The silence is deafening!!

[HOUMAN]

Wow, talk about hijacking a thread!!

Anyways, I believe that "Fredman" on the SWA poolie list will be in the January class. I have only heard it through word of mouth and can't confirm it.

Also, has anyone posted the SWA aircraft delivery schedule for 2004 yet?? Thanks everyone for keeping the thread on track.

 

[SWAbigdaddy]

Being a 2nd year guy at SWA, I would leave for FedEx or UPS in a second. I would run not walk. I left a job that i loved looking for that greener grass. I'd rather fly a plane full of boxes that don't complain than fly around a plane with three boxes that complain all the time. I know guys here at SWA who were at FedEx or UPS, just woundering if there many SWA guys that left for UPS or FedEx. I need more in my life than these multiple domestic legs week after week. The biggest news here since i started is the winglets on the 737s. Now everyone thinks they fly a bigger airplane. WOW. Everyone feels the LUV, by management giving nothing, then giving just little so you feel like got something. If they were to give us something like crew meals which are standard at other airlines, I think everyone would just cry and bend over for thanks.

Just venting! Think twice before leaving a job you love for that greener patch of grass.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

wow, so not everyone at LUV is brainwashed to heII and back

 

[pipejockey]

Why should Vladi be working on any ratings? Maybe he doesnt want any more ratings or perhaps he just started flying recently. I'm no rocket scientist but I bet you had 200 some hours at one point in your life. I'm always surprised at how freely the personal insults come when some people just voice their opinions on this board.

 

[SWAdude]

bigdaddy,

I think you were the miserable puke I flew with last week. You are certainly in the minority.

Don't worry. You try hard enough you can get a job somewhere else so you can take your misery over there.

I've said this once and i'll say it again, some here at SWA would be happier at lets say AA. I know from experience that some just love to hate their jobs.

 

[chase]

Thoughts

SWAbigdaddy brings up some good points but I believe the most important one is be true to yourself & what you want out of a job.

Nothing is always but certainly for the foreseeable future the following applies:

SWA will always be a combination of short/long haul.

Some passengers will always complain, boxes never do.

SWA won't be flying to exotic places anytime soon (unless you call COS, MSP, etc. exotic points). We are what we are.

Cost will always be supreme. Anything that drives up costs will be viewed as a negative by the company & factors that drive the costs down (automation, technology, work rule efficiencies, etc) will be viewed positively.

Customer service is paramount next to safety. When we forget that, we will lose our advantage.

International flying is not in the foreseeable future.

Larger aircraft are not in the forseeable future.

Conclusion:

Come in expecting SWA to be something it isn't going to be then you'll be disappointed. We are what we are. Expectations by new hires or folks currently here have to ask, who is more likely to change, the business model of SWA or my expectations for flying a domestic low-cost carrier for a 10-20-30 yr career? If that doesn't excite you, no problem, there are other options out there & I wish you good luck at pursuing your aviation goals.

As for the future of LCC, I'll take a wild guess & say our future looks very bright. More aircraft purchased (we're paying cash except for one lease deal) than all other majors combined, 400+ pilots for these aircraft, a 13% pay increase in Sept '04 (that will be a total of 26% pay increase since Sept '02). I hope the recovery continues for all carriers, not just LCC. Our growth & expansion has less to do with other carriers (LCC or legend) but more to do with how our people respond to the challenges facing us to continue to provide a safe, customer friendly, and affordable means of transportation. It is really as simple as that, regardless of what the financial pundits spout out on the various pages of US newspapers. cheers,

 

[Bake]

BigDaddy, In your interview with SWA, how did you answer that question "Why do you want to work for SWA?". Just Curious!!!

 

[OakRBust]

I think that Chase hit it.


Most everyone knows what SWA is. I love it and am so glad/fortunate/lucky/and on and on, that I somehow got hired here. However, I know many of my friends at other carriers who would never come here. Some people pick Subway, some like The Bell. The freedom of choice really is a very nice thing.

This forum is supposed to help people decide where they want to call home for the next 10-20-30 years if they are lucky enough to get through an interview. Getting everyones perspectives can really help people to figure out where they wanna call home. With that being said... Truly be honest with yourself before you come here.

Posts like Big Daddy's can help other people in the job search process to figure out if SWA is really a good fit for them. In my opinion, that is very good thing for everybody. After all, the less unhappy pilots there are here, the better it is for everyone else who really does love it here.

I said a while ago that SWA isn't for everybody, but, it sure is for me just like Delta is for the General. And for the people that are unhappy at their current jobs, best of luck in finding happiness!


Best of luck and Happy Holidays!!!


Don't be a Hater!
OAK

 

[GogglesPisano]

SWA, FedEx, UPS, ATA, AWA ....

I think the best airline to work for is the one that hires me first.

 

[looseca]

Looks like "Mailman" had a few too many beers before he got on the computer tonight.

oops, gotta go change another diaper...


Beat Army.

 

[flx757]

Re: Ummmm Beer

AND see who lives past 61...

That's what I'm shooting for. Everything else really doesn't matter. Just icing on the cake.

But, for what it's worth, I believe I work for the best airline company around, and I would hope everyone else feels the same about the one that they work for. That's how it should be.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

But then I knew better than to spout off about things of which I had no clue.

clue about what? this whole luvy dubby bullsh!t goes on in every corporate office in america, and it sounds like SW is becoming just that, a flying cubicle, full of giddy idiots who get defensive everytime someone strays from the pack

I don't want to be a proffesional pilot, I never aspired to be one, fully content with renting cubs at a local grass field. Pilots discussing bennies and the joys of flying multi domestic legs, cleaning their planes during turnarounds? WTF?

Frankly, a 12 hour layover in Bangcock sounds a lot more exciting that this

 

[Cyclone]

Major Airline

OK...so this board is...a Major Airline Interview Board.

Personally, I think there's great information here for aspiring Major Airline Pilot wannabees.

If I wanted to be a surgeon, I would probably listen to surgeons, people in residency, people in medical school, etc.

But, I would ignore the guy who was telling me "one time in 9th grade...I dissected a frog...and it was really cool...and..."

Vladi...with respect to major airline pilot hiring...I don't care what you think...go back to the GA board and talk about taildraggers. Nothing wrong with that...it's where I got my start too.

Adios. Cyclone.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

Re: Major Airline

..I don't care what you think

my sentiments exactly

just voicing a dissenting opinion, from a taildragger's standpoint of view

 

[Cyclone]

SWA luv

I agree with Goggles

SWA, FedEx, UPS, ATA, AWA ....

I think the best airline to work for is the one that hires me first.

I agree with OAK too.

This forum is supposed to help people decide where they want to call home for the next 10-20-30 years if they are lucky enough to get through an interview. Getting everyones perspectives can really help people to figure out where they wanna call home. With that being said... Truly be honest with yourself before you come here.

SWA success. It is because they hire people who are willing to do the little extra things and not complain (at least not too loudly)...in general they're happy team players (notwithstanding the FA negotiations which my $$$ is on an amicable resolution)
Happy team players...means satisfied paying customers...this is how you make money.

That's something to be giddy about (if you work at SWA). The competition can get tougher, the market can change...blah blah blah. But, as long as the LUV is alive, SWA will be a force and IMO a profitable one.

It's easier to describe HOW they are successful (by hiring the right people and a positive attitude that permeates)...than it is to COPY what they do and make it happen at another company.