SWAPA Comments about 717

[scoreboardII]

And the employees will once again be paying the bill.

SWA single engine taxi's?

 

[SXMp2c]

I could piss and moan about how unfair it is that original SWA guys paid for a type

Haha,

You are just upset someone will be flying for SWA without having to pay for their own training.

 

[Tweet-a-Lishus]

Fletch, you guys brought no seats. I seem to remember your ass was bought! Get over it. You guys voted SL9 down, now live with it! This hasn't been real great for us either.

 

[texman]

I tend to agree, and this is what I've been telling people who are worried about furloughs. But some of them respond with "yeah, but SWA doesn't really see us as their employees." And frankly, that's a valid argument. We've consistently been treated as outsiders, not as SWA employees. So, would SWA have as much hesitation in getting rid of us as they would a "real" SWA pilot? I don't know.

I can see where you might be coming from. Put the business decisions aside that SWA makes and realize that the people of AT are more important than you think. The key you have to realize is your seniority is tied to those decisions. Business decisions. Yes it is unfournate, but we can't really get upset. What would you guys like? Keep the 717's and hurt the company because it doesn't make money? Or try to see the bigger picture. It is hard for y'all to see this side of the fence, which I understand. AT peeps are valued. It just sucks that are seniority is tied to the business.

 

[texman]

Not quite.

SWA management asked our MEC to be in the crew room for the announcement of the event that they claimed was merely a rumor. The MEC declined and offered the CIRP team instead.

GK never said it was a rumor, but said he did not comment on rumors. It's business. He can't let the competitors know what SWA strategically is doing.

 

[humveedriver]

GK never said it was a rumor, but said he did not comment on rumors. It's business. He can't let the competitors know what SWA strategically is doing.

He didn't sublease the 717s to China. I think his competitors had a good idea as to what the future of the 717 was. He should have given his future employees a much clearer picture. A second deal that says all captains will be on the 717 appeared to be a compromise between labor groups, not a "I'm subleasing the 717s to the first company I can" type move.

 

[fletch717]

I can see where you might be coming from. Put the business decisions aside that SWA makes and realize that the people of AT are more important than you think. The key you have to realize is your seniority is tied to those decisions. Business decisions. Yes it is unfournate, but we can't really get upset. What would you guys like? Keep the 717's and hurt the company because it doesn't make money? Or try to see the bigger picture. It is hard for y'all to see this side of the fence, which I understand. AT peeps are valued. It just sucks that are seniority is tied to the business.

Texman, thank you for the post,you make a good point. Most SWA pilots don't realize that SWA has a cost problem. We all want everybody to make a decent wage. But like the legacies of old, you have rampers and flight attendants that make double what most of the industry has gone to. SWA will struggle in the comming years to find its way again and I think there is going to be more pain to come. SWA is mired with layers of committees, antiquated technology and lacks the ability to adjust quickly to this changing environment. The 717 is profitable, but not the way SWA runs.

 

[texman]

He didn't sublease the 717s to China. I think his competitors had a good idea as to what the future of the 717 was. He should have given his future employees a much clearer picture. A second deal that says all captains will be on the 717 appeared to be a compromise between labor groups, not a "I'm subleasing the 717s to the first company I can" type move.

More or less you see what I mean. I do see the biding frustration. My friend just ran into the new hire (AT) guy and said he has had a great new hire experience.

 

[737tanker]

He should have given his future employees a much clearer picture.

Gary doesn't even do that with his current employees, and it is something that he learned from Herb. As an example when the strong rumor was that SWA was going to buy Morris, FltOPs management came into a Recurrent Ground school and said that Herb had told them there is no way that SWA is going to buy Morris. After lunch they came back to the class and told them that Herb had just announced that SWA had just bought Morris. So as I said Gary is just doing what he was taught by Herb. The difference is that Herb would make you feel good about it.

 

[texman]

Tanker is exactly right !