Originally Posted by
sailingfun
Keep in mind that the Southwest compensation package came only because of the Delta and United contracts. In fact the SW pay rate that resulted from those two contracts was still 45 dollars an hour lower then those contracts paid on like equipment. That rate was around 190 an hour at SW and 235 an hour at others. In the last 10 years at SW that rate has only improved about a bit over 10 percent or less then 1 percent a year. Considering SW fuel hedging and overall profit margin being industry leading I am not sure that is a huge accomplishment. Lets hope now that most airlines are no longer under the treat of Chapter 11 or liquidation we can see much greater gains in the next 10 years.
I keep hearing this argument over and over about "well we were industry leading." It isn't about what you used to make, it is about what you can sustain. Raise your own bar and if you want to say you are doing it for everyone....go for it. After having GK on my jumpseat a few years back I can tell you that he doesn't care what the other airlines compensation is. He cares about what level of compensation he can provide and sustain for his pilot group.
The Oscar
P. S. I used to have a porsche and then I got married. It is kind of like Chapter 11 BK.