SWA TV show

[AlbieF15]

...my dad can kick your dad's @ss...

...And this post is moronic. Thanks to the SWA bros for the jumpseats. I like my job. Hope you dig yours. See you at the bar!

 

[Mugs]

Let's see ... at UPS I'll work less than 50 days and block less than 150 hours this YEAR ... and I'll compare W-2's with you any day. If I feel so inclined I can change aircraft whenever I wish (Oops ... sorry), I can bid any number of International pairings (Oops ... sorry), or I can fly nothing but Honolulu and drink beer and chase bikinis on those 24-96 hour layovers (Oops ... sorry). Meanwhile, competition is bearing down on you from all sides, your fuel hedges are waning, your CEO says pay cuts in the future are a real possibility (greater productivity in the interim) ... well, I guess I'm just a little confused about your hostile attitude toward the cargo boys there fella? SWA appears (to an outsider at least) to have a few challenges ahead.

BBB

Sounds good. It also sounds like you are wide open to getting your chops busted like the rest of have someday. It might not be a bad idea to simply assume and plan that your good deal will eventually fall apart.

 

[The Prussian]

I agree with Mugs...if there's a large pecentage of folks out there enjoying a fairly free ride....well....enjoy it while it lasts!!

 

[FlyinHigh737]

Futurepizzaguy
Here's 3 more...

5. There's not much difference between Greyhound passengers and Southwest's

6. Descending below 18,000 feet at less than 220 knots outside Baltimore can actually back up traffic and annoy many folks

7. Trying to sound just a tad too happy and cool on the radio doesn't always cover up the fact you just flew 8 boring legs in one day

Big Beer Belly

Let's see ... at UPS I'll work less than 50 days and block less than 150 hours this YEAR ... and I'll compare W-2's with you any day. If I feel so inclined I can change aircraft whenever I wish (Oops ... sorry), I can bid any number of International pairings (Oops ... sorry), or I can fly nothing but Honolulu and drink beer and chase bikinis on those 24-96 hour layovers (Oops ... sorry). Meanwhile, competition is bearing down on you from all sides, your fuel hedges are waning, your CEO says pay cuts in the future are a real possibility (greater productivity in the interim) ... well, I guess I'm just a little confused about your hostile attitude toward the cargo boys there fella? SWA appears (to an outsider at least) to have a few challenges ahead.

BBB


These two comments are sallow to say the least, not everyone fits in a round peg. Take a thread and go negative, ya’ll (Futurepizzaguy, Big Beer Belly) must work for the NY Times. BBB, I can see what’s important to you…. Mine is bigger than yours… Grow up!!

 

[SWAdude]

UPS has a 975 hour minimum annual guarantee ... what's SWA's? UPS has an 11% B plan ... how about SWA's? UPS has a 1% A plan ... how about SWA's? Oh forgot to mention it's been 8 years since our last contract was signed ... that might have something to do with this equation (let's compare again after our TA).

You see ... at SWA you have no choice ... reserve or line holders both fly their butts off. Not so at UPS and FedEx ... reserves are generally about 4 days of work per month. Even international line holders have cake schedules and awesome layovers compared to the average line slug at SWA. Would you rather have 24-96 hours off in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Cologne, Paris, London, Sydney, Vienna ... or 10-14 hours off in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, or Oklahoma City?



BBB

I remember some UAL, AA, DAL pilots bragging like this at one time.

And they seemed to think they were untouchable.

None of us are immune to the savages of the airline industry. I repeat, none of us.

 

[SWPA Pilot]

What about those two dumb broads they had to shag down in airport bar to tell them that their husbands got booked and left with the kids on a flight.

I think if I was married to that crazy lady, I would have been on a plane going anywhere that was away from her.

Yep...its great looking like your in your 60's when you are actually in your 40's.

Looking 60 isn't so bad, you look the same age as the legacy F/A's so it helps if you are trying to pick them up.

 

[Big Beer Belly]

I remember some UAL, AA, DAL pilots bragging like this at one time.

And they seemed to think they were untouchable.

None of us are immune to the savages of the airline industry. I repeat, none of us.

