SWA pilots ?

[StopNTSing]

I have never understood the thought behind not wanting 800's. Some have said it would require another FA, but that is only over 150 pax...am I missing something?

Three letters: M-D-W. Ask any former ATA guys how well the -800 did out of there to the west coast. That increased seat capacity comes at the cost of decreased performance. No free lunch.

Also our current contract says basically that other larger 737s, if operated by the company, would be paid at a 5% increase over current rates of pay. Curiously, this language appears to be missing from our new TA....

 

[Daddy]

Thanks...I had no idea it was the seats and not the pax themselves. Of course, how hard would it be to add one FA per flight that has an 800...I guess about as hard as buying a computer program that can add and subtract in currencies other than the American dollar since we cant cross the border yet either.

 

[Green Banana]

Three letters: M-D-W. Ask any former ATA guys how well the -800 did out of there to the west coast. That increased seat capacity comes at the cost of decreased performance. No free lunch.

-800 seems to work well for ALK. Full load of fuel and pax out of LIH (6500FT). We did have to do some tweaking by getting the SFP (short field performance). Flaps 25, 27K bump thrust. SNA is admittedly restricted at 5700FT and the noise thing.

 

[737tanker]

I have never understood the thought behind not wanting 800's. Some have said it would require another FA, but that is only over 150 pax...am I missing something?

I was in upgrade class in 2000 and the VP of FltOps was asked why no -800s. He said that the 4th F/A was not the issue. The issue was fleet usage. If a full -300 or -700 had a mechanical and had to be replaced by a -500 you would only bump 15 passengers. If a full -800 had a mechanical and was replaced by a -700 you would bump 50 passengers. The way SWA operates you could handle 15 bumped passengers, but not 50. So if SWA ever got -800s they would not be interchangeable with the rest of the fleet.

 

[mt2]

So if SWA ever got -800s they would not be interchangeable with the rest of the fleet.

Then again, if all they did was run back and forth from the West Coast to Hawai'i it might be a great fit.

 

[GuppyWN]

Quick question for LUV pilots. Before I send my passport for renewal, do your gate agents require a CASS check even if i sit in the back? Sometimes they want to see my stuff even they'll put me in cabin, sometimes not. I just want to make sure 1) I have my passport when I need it, and 2) CASS won't red flagged me cuz my passport is due.

Thanks!

You DO NOT need a passport/CASS to ride in the back. That being said I had an gal try to keep me from getting on a flight a couple weeks ago because CASS was down - even though CASS is not needed for SWA crews to ride in SWA cockpits.

IOW, get the passport back ASAP - and wave at me from the terminal window if you have a problem. I'll be right up!

Gup

 

[another cfii]

You DO NOT need a passport/CASS to ride in the back. That being said I had an gal try to keep me from getting on a flight a couple weeks ago because CASS was down - even though CASS is not needed for SWA crews to ride in SWA cockpits.

IOW, get the passport back ASAP - and wave at me from the terminal window if you have a problem. I'll be right up!

Gup

Thx, that's what i thought. When I JS in the cabin, the boarding pass still shows CASS app'd and my passport # and all, so perhaps your res system saves all the info in the database.

LUV is a commuter's best pal!

 

[Cardinal]

CASS will not throw a flag on an expired passport. Mine was expired most of the summer and the WN system never so much as burped.

 

[bluesideup1]

CASS will not throw a flag on an expired passport. Mine was expired most of the summer and the WN system never so much as burped.

Very wrong.

Mine expired the end of the previous month and on the second of the next month it locked me out and I almost missed a cruise because the agent didn't look at the bottom of the screen where it said "Please offer a seat in the back" she only saw the big print that said it was denied. They wouldn't let me on but I made the second flight after talking with another agent that knew we could ride in the back even if cass was denied.

I missed the first flight because the agent was unwilling to take more time to figure it out even though I was the only one at the counter. She was seriously concerned about pushing late but it was still 21 minutes before departure time and the plane ended up pushing 11 minutes early.

The CASS system didn't say why I was locked out but after a call to the secretaries in my flight ops and they figured it was my passport. BTW I had the new one on me but I had not turned in the paper work to update it with the company.

The great part was the secretary faxed over the needed paperwork to a chaplains office at the airport as I waited for the second flight and he allowed me to make a copy of the current passport on his copier and then fax it back to the chief pilots office. Unfortunately the CASS system only updates at Midnight so that day was blown but I was CASS approved for my flight home after the cruise.

Lesson being make sure to update with your company when you get your new passport.

 

[Cardinal]

What can I say, YMMV.