SWA to England?

[General Lee]

Here is what I'm doing when I go to work next time:

337 OAK 1500 LAX 1615 700 115 30
337 LAX 1645 MDW 2045 700 400 25
337 MDW 2110 IAD 2255 700 145 1910

895 IAD 1805 MDW 2000 700 155 30
895 MDW 2030 LAX 0050 700 420 1255

82 LAX 1345 PHL 1915 700 530 2115

77 PHL 1630 LAX 2230 700 600 30
77 LAX 2300 OAK 0010 700 110 0

This comes out to 2.0 legs per day. I wish that it paid more, but 30.5 hours of pay for a four day trip is a lot better than the best four day trip I flew at my two previous airlines. I'm yet to feel exhausted after flying a trip at SWA. Then again, I was civilian before I came to SWA, so that may have something to do with it.

Amazing. Thanks for sharing. You have shown me that not all trips have 6 legs. But, I would think that many do. Still, some of your trips appear civilized. I would expect a few more legs in there, but I guess not. I have not lied when I have stated my SWA friends have read me their trips and some were gawd awful. High Productivity usually means lots of legs for you guys, especially around LAS and all of those cities nearby, and Texas stuff. My friend told me the 2nd day of his 4 day had OMA--STL--MCO--BWI--ALB. That is a long one, and he said his other days were just as long. Not everyone wants that. Thanks for posting that schedule.


Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[AV80R]

Vixin - Hey GL the average is like 2.87 legs per day.
General Lee - Thanks for the "average" amount of legs per day--2.87....okay?

Hmm, is it possible that both airlines are good companies? That they both have their pros and cons? At least that’s what I believe…

 

[Heavy Set]

OK, I've got a 6 leg day on my next trip so there are days like that at this airline. I also fly out of TX, so that probably has something to do with it. I don't think that most of the pilot bases have 6 leg days very often with the exception of the DAL and HOU bases.

It's just a different type of flying. I know plenty of SWA pilots. Some people love the regional-style flying (PHX-LAS-SJC-SAN-OAK-SEA in one day) while others appreciate the longer flights (SAN-PHX-BUF). SWA's operation was made to be a high-utilization operation and most pilots understand that when they get hired. Could I do that type of high-utilization flying with 30-minute turnarounds for 25 years? Probably not. But I am sure others could and I wish them well...

 

[swa737-700]

SWA will get more out of their pilots than TWA, TWA LLC, and ATA (worked at all of them) but since a junior guy can get 17-18 days off in a month, I think the effort is well worth the extra time at home...plus you can't complain about the pay. My hardest day in May will be four legs.

 

[Skyboy722]

General, A couple questions:

1. Are your friends at SWA aware of how you feel about their company? Have you told them to their face that their trips are "gawd awful"?

2. Another poster asked this question and you haven't answered it: Are these friends of yours applying elsewhere (Maybe DAL) to get out of SWA? Since you are such good friends with them that you know their (and thus ALL OF OUR) QOL as well as we do, I figure you would know.

3. Why is it so hard for you to understand that it is ABSURD for YOU to tell US how much WE enjoy our OUR jobs? (You specifically said that it "WILL get old.") Wouldn't you find it ABSURD if I told YOU that YOUR Carribean turns WILL get old? I think you would. So isn't it a gross departure from logic that YOU would do the same to US?

 

[swa737-700]

Sounds great. But, your trips are a lot more productive than ours, which means more flying. Do you always have 5 or 6 leg days? Probably not. Are your 3 leg days easy? I doubt it. You don't go LAS-PHX-LAX and call it quits, do you? No. You go OAK--PHX--BWI--MHT. That is tiring, and not everyone wants it that way. That is the point here. Sure, your pay is great, and I hope we get our 737 pay up to yours someday (actually, I hope the 777 goes that high). But, a lot of people on here extol SWA beyond belief, and think it is sacreligous to say anything bad or against the mighty SWA. I think a lot of people need to know about your schedules, so in 10 years when they are burned out from 25 minute turns (you do have those, right?) and MULTIPLE legs (is that better?) per day, they didn't ask themselves why they didn't look into a different option. I still think the majority of your flights can be fun with the fun stews, but even that can get on your nerves after awhile
If you enjoy SWA, good for you. And, if you have that many days off without being exhausted a couple of those after you get home, then you must be Superman. High pay and lots of time off can be great, unless you are sleeping in 12 hours each day when you return.


Bye Bye--General Lee

GL,
Your attitude is sickening. It really is all about you. Too bad.

 

[Mach 80]

>>>And, if you have that many days off without being exhausted a couple of those after you get home, then you must be Superman. High pay and lots of time off can be great, unless you are sleeping in 12 hours each day when you return.<<<<

The flying at SWA is not as exhausting as being constantly worried about how far the next furlough will cut into the seniority list or if you will be downgraded or how much your pay will be cut or how much of your promised retirement will be taken away or how much more you are going to pay for insurance or..........

 

[CF34-3B1]

My hardest days ever flying out of DAL are still far more pleasant than my best days flying out of ATL ever were.

I prefer the SWA 1-2-3 rule to the ATL 1-2-3 rule.

(ATL 1-2-3 = 1 cloud and 2 airplanes, expect a 3 hour delay)

 

[atafan]

Back to the original post.....

If SWA is going to Europe it will be flown by the codeshare agreement with ATA Airlines, in my opinion. Not SWA B737-700ers or used B767s like your MEC chairman said.

Flying international routes can pay big but they can lose even bigger. A profitable international route can turn into a cash burning route just by throwing in some international unrest like terrorism or just for world economic reasons. SWA is the smartest airline I have ever observed and I believe that they will use ATA to enxperimet with and take all the financial risks of their venture into "over the pond" flying. Why not, they get the feed and the very important intel for next to nothing. BRILLIANT! Five plus years down the road maybe you will see SWA either cutting ATA's throat, purchase parts of ATA that they need or just stay with the same program, FLEXIBILITY.

SWA pilots will not like seeing 30 to 40 passengers leave their flight and walking to a Paris bound ATA jet while they overnight in Lubbock. They will just have to stay focused on their big take home pay and sleeping well at night knowing that they are working for a stable airline. Most SWA pilots I know are very in tuned with the fact that what's good for the SWA Company is generally good for them.

 

[Skyboy722]

SWA pilots will not like seeing 30 to 40 passengers leave their flight and walking to a Paris bound ATA jet while they overnight in Lubbock.

Why wouldn't they? If there was no codesharing Paris bound ATA jet those PAX never would have been on the plane to begin with....and they would still be overnighting in LBB anyway....(or according to the General we would ALL be overnighting in LBB anyway)