A lot of you SWA guys have a real inferiority complex ... probably due to years of ribbing by the legacy guys for lowering the wage bar I assume. Interesting how it's OK for some SWA guys to dog the lowly freight guys ... and then, god forbid, one of them speaks up to correct the whacked stereotypes that are apparently out there ... and share what schedule 30-40% of UPS pilots live and that's somehow being arrogant ... lol. This thread started with an attack on the UPS/FedEx lifestyle and the death march we apparently undergo each day and how we age so much faster than the god-like passenger pilots (lol) ... When I explain that not all UPS pilots fit SWA/FO's stereotypical view of the freight life, now I'm bragging ... oh for christ's sake ...

To the young guys out there ... do your homework on the pilot biz yourself, and don't listen to know-it-all blowhards who profess to have a clue about all pilot jobs out there. With all that is going on in the industry right now, it's no wonder many are so insecure (SWA/FO).

BBB

 

[Big Beer Belly]

Take a thread and go negative, ya’ll (Futurepizzaguy, Big Beer Belly) must work for the NY Times. BBB, I can see what’s important to you…. Mine is bigger than yours… Grow up!![/SIZE][/FONT]

Oh lord ... another SWA guy with selective memory. It's really not that hard FlyinHigh737 ... simply scroll your mouse to the top and you'll see post #2 (by SWA/FO) ... that would be the one immediately following the original post ... is where the thread "went negative". Do all you SWA guys lack basic situational awareness, or am I just blessed with the unfortunate few posting here?

You SWA guys do love those homosexual references to size, don't you? Must be about as much fun as stripping and looking at each other in the cockpit ... whatever happened to those elite SWA male pilots with such a unique sense of humor to get naked and stare at each other while flying? Gawd ... that sounds like fun ... NOT!! lol

BBB

 

[Bobby Orr 4]

Am I the only one??

Forgive me for posting on the Majors board for I am a lowly regional pilot. Most in my position would jump at the chance to work at any of your airlines (SWA, UPS, or FDX). I assume most pilots at these companies can tell all of us several great reasons they enjoy their job and a couple of things they wish could improve.
Let me clue all combatants of this thread in. If you work for SWA, UPS, or FDX there are several thousand pilots out there that would embrace the opportunity to even interview at your company. You all have great jobs.
When I read such absolute nonsense in some of these posts I wonder if you need acceptance from a bunch of goofy guys like myself to make yourselves feel better. If you do...here it is.
SWA would be an amazing place to work.
UPS would be an amazing place to work.
FDX would be an amazing place to work.
Do we all feel better now?? I hope so.
Have a great weekend and fly safe. No matter if you fly boxes or white trash (and everything in between).

 

[radarlove]

UPS has a 975 hour minimum annual guarantee ...

Dude, it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself. Not gonna work for the rest of us. Flying night freight sucks. Flying across the pond, after the first year, sucks.

Sitting out a sort, sucks. Working for managament that hates (hates!) you sucks. Looking like you're 65 when you're 45 sucks.

Upgrade at UPS sucks. How many years to make CA?

Face it, you have an ok job. Nothing I'd write home about.

Oh yeah, one last thing. Doesn't it suck when you get asked by every non-pilot, shortly after they find out you work for UPS, "So, do you want to eventually work for an airline?"

I know it happens, don't deny it.

You sound like someone who's pretty full of himself. Offering to compare W-2s on a message board is pretty pompous. Plus, you might be very surprised at who is making more than you.

But I do admit, that television show isn't doing you Southwest guys any favors. Why in the world do you keep renewing it?

 

[SWA/FO]

They actually say that the TV show is good for us. I can't stand to watch it myself.

BBB.. Fed Ex and UPS are not the only compaines flying freight.... Maybe some guys in your "unit" should have pointed that out to you.

 

[Diesel-9]

To each his own is correct and why the arguement. Too much time on your hands? Nothing attractive to me about night flying. Friends I have at both cargo outfits call it a job and like nothing of the lifestyle. Nothing negative about freight to me. Just didn't ever appeal to me and I never applied to any of them.

 

[klhoard]

. . .<snip>. . Oh yeah, one last thing. Doesn't it suck when you get asked by every non-pilot, shortly after they find out you work for UPS, "So, do you want to eventually work for an airline?"
. . . .<snip>. . .?

