Originally Posted by
Dukeuno
Yea man I am still coming. There are a lot of factors, but a few of them and not in any order of preference:
1. I grew up in a SWA family ( so I have always wanted to work for SWA). I know SWA is not the SWA of the 80s, but it is still the best airline by far to work for as far as management and culture.
2. I live in the Dallas area, I will never have to commute for ever again ( I know for a few months at the begging) unless I want to commute. That is not a guarantee at Spirt.
3. I am about a year from upgrade at Spirit, which upgrade is never a guarantee. With the new CBA and the current contract at SWA I will still make more than I would at Spirit ( I ran the numbers and used 11 years for upgrade at SWA and 100 trip credit a month. Spirit I used 85 hrs and upgrading in a year).
4. SWA is a more stable company. In my opinion SWA has way better work rules and QOL. Now Spirit does have great Crews to work with but so does SWA.
Now this is why I chose SWA over Spirit, it might not work for everyone, but I am excited to join the SWA family.
If you live in base, you'll be able to make a killing here. I also don't think it'll take you anywhere close to 11 years to upgrade barring a major economic downturn, but it's good that you planned it that way. Also, 100 TFP per month, only if you choose to not pick up any extra work, or don't get rerouted or JA'd. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
One really nice thing that you'll get here that Spirit pilots didn't get in this contract is profit sharing. For last year, we get 11.3% of our eligible 2017 wages in profit share. Considering that at Southwest, PS is also a qualified retirement plan, it's subject to the IRS 415c limits along with your 401k, so if you hustle, PS can be that extra push to make you reach those limits. I reached it as a second-year FO for 2017, and I'm getting a little over 6k in excess payment this month. As I said, it REALLY pays to live in base and picking up some extra work.
You're right, it's not Herb's airline anymore, but the culture among the front line employees is still there for the most part. All in all, pros definitely outnumber the cons, and living in Dallas and driving to work, you'll absolutely love it here.
Welcome aboard!