New SWA 717 TPA Domicile
TO: ALL PILOTS
FROM: CHUCK MAGILL—VICE PRESIDENT FLIGHT OPERATIONS
DATE: NOVEMBER 14, 2011
RE: TPA 717 Domicile
Section 27.G.3. of Side Letter 10 (SL10), our Seniority Integration Agreement, states: “Southwest Airlines commits to establishing an Atlanta domicile with a minimum of fifteen (15) overnighting B717 aircraft by January 1, 2015, unless otherwise mutually agreed by both parties. If necessary, a second B717 domicile will be announced prior to the Transition Bid process at AirTran.”
Based on our current fleet plan, we have selected TPA to serve as the second Southwest Airlines 717 Pilot domicile. We believe TPA is a good long-term option as a Southwest domicile. I realize that for our new Pilots from AirTran, the SL10 language “if necessary” may complicate your bidding decision once the Transition Bid is released later this week. For those of you considering a bid for the 717, you have the assurance that ATL will serve as a domicile as we begin converting the 717 fleet. Should our fleet plan remain unchanged, the TPA domicile would open within a year of the ATL domicile. If our fleet plan changes and a second domicile is not required, we would continue to base all the 717s in ATL.
The Transition Bid for our new Pilots from AirTran will open on November 16. Crew Planning has worked with the Merger Committee, and the Transition Bid details will be posted in FLiCA when the bid is released. The details will include the most current aircraft conversion schedule and domicile projections. Please look for details later this week.