Originally Posted by
acl65pilot
The difference between at LUV is simple. They know their pilots are the employee group that has the best view of the operation. They know that they are integral to their success, and treat them as such.
They got lucky on a long term fuel hedge, and that allowed them many years of enhanced profit and growth.
The only difference between our managers and theirs is the value they place on their employee groups, pilots in particular, and go out of their way to make you value them as your employer and pay accordingly. Both can be bottom line driven, but them crazy Texans also know that you need to spend money in the correct places to make money.
I am not sure about the pay them accordingly part. For almost the entire history of SW they have paid them well below the industry average. They have never offered to put them at the top of the industry. They got there buy accident and those very fuel hedges that helped them became a double edge sword on pilot costs. You can't ask for paycuts when your rolling in money. Neither SW management or even their union like their present position in the pilot pay arena. They would much prefer we pass them back up so they can regain their historical cost advantage and start back to their years of 10 percent growth instead of mergers.