SWA Info
 

From today's SWA Pravda:
SWA Adds New Jet to Fleet
SWA accepted delivery of our second new -700 of 2008 when N904WN was added to our fleet of 737s earlier this week. We also retired one plane. This brings our current total fleet count to 521. With 27 more deliveries and 21 more retirements planned for the year, our fleet total should reach 527 planes by yearend.


Here is some info for you poolies, looks like 6 net airplanes for this year.

hey what does that mean with a guy with a pool date of august 2007?

My buddy has the same pool date, and he is planning on an early 2010 class. FWIW

Brown,

Please elaborate on your "buddy." Those numbers are way off and if I am guessing right you are simply trying to inflate (or flamebait) your sense of self worth. If your buddy is that far from being hired at SWA why don't you get him a job at Brown? Fact is having seen this industry evolve for years if he isn't hired until 2010 the rest of the industry is in for some huge difficulty.:p

He must have meant 2009. At least that is more realisitic, i think, but who knows. I have a Sep 07 pool date and am figuring on first part of 2009.

Moondog

Inflate my sense of self worth?

How is early 2010 so hard for you to believe? It's already early 2008 right now. If they are only hiring 150 this year, he will still be 150 in the pool by this time next year.

If he's #150 in the pool in early 2009, he still will likely have another year to go - unless SWA plans on training many more from the pool in 2009.

So, why is two and a half years in the pool so unrealistic? I've heard it's been that long in the past?

Also, in my opinion only, SWA isn't the airline that it used to be. They won't see the tremendous domestic growth like they have in the past.

Wow your name fits!!!!!

Brown, I hate to say it but 150 would be at best. I kind of agree with you,if the retirees come in front of them well who knows,but anything can happen.

Where did you get this info from? It wasn't on the SWALife home page. Normally they post that on there when we get a new plane.

I was wondering the same thing :confused:

I am in the 13 Feb class. There are 13 poolies in the class and there were 4 deferrals. So the pool went through 17 spots (assuming those 4 turn down the next class as well, which would remove them from the pool).

I know it isn't enough data to make a really good guess, but that deferral rate of 23%, if it stood for the rest of the pool, would mean there is really going to be around 270 poolies remaining instead of the 350 names that are on the list. And as the wait time for classes grows from what is now (9 months) the percentage of deferrals should grow.

I'm not a math guy and I have zero airline experience, so you can rip me on my conclusions if you'd like, but that is how I see it from a "caveman pilot" point of view.

From our union website, If you want to read it at swalife go to today@swa on 1-17-08 Staff Planning During the Holidays: A Balancing Act.

Thanks buddy. I mised it. We did take several deliveries after the last class started in October though so hopefully they will need to hire guys for those planes as well.

I heard from the PD that they plan on putting 200 through class this year and maybe start interviewing around the first quarter of '09.

You guys said PD said it was 120 now its 200! Man I hope so, is this just some imaginary friend or something like that. I really hope you guys are right.

Ace,

You are right. I reread that and it did come off rather grouchy. You should have seen what I edited out.

You need to be careful about the subtle SWA bashers out there. They have been around a long time and sometimes make a dig that is not so obvious. For instance Brown's comment about 2010 doesn't (and we can disagree) doesn't match the numbers that I am seeing. There is too much happening in this industry (oil prices, stock prices all at 52 week lows, etc.) to claim that current plans won't change in a heartbeat. Oh! and be careful about what you glean off of SWAPA's website. No conspiracy theory here but we are in contract negotiations.

The SWA bashers use any number of arguments to justify why they are where they are and must point out flaws that SWA has (real or imaginary) to make their decision seem to be the right one.:cool:

Brown,

While I apoligize for being so inflamatory I will say that the tone in you post rang a familiar tune for me. I have heard negative posts from many who underneath wish SWA ill. If you did not intend that than I will consider myself wrong. Your last comment would indicate the tone which I refer to might indeed exist.

Misinformation seems to be the way to discredit the opposition. I have done verbal jousting with those that would indicate that SWA current salary level is by default. We can disagree but the current pay situation is what it is. Since I am in the unenviable position of having a life sentence on a 737 (a fate worse that death) and I am doomed to fly six legs a day for the rest of my life (a myth mentioned now and then to make fun of how hard we work) I get a little testy when the misinformation flows so freely.

While I would agree that SWA is no longer the airline it used to be I differ in the conclusion that all the changes have been negative (was that your implication?). We are currently too large for anyone to ignore and if domestic growth is not there then we will follow the money trail but not abandon our current system like so many have.

For the present I will continue to confront misinformation about SWA when it comes up. Which brings us back to your "buddy" and how long he should wait on SWA to hire him. I tend to look at the positive opportunities that might present themselves in the next few years for SWA (if BK doesn't bail someone out again!) and know that predictions are often incorrect.:)

Thats what we want them to believe so all the jerks go somewhere else.ssshhhhhh!

