This is NOT flame bait. I work for SWA and I'm happy here.

A very young and junior FO recently raised a good point. He said he's looking to bail to Delta when they start hiring. He said he's looking at a 19 year upgrade at SWA vs 12 at Delta. Plus Delta has widebody flying and (soon) a widebody payscale. The two biggest draws of SWA have always been the fast upgrade and great culture. Both are now gone (yes, the SWA culture is dead).

So, is SWA still a top choice for future applicants? Opinions?

 

...Nope...

 

I chose Delta over WN for those very reasons.

 

without the culture that swa has come to be known for, it will cease to be the industry darling. if and when other carriers offer the same level of compensation, the above statement will be truer and truer. this is all my opinion, of course.

nobody is going to buy a 737 type rating unless they have to. If any of the legacy carriers start to offer similar pay, swa may have trouble finding candidates willing to drop 2 of their vacation weeks to go spend 8 grand on acquiring a type rating. The 'return on investment' argument will no longer hold water.

 

How is the SWA culture dead? What do you mean by that, and can you give examples? Truly curious, thanks.

 

Ask all those happy Air Tran guys about the SW Culture...

 

Ask the Airtran guys. They got F'd at the used car lot.

 

Drive-through, wasn't it?

 

Maybe my input to this is unwelcome.. but I'm gonna give it anyway.. and not flaming either.

Personally as a student of the industry, SWA would not be a top choice of mine if I were looking for a job because I really believe they have reached their maximum potential with the model they have. Without drastic changes to that model, they are not gonna grow much. I can't see how they could. The model has already been violated by adding the second type (which I believe Gary Kelly is desperate to unload).. and high density airports. Where else can you find city pairs like you had in the past?

That being said, DAL/UCAL and whatever arises from AA/U (which will be interesting) have a lot of room to run. DAL's biggest money maker right now is domestic. How can that be when SWA is THE low cost airline? Sorry for the tangent. If I were a senior guy at SWA I would be happy as you stated you are. The prospect of throwing gear on a 737 for an extended length of time.. vice throwing gear on a 747, would not appeal to me as a young guy.. especially when that pay premium that you have enjoyed for the last few years is going away. Variety is the spice of life, but to each his own.

I think that very young/junior guys are always talking about going somewhere else. That is a natural thing. When we were in BK, we had guys TALK about going to Emirates.. I even thought about going to Cathay.. until I found out what it was like there.. grass... greener... yada yada yada. But when it really comes down to pulling the handles, THAT is a different story. Not much different than all those guys that say "I'm retiring at 55".. yeah right... sure they will....

 

Back in 2007 when I was looking for a job, SWA was definitely a place I would work for. Now as a 5-year FO at DAL, heck no! I like that I can see all corners of the world and the USA that you just can not and will not be able to do at SWA. And I've jumpseated enough on 737s to know that I hate 737s. It is Boeing's worst cockpit (ergonomics, space, and noise).

If I was a FO at SWA facing a 18 year upgrade (assuming no backward movement), I would be looking at everyone (DAL, UAL, FDX, UPS, ALASKA). When the dust settles at UAL, there's going to be massive retirements. DAL will have them but they're going to take longer to kick in.