Originally Posted by forgot to bid

fwiw, the reason I harp on the MD88 being 1:1 pay with SWA is, why pay our largest and highest paying narrowbody the same pay that SWA pays for an aircraft that is the smallest narrowbody aircraft in our fleet and used only domestically?

Or:

1. SWA will, when counting firm orders including the AirTran fleet and firm orders, have an average seating capacity of 135 for their monstrous 896 no-RJ fleet.

2. Delta average seating for its 737 fleet is 156, with 73 being 738s and 10 being 737s. The DAL 737 is therefore 21 seats larger than the SWA fleet on average and has a tremendously more complicated internaitonal mission.

3. The Delta average seating for the A319/320 is 138, with 55 A319s and 69 A320s in airline non charter service. The average seating capacity is near identical to the SWA capacity.

4. Delta average seating for the MD88/MD90 fleet is 153, with 117 MD88s that will soon all seat 149 and 59 MD90s seating 160. The average seating capacity is 18 seats greater for the MD89 than SWA fleet.

5. Only 2% of the new SWA fleet will be 175 seat 738s whereas our fleet is 88% 738s.

6. Top end pay for SWA's fleet this year (and assuming the 717 will be paid equally) is $210 and $147 for CA and FO. Our 737 is $174 and $119, the A320 $168 and $115, MD90 $165 and $113, MD88 $161 and $110 and DC9 $157 and $107.

7. The pay increase to achieve parity between their fleet and ours is 21 to 24% for the 737 for left and right seat, 30 to 34% for the MD88, 25 to 28% for the A320 and 27 to 30% for the MD90. So NB fleet wide is a 21 to 37% increase for parity. And that does not take into account the min guarantee difference of 78 to 70 hours for SWA and DAL.

8. 10% of the SWA fleet will be 117 seat Boeing 717s, a DC-9-30 in size. Those SWA pilots will be flying $53 and $40 per hour more than our pilots flying on DC-9-30 seats.

Why equate a larger aircraft with a broader and more difficult international mission with that of a domestic only aircraft that seats 20 fewer people?

The A320 and 319 share a very similar domestic mission profile to the SWA 737 and very similar seating average. That is a far more reasonable pay parity. But the A320/319 is smaller than the lesser paying MD88 and MD90 fleet by on average 14 seats and between the 90 and 319 the 319 is 27% smaller and their fleet sizes are equal.

I think pick the lowest common aircraft, the DC-9-30 and make them equal. If not them, then move up one aircraft on the pecking order and equal out the pay. Then adjust the higher paying A320, 737, 767, 7ER, 765, 777, 744 and 330 fleets proportionate to the pay differences now and call it a day.