Originally Posted by SWAcapt
Actually SWA is hedged in the $30's for the next 3 years and as far as UAL vs SWA capt pay, SWA is $12 higher than a UAL 747 driver. This of course only matters if you've bought-in to the legacy carrier management position that corporate profits are tied directly to pilot hourly pay rates. Our hourly rate is high because we are the most productive. Our labor cost are still comparitively low (right at industry avarage) due to the employee productivity.
I would tend to disagree on your issue of productivity. CAL now builds lines to an average of 80-85 hrs a month, has no trip or duty rigs, and at every opportunity passes on the increasing cost of health care on to the employees. etc. etc. Comparing a 747 CA to a 737 CA only illustrates how much more SWA is paying in pilot cost per butt moved per mile. A CAL 737 CA makes $150 you make $185, we are flying the same airplanes, albeit CAL's MX cost are higher as we have a fully functional HNAV/VNAV/autothrottle, and a few other gizmos. If you would research the numbers I believe you will find that per passenger mile flown, CAL pilots are a heck of a lot cheaper than SWA pilots. SWA biggest advantage right now is the fuel hedge and 2nd ,only by a little , is a managment /employee relationship that fosters productivity rather than hindering it. Who else here can say my company has never furloughed pilots? I think SWA is a great company and I wish you guys well, but I think you will definitely see pressure on your wages and increasing ticket prices at SWA as your fuel advantage decreases.