Originally Posted by
forgot to bid
You guys can double check my math, but according to airlinepilotcentral SWA currently has 6,104 pilots. I do not believe that counts AirTran. If it does, my bad, but based on 568 SWA birds and 6,104 piltos they have an average of 10.75 pilots per plane. Close to the 11 you mention Sailing.
However, looking at the 22 D2 for Nov 2012, we will have 1,625 pilots on the MD88/90. If you go on the 152 fleet number then we average 10.69 pilots per airplane but if you add in the 13 incoming MD90s then the number is 9.85 pilots per plane.
IF those numbers are right, then we are staffing the MD88 with fewer pilots than SWA staffs the 737.
Don't know the actual pilot numbers at SW. However you would have to remove all pilots on MLOA, Sick, personal leaves, administrative pilots ect. from their total. To get a accurate number if you comparing our category numbers. What I am saying is you have to compare actual working pilots. Your number compares all pilots at SWA to only working pilots at Delta. We have about 15 percent of our pilots out on long term leaves, furlough bypass and disability ect.. I suspect SW has about the same.
What really makes the difference more compelling is that SWA flies their 737 more per day then Delta flies there M88's. No matter how you want to spin it SW is more efficient then Delta.
We could be just like SWA if we eliminated all pickup limits and allowed pilots to fly to FAR's at straight rates if desired. Some pilots have actually advocated that on here because they want to work more. If your in the bottom 1500 pilots at Delta you really might not like that option.