Originally Posted by 1Bigrodeo

If I'm going somewhere that takes more than 5 hours, I am doing it from first class with a cocktail in my hand. One man's garbage, another man's treasure.......

Originally Posted by FlyingViking

Just did a little comparison randomly. Flight a week from now, New York to LA, SWA: $249,- Delta: $ 134,-.

Point is, people got to Walmart regardless of price, as long as they think they got a good deal. Sad but true.

Originally Posted by ewrbasedpilot

And what's so sad is that it costs around $100 to take a CAB from JFK to EWR (all of 10 miles or so), and you don't hear anyone complaining about that, do you?

Originally Posted by ewrbasedpilot

Maybe, maybe not........ but what irritates many of the legacy pilots is SWA's continuous need to move into other airline's "territories", and lower the fares so much as to put people out of business AND jobs. Our overhead is much higher than SWA's, and our operating costs are too, but undercutting to the point where NO ONE is making money is just a bit on the ridiculous side. Everyone wants to compare SWA to the rest of the industry, but flying B737's on 1.5 hour hops all day long has NOTHING in common to flying a B777 on a 15 hour flight across the pond. Yet, that is what we're "compared" to. Doesn't seem quite right to me. How have they raised this industry up? They don't offer meals, inflight entertainment, international flights, baggage checking, etc. (And NO, I don't hate SWA.......have a lot of good friends working there, so don't go there.)

Originally Posted by ewrbasedpilot

Maybe, maybe not........ but what irritates many of the legacy pilots is SWA's continuous need to move into other airline's "territories", and lower the fares so much as to put people out of business AND jobs. Our overhead is much higher than SWA's, and our operating costs are too, but undercutting to the point where NO ONE is making money is just a bit on the ridiculous side. Everyone wants to compare SWA to the rest of the industry, but flying B737's on 1.5 hour hops all day long has NOTHING in common to flying a B777 on a 15 hour flight across the pond. Yet, that is what we're "compared" to. Doesn't seem quite right to me. How have they raised this industry up? They don't offer meals, inflight entertainment, international flights, baggage checking, etc. (And NO, I don't hate SWA.......have a lot of good friends working there, so don't go there.)

Originally Posted by ewrbasedpilot

And what's so sad is that it costs around $100 to take a CAB from JFK to EWR (all of 10 miles or so), and you don't hear anyone complaining about that, do you?

Originally Posted by Herkulesdrvr

Take the subway then, Im sure its much cheaper.

Originally Posted by 1Bigrodeo

EWRBased,

If you really believe SWA does 1.5 hops all day, you are as disillusioned as the people you worry compare you to them. (if it means anything at all what they think about your "length", go ask them when you taxi for 2 hours and strand them in EWR when there is a cloud over Teterboro. Been there, got the t-shirt)

If you took this job for professional image, glamour, or any other external factor, good luck finding peace in your life. Personally, I'm sick of flying with guys who try to make a mission out of this job. STFUAF. I love to fly, can't affect anything but how I do that and treat my passengers. Im pretty happy that I chose a company that has a good variety of flying, and encourages me to get out there and help my customers at every opportunity. Maybe not everyones thing, not my care though. Whatever floats your boat.

PS, sitting 15 hours doing nothing is hell to some people too. If I'm going somewhere that takes more than 5 hours, I am doing it from first class with a cocktail in my hand. One man's garbage, another man's treasure.......

No one survives scrutiny in this world. Go do a twitter search to hear what people have to say about your company today, then tell me who's glass hotel is darker when the sun comes up.

My only wish is that my fellow aviators would realize the nature of free markets, and then further apply their "masters of logic" hat to the "pilots don't make marketing decisions" issue and get the heck over the whole your group wronged ours mentality. It is our human nature to form tribes. We haven't evolved from it yet. If we realized that our corporate tribes have the common interest against poor management, we might be on to something great for the "career pilot". (No, I don't think ALPA is the solution, its deeper than that)

The real enemy to the professional pilot is the puke that runs the joint. If there was a pilot around smart enough to get hired as CEO of an airline (G. Behtune) then maybe things would be different(were for a large part with him there, but he wasn't an airline pilot). Till then, we are pawns in the same sick game, and vitriol like this thread does nothing but generate cortisol. Lemme know how that works out for ya.

Back to the thread,
Some pencil pushing dork who works for one of the maintenance contractors bought parts to save a buck, or without reading the label, so that must mean that SWA, and SWA pilots are somehow doomed to failure, unsafe, and bred from Pakistani mountain goats..... did I miss anything?

Originally Posted by Herkulesdrvr

ewr,

Ok, you are entitled to your opinion, however, swa goes into other airlines territories? What are we, 1960's Soviet Union? This is a free country with free markets, plain and simple. SWA is in business just like your company is, to satisfy investors.

facts:

Swa flying 1.5 hour hops "all day?" Not true.

"our overhead is much higher than swa's?" Not Swa's fault, thats your own company's problem.

"no one is making money is just a bit on the ridiculous side." Not swa's fault. SWA, Jetblue, Airtran, Allegiant all made money last quarter so once again not true that "no one" is making money. Your company not making money doesnt mean "no one" is making money

"How have they raised this industry up?" They lead the industry in wages, benefits, oh and they have been making profits for 38 years, that is how.

"They dont offer meals." Neither do many companies and passengers don't get on airplanes for meals in the first place. A majority of the traveling public gets on airplanes to fly safely from point A to B at the cheapest rate period dot.

"They don't offer baggage checking?" Really? So if I show up to a swa ticket counter I can't check a bag for free? You my freind have some research to do.