Originally Posted by RckyMtHigh

My biggest factor in my job choice was quality of life over the first five years and the biggest factor in that was living in base. SWA was the fastest route to where I wanted to live, months of commuting vice years. In year three, I average 12 days of work a month, bid for early returns on last day when I can (home before noon on the last day is almost another day off). Most people at swa seem to be chasing the $, so lower paying easy trips are usually plentiful to trade with the company. Benefits for us slackers of no-pbs bidding is with monthly overlap correction can drop a day or two off your schedule and your week of vacation turns into 18+ days off. Dropping trips in their entirety is not easy. You need someone else to pick up from you and until you’re senior, probably not going to happen.

I chose SWA knowing I was giving up faster seniority and earning potential down the road (long term QOL). But with only a 15 year career, those were less important. If I was looking at a longer career, retirement numbers and variety of flying elsewhere would have made the decision more difficult.

Originally Posted by hoover

True but you have to do AMs to get home by noon.
I've done a few PMS that don't report till 2100. That's pretty sweet also.

Originally Posted by Saabs

I’ve heard swa guys say AM and Pm before. Is that a set in stone thing? Can you not bid trips that leave after noon on day one and get back before noon on day three?

Originally Posted by SlipKid

Not normally at SW. Sometimes CS splits open time trips that start as a PM on the first day, but are AMs the subsequent days.

Gotta be careful when bidding for open time, especially now that we can't give them away anymore.

Originally Posted by Saabs

Ok so it’s just how they build the trips. Got it. At least junior guys seem to get more days off than other airlines over there so that kinda negates it.

Originally Posted by webecheck

No airline is really all that different. 10 months on the line with UA and I had Thanksgiving off and 19 total off in a 31 day bid month. And I was able to hold Hawaii and Latin America trips. What could be better than that if you have to fly 737s? If I want to make more money, I just go into open time and pick up. When I was tired of knee pain from 737 transcons, I bid the 756.

Originally Posted by Saabs

I think swa is unique in terms of the mornings or evenings. As in not commutable. I don’t commute but like to show up around lunch or afternoon on day one and day three be home by lunch or early afternoon.

Originally Posted by crxpilot

Minimum time away from home......Allegiant.

All day trips 99% of the time.