Originally Posted by
DAL 88 Driver
Wow. Do you really believe what you write?
According to SWAPA, the average SWA Captain makes $234,436 working an average of 12 days per month (I'm assuming that includes days off for vacation and sick time). Doesn't sound to me like they're flying a lot more than our domestic narrowbody pilots. If anything, they're flying less. And making way more.
You can site all the extreme examples you want. But the average is the average. Should be obvious to all but the most biased observers that we are still far below SWA pilots in terms of pay versus number of days worked.
What happened to you, ACL?
I voted against contract 2012. The input I gave my rep is pretty much what your ave. swa captain makes. About 235K and averaging 12-14 days per month of work. I spent Jan-April on the dc-9 working 15-17 days per month. I either got 1 or 2 greenslips, can't remember. We'll call it 2. Spent 20 days in training in May. Hit the line on the Bus on June 7th or 8 for IOE. On the Bus, never flew over 14 days in any one month. Most months below 10, 2 of those months at 4 days--including December.
--Pay will be in the arena of 245K
--DC company contribution--not match--34K
--profit sharing estimation will be 18K gross
Total compensation just under 300K
162 days worked (13.5 per month)
470 Block Hours
Ask ANY f/o I have flown with and they will tell you that I am well
belowaverage.
So they found a way to meet my expectations, at least for 2013
The difference in how I feel this year is huge. I am not wiped out, even though 43 has not been kind to my body, knee surgery, reflux starting to rear its head, and those plates are getting a bit blurry.
None of this is bragging. In fact, I think it is a fluke--from a compensation perspective. It took a lot of flexibility on my part. It took living close to base as a reserve pilot. it took a lot of luck that I hit a fleet at the right time in the right place.
It is, however, what I expect going forward as I return to the MD. I expect the same compensation and time off without jumping through the hoops to get it--but I did get it.
Bottom line: I agree with him that there is more to the story regarding SWA compensation.
Bottom line: I did better than SWA as a below average Delta guy.
Bottom line: I don't buy off on the permanent reset of wages, and frankly--at least in my conversations with him--neither does ACL.
Bottom line: If just 3 people had changed their vote just over a year ago in ATL, things might look very different now with regard to our MEC.
Bottom line: Those 3 people didn't, nor did the 2000+ pilots who didn't bother to vote. Maybe 3000+ pilots--I don't recall the exact numbers.
Just some fodder for a sunday morning.