Originally Posted by
TriStar_drvr
At SWA if you will fly every day on your schedule, sometimes over 8 hours, then have a 12 hour rest and go again. It can be quite exhausting (at least to this 56 year old).
This very accurately describes the trips at SW in contrast not only to FedEx, but also to the other majors. The trips are densely constructed and very efficient (compared with the legacies). There is an uproar here when ground time is an hour in contrast to the "airport appreciation time" and 24 hour layovers at the other shops. This is good and bad. Make no mistake - the trips are exhausting. At the other legacy where I worked there was an 85 hour cap. Even though I worked the same number of days I rarely finished a trip as tired.
At most airlines a trans-con is a day's work. At SW they are frequently followed by a 35 minute turn and two more legs. It can be tiring.
On the plus side, this efficiency means getting your hours in fewer days, which could mean more time at home... assuming you don't want to fly extra.
The 110+ TFP months are addictive. It's hard to go back to 85-90 once you have seen a paycheck at 110. And hard to go back to 110 once you've seen 120. Premium is similarly addictive. You find yourself staring at the computer or text alerts looking for one more day... Just 6.5 more TFP.
This probably doesn't help with your decision, but I think there is value in general understanding within the applicant community about the differences in line construction at SW vs. everybody else.