.
.
.
It's never really bothered me with what "non-pilots" say . . ..
.
.
I just tell them, "Nope, can't afford the pay cut". . . .
.
.
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[USNFDX]

Hey watch this........

:uzi: SWAF/O is just pissed cause he couldn't get into the military...now he lives with an inferiority complex.....

Couldn't get hired at Fedex.

So now he has this huge chip....

Any opportunity to bash Mil guys or Fedex ... He's in Hot

So sad!

I think SWA is a great place with some awesome guys. To each his own.
I like Fedex for the variety, hopefuly the job security, and the pay and benefits.

But back to the topic at hand. Airline on A&E. Fun to watch. Cures the want to ever fly passengers. Gate agents should get paid more than pilots!

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

You FedEx and UPS guys better watch out. Forget W2's, night flying, 10 hr months, and international stuff.

When SWA gets the pax to carry a FedEX package (except it will be called a SWAEX package) across the country you'll be hurt'n. We've already got them lining up at the gate to get on board before the plane even lands. Our customers are movitated! I think they would work out great as employees.

 

[chase]

Forgive me for posting on the Majors board for I am a lowly regional pilot. Most in my position would jump at the chance to work at any of your airlines (SWA, UPS, or FDX). I assume most pilots at these companies can tell all of us several great reasons they enjoy their job and a couple of things they wish could improve.
Let me clue all combatants of this thread in. If you work for SWA, UPS, or FDX there are several thousand pilots out there that would embrace the opportunity to even interview at your company. You all have great jobs.
When I read such absolute nonsense in some of these posts I wonder if you need acceptance from a bunch of goofy guys like myself to make yourselves feel better. If you do...here it is.
SWA would be an amazing place to work.
UPS would be an amazing place to work.
FDX would be an amazing place to work.
Do we all feel better now?? I hope so.
Have a great weekend and fly safe. No matter if you fly boxes or white trash (and everything in between).

Bobby Orr 4,

You sum it rather well...in an industry that is in great turmoil & with very few carriers who have pilots who wake up every morning not worrying about their future you've brought a sense of reality back to the basic facts you point out so clearly:

SWA is a great place to work
UPS is a great place to work
FEDEX is a great place to work
"Fill in the blank" is a great place to work.

Yes all have advantages & disadvantages....the advantages have been brought up by each supporters, the disadvantages have been highlighted by those who may or may not have flown in that type of environment but as they say in scheduling, "one person's trash, is another person's treasures"...each to their own & as BBB said, each person who is looking at any of the above companies need to do their homework.

What would be useful is to have each person list the positives & negatives of each of their current employer in an honest & objective format so folks like yourself can get an honest appraisal of what maybe in store for you & others who wish to enter this way of life.

I tell folks when one starts to look at companies to work for to do the following when thinking about a prospective employer:

1. Write down the things that are the most important for you when it comes to picking a company to work for, i.e. being home, job security, no commuting, less stress, max or simply more money, introvert or extrovert, pax or cargo (unsure then use the other items to decipher out), international flying or doesn't matter, flying one type of aircraft for a life time, less/more flying hours, ALPA, non-ALPA, non-union, etc.

2. Sort & put the most important ones out on the piece of paper...top 5 or 7

3. Look at the companies that most closely will allow you to achieve those goals & then go after it

4. Hang on to that piece of paper, frame it & whenever one starts to complain about the job look at the piece of paper & see whether you or the company have shuffled the priorities around.......some companies have changed their focus since 911 due to incredible change in the industry, others have not...that is why there is so much angst out there. For those who haven't & one isn't happy, then who is likely to change...the company that is doing well sticking to a formula or the person who has changed their priorities & is now unhappy because the company isn't changing to meet one's every changing priorities? Kind of obvious I think.

At the end of the day each person will drift to the company that most matches their interest, but don't rely on getting much perspective from folks who won't acknowledge there are pluses & minuses with their job & recognize there are the same in other companies out there. No slam against other posters is intended...some of the statements made by previous posters contain an element of truth, some contain generalities that aren't completely true either.

