The Big January Bid at SWA for AT

[Daddy]

So their training track will be newhire class, FO training, then IOE, then upgrade, then UOE? Is that what they'll do? How long at FO? Is anyone considering lance captain?

 

[tomgoodman]

Never ever decide whether or not to bid on a trip based on what others are bidding.

One time I asked the #1 CA what line he bid. He gave a haughty sniff and said: "I don't bid for a line of time. I select one."

 

[freightdogfred]

Back to the original thread question....what are the transition folks going to bid come January? What are they telling you on the AirTran side? Getting paid to sit and wait would be awesome. Has the company even covered how it will go down other than the convoluted memo sent out last week?

The one thing I've heard is there will be 30 Airplanes left at the end of the year that will be parked. How much does it cost to park 30 revenue-producing assets and pay the crews to do nothing as well? Seems like an awful waste of revenue

 

[FurloughedAgain]

One time I asked the #1 CA what line he bid. He gave a haughty sniff and said: "I don't bid for a line of time. I select one."

Sounds like a real delightful guy to spend time with... :-/

 

[Roomwithaview]

Never ever decide whether or not to bid on a trip based on what others are bidding. If you want it, bid on it. Ignore how everyone else is bidding. I can't tell you how many times I have been awarded a trip that never could have been expected by looking at all the BS bids showing. Ignore it all and you'll be fine.

Howard gets it.

 

[Roomwithaview]

Phreddy

The one thing I've heard is there will be 30 Airplanes left at the end of the year that will be parked. How much does it cost to park 30 revenue-producing assets and pay the crews to do nothing as well? Seems like an awful waste of revenue

What do you think we've been bitching about?

 

[PCL_128]

Back to the original thread question....what are the transition folks going to bid come January? What are they telling you on the AirTran side? Getting paid to sit and wait would be awesome. Has the company even covered how it will go down other than the convoluted memo sent out last week?

The big bid will happen in October for all of the guys that will still be left at the end of the year (all 717, because 737 pilots will all be in class by November). Classes run through the first week of March. Everyone I've talked to is bidding for the last class they can hold, since we'll be getting paid to sit around and do nothing after December 29th. The captains can bid for captain slots in January. There will be somewhere around 50 captains who will be able to go captain to captain with just FO training and OE in between. Those guys will get captain continuation pay (pay protection at captain rates). Supposedly about 300 AirTran guys will be able to hold captain in the first 6 months of the year. That's about all the info we have.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

AirTran B737 operations will end on November 30th and those Pilots will enter training by mid-December. B717 operations will end on December 28th and those Pilots will enter training in early 2015.

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Former AirTran pilots will not be eligible to bid Captain vacancies until after January 1. All AirTran Pilots will be able to bid in the March Vacancy awarded in mid-January. Upgrade training will start soon after this award. This will be the first vacancy bid that original AirTran Pilots can bid for the Captain position.

 

[humveedriver]

AirTran B737 operations will end on November 30th and those Pilots will enter training by mid-December. B717 operations will end on December 28th and those Pilots will enter training in early 2015.

​

Former AirTran pilots will not be eligible to bid Captain vacancies until after January 1. All AirTran Pilots will be able to bid in the March Vacancy awarded in mid-January. Upgrade training will start soon after this award. This will be the first vacancy bid that original AirTran Pilots can bid for the Captain position.

Yep. That's what the memo says. It also says there will not be a FEB vacancy. And that those slots will be pushed to the left (March). Then it goes in to say that due to the large size of the March class some training will happen in JAN.
Two dates are given. And that ALL former AT pilots will be able to bid for the class dates. But all 144 CA slots are based on the March vacancy. I think it's safe to say SWA writes the rules as they go.

 

[Roomwithaview]

Yep. That's what the memo says. It also says there will not be a FEB vacancy. And that those slots will be pushed to the left (March). Then it goes in to say that due to the large size of the March class some training will happen in JAN.
Two dates are given. And that ALL former AT pilots will be able to bid for the class dates. But all 144 CA slots are based on the March vacancy. I think it's safe to say SWA writes the rules as they go.

Maybe so-But the DRC is calling the shots on this stuff. Take it up with your boys Early and Winsor.

 

[Daddy]

Thanks....first I've heard of any of that. Amazing how little any of us is told.

 

[humveedriver]

Thanks....first I've heard of any of that. Amazing how little any of us is told.

SWAlife>FLIGHT OPS>final Airtran integration memo

 

[madjack]

Good luck SWA FOs, sorry it went down this way...

 

[humveedriver]

Maybe so-But the DRC is calling the shots on this stuff. Take it up with your boys Early and Winsor.

Doesn't effect me one way or the other. Some of the OSW guys on the bubble of upgrading were hoping to get access to those JAN classes. I don't blame them. What does bother me is guys upgrading and then going back to the right seat because commuting to reserve is less sexy than a fourth stripe. I can't believe SWA doesn't have a two year seat lock on upgrades. It screws the guy who understands what he was getting into.

 

[Roomwithaview]

Doesn't effect me one way or the other. Some of the OSW guys on the bubble of upgrading were hoping to get access to those JAN classes. I don't blame them. What does bother me is guys upgrading and then going back to the right seat because commuting to reserve is less sexy than a fourth stripe. I can't believe SWA doesn't have a two year seat lock on upgrades. It screws the guy who understands what he was getting into.

Oh the horror-to upgrade or not. Screwing would be putting a seat lock in place. Idiotic legacy thinking. The beauty of being a senior FO is that you can still easily make 200K a year and get the best schedules in the system. By all means, continue to kavetch about how ********************ty it is over here.