Originally Posted by
ak68W
I’m so apprehensive about doing this. Really considering staying 135 after reading all these threads. Any idea how long people get stuck in OAK? It seems like no matter what base you can hold, the commute just sucks, and it looks like people are on reserve for 3 years? Not sure if this is accurate.
It was accurate
for the last three years, but a new hire today is going to have a vastly different experience. Today’s hire will be in the base they want within a few months, off reserve a few months later. The company is hiring 2000+ pilots over the next two years. That’s 20% of the pilot group. With that being said, if you aren’t planning on living in a SWA base, then I would look elsewhere. Lots commute here, but I can’t really say it’s commuter friendly.
Keep in mind, a lot of people come here to vent. Like politics, you don’t hear much from the silent majority. All the airlines, and cargo for that matter, are having issues now. My friends at FedEx and UPS are complaining about how their schedules have been “optimized”. Delta has a thread several pages long about pilot morale. It’s hitting everywhere. Southwest at this point is struggling more than most. That just makes it that much more important to have a total rewrite of our contract so we are protected from this kind of abuse.
The tide will change again. Now is the time to make the jump (to SWA or elsewhere).