Originally Posted by
sailingfun
You are kind of missing my point. Trying to argue weight and speed are no longer relevant hurts the profession. Average aircraft size is trending up rapidly and we may see supersonic airliners at some point. Building new airports in the US is almost impossible.
Your argument as a SW pilot on why you deserve a premium over the big 3 for 737 pay should center on productivity. You are far more productive than the big 3 and should be compensated for that.
It is important to recognize that as seat density increases, the type of aircraft is less important. For example, our -800 holds the same number of pax as USAir and TWA used to put on the 757.
Just as the RJ was used as a tool to replace mainline wages and benefits with a low cost alternative (replacing DC9, Bac 1-11, Fokker 100, 737-200) the use of slimline seats and high density cabins to allow similar revenue from a smaller aircraft has also lowered crew costs as the 737 was traditionally a lower pay rate than the 757.
There
should be higher rates as the company is able to produce more revenue from the aircraft.
I still don’t think pay is the most important thing we should be looking to address in this contract, but that doesn’t mean I want us to roll over on it either.