SWA Interviews

[freightdogfred]

I will be the first to tell you that Airtran was improperly managed. It was not the end all and be all of airlines. Many things were a constant battle. We were poorly represented by fellow pilots that ran for union positions. Management embraced an adverse relationship with the pilot group. We were continually pitted against other work groups within the airline. Schedulers would ask you for a favor and then screw you out of pay the next day.

The pilots worked very hard to make the operation a success every day. They took care of each other and supported other work groups and forged a team mentality to get the job done to take care of the customers. Huge efforts from the ramp made drastic changes over the years and they became proud of their accomplishments for on time pushes and low rate of mishandled bags. A single agent would handled tickets, board the plane, operate the jet bridge and handle mis-connects. Occasionally you would see them driving the tug at some of the smaller stations. When Club 169 was furloughed the rest of the pilot group adopted families for the Christmas holiday. We worked hard to make it successful IN SPITE OF MANAGEMENTS EFFORTS.

Airtran was not in the same place in the growth cycle as SWA at the time of the purchase on 10/27/2010. They did have the quickest growth to 100 aircraft of any airline until Jet Blue eclipsed the mark. I would venture to bet that Airtran outpaced SWA for growth and profitablility if you compared the first 10-15 years of operation. We were a profitable airline with a good product. Would Airtran survive the next 15 years in the current environment? Maybe.... big maybe. Will SWA be around for the next 15 years... probably so.

Your efforts to cheapen the the efforts and successes that Airtran accomplished are noted. We operated and competed and did well. Take a moment to read the financials and you will see the airline did not lose tons of money over the years.... they were successful and did well in economically challenging times. The pilot group is professional and proud. We succeeded in spite of management and took great pride in the product.

Herb built a great airline and worked diligently to protect what he made. Where was SWA in the first 15 years of its existence? Scrambling to grow and become larger. Now here you are 40 years later and you still don't have international. Many things you do are great and do very well. Training department is outstanding. Schedulers are easy to talk to and credit for three and four day trips is great. Do I trust GK or management? Not as far as I can spit. Do I think that they were in collusion with the union? Yes. Can I change anything that has transpired over the past three years? Nope. Will I continue to come to work and do my job as a professional? Certainly so. Will the paychecks continue until I retire in 17 years? I expect so.
Do I really care what you think? you very much. nite nite

Good post, it about sums it up. Well written and accurate, but you won't change any RSW's pilots mind.

 

[Ty Webb]

Nice post, Just Thinking, and dead on.

 

[SWA Bubba]

PCL and Lear have quit posting because they are preparing documents and testimony for the inevitable lawsuit to be filed in Federal Court.

Someone said this should be over and we should all move on. This is not over by a longshot, as a matter of fact we have barely started. We have rounds of litigation, and whole careers of guys who will be pissed off because they didn't get what they thought they were entitled to out of this shotgun wedding. We have many years of resentment towards unions, union leaders, company leaders, and other crew members to look forward to. Also we most likely will get a few rounds of bar and crew room fisticuffs and thousands of hours of dysfunctional cockpits along the way. This won't really be over until every pilot that was on either list or in the pool when the deal was announced is dead. Then maybe it will finally be over.

Well, at least he's not ranting about the "impending furloughs" that he knows is coming any more. Different day; different doomsday prophecy.

Bubba

 

[dicko]

we've always gotten retro with a contact.

Bubba

"We" ? I'm betting that any AirTran pilot forced to stay on the AirTran side of the partition won't see jack. But a guy thousands of numbers junior will.

I suppose it all depends on how long GK can stall.

 

[SWA Bubba]

"We" ? I'm betting that any AirTran pilot forced to stay on the AirTran side of the partition won't see jack. But a guy thousands of numbers junior will.

I suppose it all depends on how long GK can stall.

Sure he will. He'll see "jack" whenever he gets to this side of the partition. You guys on that side are already operating under a current contact with raises and stuff, right?

Bubba

 

[RLAblows]

Sure he will. He'll see "jack" whenever he gets to this side of the partition. You guys on that side are already operating under a current contact with raises and stuff, right?

Bubba

The key word in Dicko's statement was "forced" to stay on the AirTran side of the partition. You completely missed the point.

 

[humveedriver]

PCL and Lear have quit posting because they are preparing documents and testimony for the inevitable lawsuit to be filed in Federal Court.

Someone said this should be over and we should all move on. This is not over by a longshot, as a matter of fact we have barely started. We have rounds of litigation, and whole careers of guys who will be pissed off because they didn't get what they thought they were entitled to out of this shotgun wedding. We have many years of resentment towards unions, union leaders, company leaders, and other crew members to look forward to. Also we most likely will get a few rounds of bar and crew room fisticuffs and thousands of hours of dysfunctional cockpits along the way. This won't really be over until every pilot that was on either list or in the pool when the deal was announced is dead. Then maybe it will finally be over.

Just one small request. Can you change your avatar/profile pic to Eeyore? That's some good writing. I don't think I could convincingly muster that quality of pessimism.

 

[scoreboardII]

PCL and Lear have quit posting because they are preparing documents and testimony for the inevitable lawsuit to be filed in Federal Court.

Someone said this should be over and we should all move on. This is not over by a longshot, as a matter of fact we have barely started. We have rounds of litigation, and whole careers of guys who will be pissed off because they didn't get what they thought they were entitled to out of this shotgun wedding. We have many years of resentment towards unions, union leaders, company leaders, and other crew members to look forward to. Also we most likely will get a few rounds of bar and crew room fisticuffs and thousands of hours of dysfunctional cockpits along the way. This won't really be over until every pilot that was on either list or in the pool when the deal was announced is dead. Then maybe it will finally be over.

Or, you could be a professional and understand management could give a crap what employees think, and realize the guy or gal next to you is just along for the ride.

 

[scoreboardII]

Just one small request. Can you change your avatar/profile pic to Eeyore? That's some good writing. I don't think I could convincingly muster that quality of pessimism.

See, now YOU get it.

 

[SWA Bubba]

The key word in Dicko's statement was "forced" to stay on the AirTran side of the partition. You completely missed the point.

Sorry; perhaps I did miss the "forced" part. From the comments of the vast majority of AirTran posters on this site (Dicko, PCL, -9Capt, Fletch, JustThinking, etc., etc., etc.), I assumed that everyone on the AirTran side wanted to stay on that side because it was so much better over there. That's what I keep hearing, anyway. Silly me.

Regardless, only people who worked under SWAPA's CBA will get retro pay based on negotiated raises they haven't gotten yet. Pilots on the AirTran side already got their negotiated raises. Did you think they should get something based on some other group's negotiations as well? That seems a little gratuitous. They'll get the SWAPA pay raises when they come over--willingly or forced over, by the end of 2014.

Perhaps I don't understand Dicko's complaint after all.

Bubba