way your airline could ever go BK? Ever? Alright, I just want to make sure you believe that 100%, because the former Pan Am, Eastern, and TWA guys probably thought the same way back when. I thought the same in the late 90s, but was proven wrong. Just try not to get too cocky here. I know it's tough for some of you Corndogs, but things happen. Simmer down a bit.


Bye Bye---General Lee

I never said what you just stated.

You need to take a chill pill yourself and police your writings, at least read for comprehension what others are posting.

I said, before SWA enters BK, they have a road of numerous revenue enhancing options. You make it seem as though BK for SWA is a foregone conclusion.

There have been more than a vocal few on this forum proclaim the demise of SWA by 2009, 2010, 2011, 12, 13. Still here, actually bigger. Getting close to 15% ROI.

Hard to fathom an airline going from 15% ROI to BK. We are not in the money laundering days of the 80's and 90's, using today accounting rules prevents all of those shenanigans.

Now, given 40 years of profitability, I have to say that yes, I will now state, I have 100% confidence, SWA will continue to make money, one way or the other. I do not see them turning into a money grinding machine like all the other legacies, taking ten years to get into BK, and another five to get out. That's not an LCC plan.

I do see them working with employees, taking drastic paycuts, and undercutting the renewed legacies, and yet again, those renewed legacies restarting their cycle through the courts all over again, the business cycle repeats. That's what I see as inevitable.

Happy hunting.

 

[scoreboardII]

Also, for pilots starting out now the upgrade is a factor as well. If the legacy upgrade is at 12 years and SW is at 20 the extra years in the left seat is worth a lot of money. SW pays FO's very well but the years of SW FO's making more than legacy CA's is quickly approaching it's end with this latest contract cycle. Legacy FO pay has also risen although SW is still better in most cases.

I don't think that many SW/AT FO's will choose to start over but there will be some younger ones who will do it. The big question a few years from now will be if the next generation of new, younger pilots will choose to go to (or stay at) SW if there is significant movement and hiring at the legacy carriers. The advantages that SW had for new-hires when the industry was in the toilet and they were the only game in town are not as pronounced now. The fact that career progression at SW today is very different from what it was back in the days of rapid growth will be a factor when new pilots are looking for career positions. How many years does a new pilot want to work weekends and holidays, be on reserve, be at the most junior base, wait for upgrade, etc? Junior pilots working at a company with slow movement do these things....even at SW.

One thing in favor of SW though as somebody else pointed out is that SW weathers downturns far better than most carriers. In this industry the one thing you can always bet on is that there will be another downturn.....there always is.

In any case, the fact the industry seems to be profitable and there is movement and hiring that seems to be accelerating is good for all of us. The last decade has been pretty rough for this industry.

The same could be said for SWA at numerous periods when upgrades jumped from 2 to four years, then 6, then ten, oh my. It is what it is, an industry stagnation, not just SWA. SWA will normalize by about 2020, then upgrades will return as the bubble of older folks leave the ranks. So right now, upgrades will push 20, but they are already at 10-12, will raise to about 18-20 over next 6 years, then drop off again.

While the legacies furloughed, SWA kept everyone employed, do the math on that.

Removing SWA from your list as a young newhire at this time would be folly, in fact, it may still be the best bet in town 10 years from now. The only person who should avoid SWA is the military retiree who is in their 40's, you will be a West coast FO till you retire.

 

[HowardBorden]

That is what makes MORE money for legacy pilots, each upward movement pays MORE.

Actually that's what makes LESS money for legacy pilots. To use the airline you claim you currently work for, the only airframes that pay more than our 737's are: 747-400, 777-200LR, 777, A330-300, A330-200, 767-400ER, which totals 87 airframes or 12% of the 719 in the fleet. So, if you are currently flying the DC9, 737-700, A319, MD88, A320, MD90, 737-800, 757-200, 757-300, 767-300 you are doing so for a lower hourly rate than every Southwest pilot flying every Southwest airplane. You don't need to continually head to the schoolhouse and bust your ass to make a higher pay rate. You aren't required to continually base hop to follow wherever the 12% of the fleet that pays a higher wage is located as opposed to every aircraft deployed at every domicile at SWA.

Disclaimer: Figures based on current pay rates and fleet numbers listed on APC.