Originally Posted by
80emb145
I understood it as if a #120000 is on ExTO and furloughs start at #120001, they will bring 120000 off of ExTO to cover flying.
I understand there are junior ExTO’s, but let’s say there are currently 1500 ExTO’s company wide. If you furlough 1500 (including those junior ExTO’s in that 1500) a bid will happen that will downgrade and displace and bring all those ExTO’s back to work. Recalls in seniority order from there.
You’re one senior to me and you’re on exto. I get furloughed and now someone has to cover my flying. You. If a furlough happens, a bid will happen. They’re not going to furlough and continue to pay people not to come to work.
Meaning, they’ll revoke exto status from everyone they need to before recalling.
I’m not a schedule planner, but my guess is they don’t necessarily need to bring people in from ExTO if they furlough someone, esp if anyone is still being paid green bars after a furlough. I’d assume if they furlough, they’d furlough just enough people to operate the schedule without green bars and without having to recall anyone early from ExTO.
Additionally, for decades SWA operated right around a 10.5:1 pilot to aircraft ratio. Only since 2016 did that increase significantly to around 13.5/14 to one pre-covid. There’s lots of speculation as to why that occurred but the point is the planners know we can operate with a ratio as low as 10.5:1 (or maybe even lower). I don’t know what our ratio is at the moment but to whatever extent it may be above the traditional manning ratio is also the extent to which we have proven we can operate the schedule before recalling people from ExTO.
A furlough would supposedly be about cost-savings as much as it would be about a power move so theoretically if they furlough someone only to recall on a one-for-one basis a more senior someone from ExTO, it would be counter-productive in terms of cost-savings.