I disagree. It has been almost 6 months since anyone has interviewed at SWA. By the middle of March everyone that is in the pool will be required to have a type rating to remain in the pool. I don't know much, but I know pilots are cheap and if they paid 5K-6K for a type rating I can't see them deferring a class at SWA.

I am hearing inklings of special interviews for the oldsters wanting to come back...I don't think there are any more than 15-20 but they are supposedly talking about putting them in front of poolies. I think this is a big mistake and total BS, but justice is not an ideal embraced here as much as the good ole boy TX BS. ANything can happen this year for you guys...I would keep your options open and stay in the pool/stay flexible as long as you can...good luck

[QUOTE=zippy;302726]I am in the 13 Feb class. There are 13 poolies in the class and there were 4 deferrals. So the pool went through 17 spots (assuming those 4 turn down the next class as well, which would remove them from the pool).

Zippy,
13 is a pretty small number. Is that what the next few classes will look like or will they be bumped back up to 20? How much notice did you get for the class?

Thanks for any intel,
Bernie

[quote=Bernie;303973]Bernie--

I was notified 4 weeks to the day prior to my class. That seems to be what they've done in the past as well.

Nobody really knows what the size of the next few classes will be except for the training dept. My class is supposed to be 16 total (1 retrainee, 2 dudes from the FAA, 13 poolies). If I had to guess, I would think the next few classes would be 16 as well, but that is just my guess. I really don't think anybody really knows for sure and any intel would be speculation. I think the added problem of the 60+ guys coming back just muddies the water further.

When I get to class I will try to get more intel. Best of luck, man.

Zippy,

Does it look like the next few new-hire classses are going to be all going to OAK? Any word as to how long we can expect to be there before we can get a bid back to the East Coast bases? Just curious as to what you guys have been told/hearing. Thanks.

Buttermaker

The last I heard the new hires are still going to Oakland, but a few have ended up starting in Las Vegas.

My buddy got MDW after 3 months, but that was back in March. I really don't know how long it will take now with the classes slowing down and nothing seems to be set in stone. A year ago it was taking guys 7-8 months to get to HOU and DAL (the two most senior bases).

Just as an FYI----I was in the Sept. 5th class and have been trying to get to the East coast since then.... Spent one month in OAK and have been in Las Vegas ever since. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the input Zippy,

With things slowing up, it seems that new hires could be based in OAK/LAS for quite some time before being able to get back to the east coast (MCO or BWI). I'm not complaining, just curious as to how long I can expect to commute to OAK/LAS. Any new hires from the Jan 9th class have any intel?

That rumor is going around at COPA where there are a number of retired SWA guys getting ready to go back to SWA as F/Os. Any validity to that? If so, wonder what pay would be in the offering.

I was an August new hire and still cant get back east....guys in the class before me are now starting to get MDW as well as one from my class. Slow moving to say the least but as we all know that can change in heartbeat..for better or worse...good luck

I wouldn't plan on the East Coast any time soon. I've been flying the line for 10 months. Looks like I am going to get booted from BWI for a second time in three months. PHX seems to be the most junior base for FO's. Second place is a close tie between LAS and OAK.

OAK is most junior followed by LAS and PHX.

I was looking at Feb seniority trying to decide which base to bid after getting bumped from BWI. I have the most guys beneath me at PHX. Again this is based on Feb #s and I guess March vacancy was just published.

SO...... what you're saying is plan on OAK/LAS/ or PHX for about a year barring any unforseen changes between now and then. Thanks for the heads up!


BTW...why is PHX going junior?

I can only guess that PHX is going junior because we're increasing flights to/from DEN up so heavily. SWA stripped MCO and BWI when they stood up LAS as a crew base. LAS went more senior for Captains than most expected. A lot of senior FOs are leaving LAS realizing their upgrade won't be as quick there as they had anticipated. I saw my seniority from BWI go from 40 from the bottom two months ago, to #2 from the bottom this month. I expect to be displaced in March when they cut 4 FOs in March.

Im basing the most junoir base off the minimum employee number required to bid in the base. The lowest employee number in all the domiciles and the month/year they were hired on and the number of classes that has started since then is listed below.

OAK: 86500 10/07 1
LAS: 86100 9/07 1
PHX: 85900 8/07 3
MDW: 85000 6/07 8
HOU: 84500 4/07 11
MCO: 84400 4/07 11
BWI: 84300 4/07 12
DAL: 82900 12/06 23


So I would say the most junior to senior base would be based on the employee number you must have to bid into the base to hold some sort of line, not how many pilots a specific person would have beneath them on the list in each domicile. This took a little time so I hope it helps.

I just heard on the earnings webcast the company is only going to increase its total fleet size by 7 aircraft this year.

HuronIP, thanks for the intel. Keep it coming!!