mulcher

So why arent the rest even close the SWA payrates then?

captjns

I have yet to meet an unhappy SWA pilot relating to pay and benefits. You can't put them in the same category as JB, AT, SB, VA... etal. Can you believe it... that SWA was the lowest paid pilots in the industry when they started out 30 some years ago? Now look at their pay and benefits versus UAL, NWA, DAL, USAir... etal... the group who used to look down their noses at SWA crews. GO SWA!!!! and don't look back!!!!

seaav8tor

Lower expectation pilots=Lower pay

In the current mindset of AIRCON "We have a whole lot more we can squeeze out of pilot labor”... Lower the bar, NextGen ATC, Automation, MPL.

Mindset of pilot labor... It's cyclical; it will come back, Pilot Shortage!

I want to be the glass is half full guy but, this reality where highly compensated technical skills get replaced by technology has occurred over and over again in many fields over the last 100 years. If you have been at this 20 years and you're 45+ you're past V1. Too late to retool and perhaps enough ok jobs remaining to chase before it's all gone. All good things must come to an end. If you're young, love to fly, the job will be there for at least one more generation but the money is just a memory.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. There are many successful professional pilots today that are not happy.

Don't be one of them.

Be happy.

Roper92

Has anyone found any photos of the Skybus uniforms yet??

ExperimentalAB

I agree with the several posts here that question the validity of SWA being on this list...They're easily the number one U.S. Carrier, and have been for a long-while now.

Now for SKYBUS...LoL I'm trying not to get started. What a joke of an Airline - and these guys actually FLY those busses for peanuts?? Oh wait - I'm sorry - they have to PAY for those peanuts.

Now all they need w/those uniforms are some Smokey the Bear Hats to complete the Image!

SkyBus embarrasses me as a Pilot!

Shrek

Don't get me wrong..........they invented the segment and have changed aviation for good in my opinion. Their treatment of labor is good and have a great product every time I have ridden them.

But in the pay department they have not helped to raise "the bar". If you figure the average rate of inflation to the rates of 20 years ago then y'all have not gotten a raise. BUT, in your defense, the legacies gave away (or MGT stolen away in bancruptcies) all their benefits and QOL to be UNDER your rates. Time will tell if they actually have the moxie to "Take it Back".

captjns

If one is talking about carriers with low pay and no benefits, how would you categorize some of the legacy carriers that did away with retirement benefits, reduced pay, less than pleasent working conditions, and attracting the same "greyhound bus passengers" to fill their seats too? Seems these carriers have to raise their own bar to come up to SWA's standards. Are they not included in the low pay category because they fly larger aircraft, and fly internationally?