SWA plan for 15% ROIC

[Secret Squirrel]

Pilots are a funny bunch. Most are smart enough to realize the massive damage a strike will do to their respective companies, but most are also self absorbed enough to not care. As soon as it becomes "us vs them" with your management, you both lose. Money is hard enough to make in the airline business...do you really want to complicate that?

If you owned your own small business and were dealing with employee issues such as this, how would you handle it? How would you feel as the owner?

Am I a multi-millionaire with an incredible golden parachute with an airline that is too big to fail? Just trying to figure out my motivation here. Management is an employee just like the line pilot.

 

[Mamma]

Pilots are a funny bunch. Most are smart enough to realize the massive damage a strike will do to their respective companies, but most are also self absorbed enough to not care. As soon as it becomes "us vs them" with your management, you both lose. Money is hard enough to make in the airline business...do you really want to complicate that?

If you owned your own small business and were dealing with employee issues such as this, how would you handle it? How would you feel as the owner?

Once again here is another "funny pilot" who understands nothing about the industry he/she is in. Strikes do not happen overnight. They take years and years to come to fruition and this is after the mediation board has ruled there is no other option. If management is playing fair and being reasonable, the mediation board will not release the pilots to strike. Why do guys like you always blame the rank and file employees for a strike to come about? The threat of strike is the only motivating factor that moves the negotiation process forward. Usually the two parties solve their problems at the table.

 

[GhettoBeechjet]

Back to topic. WNs has a multipronged approach to 15 percent ROIC.

1. As pointed out they will go after labor's work rules and hiring

2. increase revenue with Bus select Rapid Rewards and this new seating thing

3. -800s

4. schedule optimization 7 seperate schudules each week instead of the 3 current each week. AKA much less flying mid week

5. international

6. Most important for folks on here less "unproductive" flying which means fewer airplanes and fewer pilots. Already scheduled for about 70 fewer airframes than the combined total now. To save the training costs of transitioning approx 550 FL pilots they only need to furlough 365 WN pilots

 

[humveedriver]

Ghetto,

I know I've seen the delivery chart, but can't remember where? Is that what you are basing the 70 net loss of airframes on? New 737 to 717 retirement?

Here is something to consider. Right now AT and SWA is still being operated very much seperatly. I know the code share is suppose to happen soon, but really, big deal. The point is to get SWA customers and the brand into AT cities. Not try to introduce SWA customers to the AT brand. 2013 is really the last year for SWA to transition at a deliberate pace. 2014 is going to be really interesting. Not just because the training department will be going 24/7. But I believe you will see a lot more flying on the SWA side. There are new city combinations that need to be flown from old SWA cities to AT cities. Our former managagement used to call it connecting the dots. Between our international and domestic cities, there are going to be a lot of dots to connect using the SWA brand. There is no way SWA is going to telegraph what the new service will be. It sounds like we may be heavy on pilots in 2014. But there will also be a lot of training. So it may be close to a wash. I see things ramping up in 2015, so I don't think furloughing 130 pilots for one year is going to make sense.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Ghetto,

I see things ramping up in 2015, so I don't think furloughing 130 pilots for one year is going to make sense.

Only if Airtran management was still in charge.

 

[texman]

Humm is right!

 

[PCL_128]

If you owned your own small business and were dealing with employee issues such as this, how would you handle it? How would you feel as the owner?

I wouldn't treat my employees like trash, so it wouldn't be a problem for me.

 

[HowardBorden]

6. Most important for folks on here less "unproductive" flying which means fewer airplanes and fewer pilots. Already scheduled for about 70 fewer airframes than the combined total now. To save the training costs of transitioning approx 550 FL pilots they only need to furlough 365 WN pilots

I have yet to see these numbers. Kelly has directly made this statement: "The plan is to keep Southwest’s fleet constant at around 700 airplanes over the next five years, adding enough new Boeing 737s to replace more than 150 older Boeing 737 Classics that will be retired during that period."

 

[Phlintstone]

6. Most important for folks on here less "unproductive" flying which means fewer airplanes and fewer pilots. Already scheduled for about 70 fewer airframes than the combined total now. To save the training costs of transitioning approx 550 FL pilots they only need to furlough 365 WN pilots

Where do you get this info? If it is a gut feeling, keep it to yourself. If GK has to choose between training AT pilots, or keeping SWA pilots, he will keep the latter. AT will always get the short stick in those types of decisions. It is the AT guys that need to sweat a possible furlough. Momma Kelly will take care of you.

Just a recent example...Have you looked at your latest "attendance program?" The passes you earn are good on AT and SW flights but our passes are only good on AT flights. Way to GK, just keep kicking your future employees.

Phred

 

[canyonblue]

Where do you get this info? If it is a gut feeling, keep it to yourself. If GK has to choose between training AT pilots, or keeping SWA pilots, he will keep the latter. AT will always get the short stick in those types of decisions. It is the AT guys that need to sweat a possible furlough. Momma Kelly will take care of you.

Just a recent example...Have you looked at your latest "attendance program?" The passes you earn are good on AT and SW flights but our passes are only good on AT flights. Way to GK, just keep kicking your future employees.

Phred

Oh, Porterhouse! Look at the wax build up on those shoes! This is fine leather. I want that wax stripped off there, and I want creamed, and buffed with a fine chamois. I want them now. Chop! Chop!