What Airtran brings to the table

[JohnQ]

As a DAL guy, this is my first and last post about your merger.

I just wanted to say that it IS possible to have a good and relatively harmonious merger that makes the whole better than the sum of the parts.

Focus on the positives that both sides bring, and make sure you have an SLI process that ensures that you will probably have a pretty fair SLI in the end...like our process at DAL that had a 3-person arbitration panel (as opposed to one person who can always have some sort of weird below-the-surface perspective) and a series of hearings.

The bottom line is that there are positive merger examples out there.

 

[Widow's Son]

Pilots are pilots, airplanes are airplanes, jobs are jobs.
We each have a militant minority, and a reasonable majority.
SWA has been great to me and I hope that every AT pilot will feel pride in wearing a SWA uniform. In our buildings in Dallas, the walls are covered with personal pictures of individual pilots in our past lives. The fruit salad that we all are isn't going to change, just get fruitier.
Ignore the doomers and gloomers. Together we will be bigger, stronger, more diverse, and offer more reasons and options for the traveling public to choose us for their travel needs. Neither group asked for this and as individuals we will have little say in how it goes down, but together we will all be a big part of how strongly we move forward.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Old Crow]

Hey, I am one AT F/O that will be buying the first round!!!

Looking forward to a long career!

 

[Slug]

Ya'll will love the SWA hotels. In the whole system there are probable 5 that I don't really prefer. Other than that they are great.

Slug

Welcome!

 

[carl p]

Man I'm really encouraged to see the direction this is taking. I've commuted on SWA and worked with many great guys that ended up there so I know what a good group you guys/gals have. I can say 99% of the pilots I've worked with or met at the Tranny are cut from the same cloth. Glad to see both are starting to focus on the positives and leave the other stuff to the people who are supposed to handle it.

 

[Lear70]

This stuff is pure GOLD! Maybe you guys can give a online class to us SWA dudes once we get the SLI worked out! I really need help on balcony climbing! I fell last time, had to call in sick for a month.

Spiderman gives lessons... but I think Superman swore it off after his swan dive and broken back. Both were over F/A's...

By-and-large our pilot group is a great bunch of guys and gals who do a very professional job and have fun along the way. I think you'll find the cultures in the flight deck very similar. Looking forward to it! :beer:

 

[chase]

Almost all our layovers are the worst layovers. One of the biggest fights we were having with the company was our hotel selection.

SS,

The crews are blessed with superb relations between SWA and SWAPA/TWU446 (FA union).

Our Hotel committee is made up of aircrews exclusively. They screen the hotels, negotiate the contracts, handle the complaints (there are 4-5 paid admin folks who report to the head hotel committee pilot type), sleeping and eating in the same hotels as the rest of us are and keep the company informed of how they are spending the $70m that makes up the hotel bill each year.

Our contract has just a couple pages that deal with hotels vs. many others that have many more. Contract grievances on hotels are so rare I doubt if there are more than 1 or 2 a year. The committee deals with internally and the company trusts them to do the right thing.

We get great amenities and other advantages that you may find to your liking...at least I hope so. Welcome aboard.

BTW, trading trips and improving your schedule each month to work more if you like in order to make more money is a real option here. The last 6 months I've given nearly all of my trips away and fly around the system (a cartel of 1) trying to hustle for the buck but at my choosing. I sit well below 50% in my domicile also.

Great thread and I know you guys bring a lot also that will make us all more $$!!!

 

[Captain Jeff]

Mmmm. I think superman was dropping his credit card down to the front desk so he could buy in room porn and fell over the balcony on to the front desk.

 

[Lear70]

Mmmm. I think superman was dropping his credit card down to the front desk so he could buy in room porn and fell over the balcony on to the front desk.

I thought there was a F/A involved who wanted the porn... imp:

 

[rajflyboy]

Whats going to happen to the 717? I really don't think that SWA is gonna keep them. More importantly what will happen to those pilots?

Air tranny boys >> have fun commuting to San Fran and Baltimore