To you the reader Bobby it is hard to know the truth...I hope you sort it out & do your own homework, with or without the folks on this board/thread....good luck & I hope you find what will make you happy in life & in an aviation career.

 

[whymeworry?]

Hey watch this........

:uzi: SWAF/O is just pissed cause he couldn't get into the military...now he lives with an inferiority complex.....

Couldn't get hired at Fedex.

So now he has this huge chip....

Any opportunity to bash Mil guys or Fedex ... He's in Hot

So sad!

I think SWA is a great place with some awesome guys. To each his own.
I like Fedex for the variety, hopefuly the job security, and the pay and benefits.

But back to the topic at hand. Airline on A&E. Fun to watch. Cures the want to ever fly passengers. Gate agents should get paid more than pilots!

I know I may be playing with fire here but, doesn't it seem as though the military pilots think they are better aviators than civilians? Come on now, sure the guys who get fighter slots are top of their class but the guys who end up flying cargo and trash... aren't they the ones who couldn't make the top slots anyway? I trained BOTH military and civilian pilots at my former airline for years and saw absolutely no difference between the two. I chose not to pursue the military route out of advice from my military friends at the time who told me: "you may join to fly fighters but will most likely end up flying a transport, and will eventually be told to fly a desk." So I chose the civee route, out of advice from military pilots. Yet, now and again, I see military pilots discriminate if you're not from their clan. There is sort of an unwritten rule amoung them that they are better because the US government paid to train them. Believe me when I tell you, in general, there is no difference. I have trained some military pilots that left me wondering how they got through flight training in the first place. Of course, the same goes for civilian pilots as well.

I will readily acknowledge, however, that military pilots receive more substantive training with regard to aerodynamics, aerobatics, swept-wing characteristics and high-speed flight, some of which I rec'd as part of my check airman ciriculum. Regardless, even with that background, I was still left wondering how some of my former students got to where they were in aviation, even how some of them could find the cockpit.

RE: "Airline". One of my fav shows. It's amazing that some of the idiots on there allow their tyraids to be viewed by millions without consideration of fallout. Equally amazing is that SW sees this as good advertising. Half the time you watch it you feel for the families that are stranded without a way home because SW maintains the "right to overbook". Especially when they're traveling with babies and the gate agent just refunds their money and tells them to either sleep in the terminal or drive home on icy roads. Yeah! That's great advertising! If I was a pilot there I'd be insisting the show be removed from the air... but what do I know? Then again, what did these people expect when they shopped for the cheapest ticket. Sometimes ya get what ya pay for, eh?

BTW: My take on the gate agents who perform all these good deeds for passengers? Would they really go beyond the call if the cameras weren't roling? I doubt it.

 

[USNFDX]

At this stage in the game there is no difference between a mil guy and a civ guy. Great and not so great on both sides.
There are those who think they are god's gift because they came from the military, they are idiots, and make the rest of us mil guys look like @$$holes.
Then there are those civillian guys with the "Chip" (like SWAF/O) who dwell on nonsense!

 

[str8upflyrght]

Please no more MIL vs CIV!!! There are good military pilots and good civilian pilots. Unfortunately there are bad of both worlds also. The non fighter guys in the military are not necessarily guys who finished flight school w/ lower grades. Not everyone in the military wants to fly fighters (even after watching Top Gun). The better question is Naval VS Air Force :laugh:

As for the show, I enjoy watching it. It's hard to believe how ignorrant some people are. The show obviously helps the airline make money, someway or another. It's pretty funny how the company has a show that shows the good along with the bad.

 

[Mr Hat]

BigBeerBelly guy, My post was not anti-freight or anti-UPS....I don't "dog" any freight guys they have a great thing going. I do like SWA, I think they are the best thing going but that doesn't mean that I (or we) don't like UPS/Fedex.
I thought the W2 thing was silly because I'll bet you a Pan Am guy would have said the same thing to a freight dog back in the day...and guess who still has a W2 these days. You can't chase pay around the industry, todays big dog could be tomorrows lowest paid guys. Look at the company, how you want to be treated (though that can change too) and what type of flying you like to do......in the end NONE of us knows if we made the right decisions until we are 59 years and 364 days old.