Hey everyone,

I’m a yellow Airbus pilot with a job offer from Southwest. The merger process at Spirit has created so much uncertainty of the future that, in the current environment, it doesn’t make sense to stay. Literally EVERYWHERE is hiring.

I applied to Southwest as it’s always seemed very stable. That, and the pilot group seems fun and there seems to be good money to be made. Before I received the CJO at SWA, I put together an AirlineApps account and applied to United & Delta to test the waters. Within 72 hours, I received assessment invites and now may have additional options. I could live in SWA or UAL bases, or commute for Delta (at least in the short term). Since I don’t want to jump jobs, I’m trying to do my due diligence and make sure I fully understand what I’d be getting myself into at SWA. I’ve got 30 years of flying left, so I wanna bet on the best horse for my family & I’s situation.

1) What’s the FO compensation situation at Southwest? I’m well-aware of long upgrades here, but according to the APC annual “W2 salary” thread, even First Officers do really well here. The question is … what’s the rub? Hustling a lot, working down to min days off, tournament-level ‘playing the game,’ outlier of compensation due to being understaffed, etc.? I know upgrades can be very quick at Delta and United, but that’s also relegating one’s self to reserve in an undesirable base.

2) What’s the status of Contract 2020? I saw SWAPA has an informational picketing even in Dallas on the 21st. Any meaningful contractual gains TA’d? The United AIP looks promising and my buddy at Delta said their management is entertaining some impressive contractual improvements [to include making positive space commuting to/from work permanent]. I know this is a big ‘what if,’ but I’m an outsider with no knowledge of where y’all are at.

3) In this current labor market, you guys and gals could go anywhere. Why do you stay (i.e. what do you like/love about SWA) here when you could bounce to any other major carrier?

4) What’s the current MAX situation? One of my concerns with coming to Southwest is the single fleet type with the recent history of Boeing and their MAX certification issues. I know the NEO’s geared turbofan has been huge for fuel efficiency, so for SWA to get LEAP engines on the MAX 7 is going to do wonders for profitability in light of rapidly increasing fuel costs. That said, the MAX 7 seems like it may not make the December 2022 cutoff for EICAS certification. Is SWA still looking at the A220 or other fleet options if this falls through?