SWA tactics on the ramp and taxiways

[FlyBoeingJets]

SWADude and all other SWA folks,

OK, The gig is up and Ty caught us!

He has figured out that we practice the "lost comm" taxi procedure during our PC's and that our FOM directs us to "cut off all aircraft, especially Airtran, while taxiing to/from runways". That the FAA gives all SWA aircraft that use the "super-secret double mic click" prority handling and slows down all "green and white aircraft in the vicinity".

BUT, be careful, has not caught on to "Project Mayhem". Mum is the word.

First rule of Fight Club is "Don't talk about Fight Club!"



And, in all seriousness, I have not seen what Ty is talking about in my civilian flying. I've seen it on Military ramps though!

 

[Getter]

I've seen it from the left and right seat, but not from a SWA seat, if that is really important (...oh ya 1,000 turbine PIC, I guess it is). Anyway, SWA does seem to taxi faster than everyone else & seems to rush. For better or worse ...it works for them. I've never experienced any real rudeness, however, or been cutoff.

 

[Jim Smyth]

Well lets see, ground control controls the ground traffic. So how do we cut you off? Maybe thats exactly what they want us to believe..............Get a life!

 

[WillowRunVortex]

WE had a fed jumpseating with us one day in a ratty o'l DC9,,,he was checking every friggin post lamp to see if it worked. Then,,,like a gift from heaven Southwest goes by on the taxi-way at like 40 KTS,,,my capt at the time made a wonderful comment,,,"Jeeze if we taxied like that you guys would put us in jail". ALL attention was immediatly diverted to the Southwest plane.

It broke the ice and the fed lightened up a bit for the rest of the flight. Thanks Southwest!

 

[saabcaptain]

In 6 years at MDW I have never seen any behavior like Ty describes with any airline, let alone SWA. I have seen many, many times where long after our turboprop is sitting at the hold short line we got skipped, sometimes multiple times in a row, by ATC in favor of a SWA aircraft approaching the hold short from the other side at Mach 1. Yes, there was much grumbling and assumptions of favoritism but THAT IS HARDLY THE FAULT OF THE SWA CREWS.

I would say that part of the reason ATC favored them was that they always went out of their way to make sure they never caused ATC a problem and always expedited anything ATC needed. Maybe it was the SWA mugs or pizza given to the tower, who knows. Now I think other carriers, ATA and Chicago Express in specific, did the same kind of things for ATC (always being helpful, keeping speeds up etc.) but it comes down to there was 140 people vs. 34 people to inconvienced thing and when it came time to decide who gets to depart ATC was going to help out the greater number. Maybe not fair, but it is a reality.

While I am sure you could find some example of the behavior Ty spoke of at SWA, I am sure you could find it at AirTran, UAL, you name it. I for one have never seen it and think it is pretty lousy to say it is a common SWA practice when IMHO nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[Vector4fun]

I would say that part of the reason ATC favored them was that they always went out of their way to make sure they never caused ATC a problem and always expedited anything ATC needed. Maybe it was the SWA mugs or pizza given to the tower, who knows.

Truthfully,

If I've got a jet on 2 1/2 mile final at typical speed, a SWA flight is probably the only brand I'll roll in front of the arrival. For no other reason than I'm reasonably sure they'll do their best. A few other operators seem to not really care if even their own company's flight has to go around. (not naming names) If I ask 'em to hustle, they'll do it, and I won't get any long-winded, condencending replies. And if I see brand XX taxiing at 10 mph, why wouldn't I put a SWA on the taxiway in front if I could without causing too much trouble?

But as far as favors, outside of one jumpseat home from Vegas many, many years ago, SWA has never done anything for me other than just cooperate as much as possible. Oh sure, maybe a decade or more back, some controllers were probably flashing and dashing a bit, and reciprocating. That hasn't been possible for a long time now.


As far as favors go, Lufthansa beats all you domestic lines hands down. I used to find a case of German beer in my pickup every Xmas....

 

[75M]

our "new" procedures slow us down a bit, but ATC stills knows it can count on us to expedite as much as safely possible if they ask us to

That was originally posted by a SWA guy on a previous thread and I copied it because it caught my attention. Twice on my last trip, I was cleared for a visual after spotting a SWA jet 5 miles ahead (once in PHL and once in MCO). On both approaches, I found SWA slowing down noticebly earlier than in the past. Keep in mind I tangoed in STL for 7 years with SWA while also commuting on them, so I have an idea of where and when they slowed down.

I was just wondering what changed.

NOTE: I don't think it was a tactic to slow down the guy behind them or some other cospiracy. My guess is that SWA went rom 500' AFL stabilized to 1000' AFL stabilized. Heck, it could have been because the were following Ty

 

[Yahtzee]

I was just wondering what changed.
My guess is that SWA went rom 500' AFL stabilized to 1000' AFL stabilized.

Bingo!...stabilized approach procedures changed back in April 04

 

[SWA/FO]

Ty you guys lost the gates in MDW.... time to move on.

We don't taxi like any of the carriers that "wait for their numbers", we are always ready to go. Unsafe? no way.

If you guys want to drag out your taxi for another .1 so be it, we got work to do at SWA and planes don't make money on the ground. Got to get to the hotel for the 1-2-3!!!

 

[Flying Freddie]

I have never had a problem with SW, They have always been 100%.

 

[aa73]

Ty you guys lost the gates in MDW.... time to move on.

We don't taxi like any of the carriers that "wait for their numbers", we are always ready to go. Unsafe? no way.

If you guys want to drag out your taxi for another .1 so be it, we got work to do at SWA and planes don't make money on the ground. Got to get to the hotel for the 1-2-3!!!

And to all of those wondering why AA taxiis the slowest.......

We have the longest, most retarded work-intensive taxi/before T/O checklist to which the captain must answer every item - including a mechanical checklist that is located low down on the pedestal, so at least one of us is heads down reading the darn thing. Now add the required briefing that the captain must make regarding takeoff data -

and here's the best one....drumroll..... the captain has to make the T/O PA to the flight attendants, while he's taxiing!!!

So now you know.... and now you also know why we probably have the most runway incursions of any carrier. Just give us a little extra vigilance when you see us coming your way, lol. (I do my best in keeping heads up, I don't start the checklist until we are on a big taxiway.)

Supposed to change soon is the latest word.

73

 

[LoveGun]

I personly love the games everyone plays on ramp frequency. It's one of the things that make this job fun. Boys will be boys. Go work in a bank if you don't like it.

 

[Ty Webb]

That's nice, sparky. Hope you don;t bend any metal with your "games".

 

[75M]

Thanks Yahtzee

 

[jhill]

ASA had a DFW-based captain about 10 years ago that got cut off by an AA MD-80 and responded by gunning it and playing chicken. In fact I think the FO had to hit the brakes and yank the throttles. He got some time off to think about it.

BTW I wish we were all as unsafe as SWA - think how many planes and people would have been saved over the years....

Pickin Pete the Booger Man, no doubt about it