Originally Posted by sailingfun

Your numbers don't make and form 4 data does not include the same items from airline to airline. In 2012 the average wage at Delta was 158 k a year. It was 157k at SW. The benefit package was 51k per pilot at Delta and 27k at SWA. Sine then delta wages are up 16% with SWA showing I think a 2 percent gain. Delta retirement funding also went to 15%. In 2013 SWA reported total pilot costs per hour at 809 on the 737-800. Delta was 972.
The pay rates at SWA came from the 2001 contracts at DAL and UAL. SW agreed to rates almost 20 percent below the standard while having much higher productivity. They have never led the industry or established new standards despite being consistently the most profitable and by far having the best financials.