I am a Southwest pilot and I ride Mesaba Airlines a couple times a year from MSP to a northern Minnesota city and back. Thank you very much for allowing me to jumpseat on your airline. Of course you guys and girls are always welcome on us.

Now to the title of this post. The other day when I caught a ride the captain was very cool, as is my usual experience. However, not more than 2 seconds after he signed the ACM form he turned to his F/O and started comparing Southwest Airlines to Walmart. Frankly that comparison is not new to me so I really don't care about that. Plus if we're like Walmart then I better get a red vest because I love working here.

I just think making a comment like that within earshot of another pilot is a bit unprofessional. Aviation is a small community. Management is already tearing apart most pilot groups, lets not do it to each other.

Take care!

S.B.

 

If Southwest is the Walmart of airlines, then Mesaba is the Dollar store

 

That Capt is obviously barely literate; how'd he ever make it to Capt? The Wal-mart and Southwest management philosophies are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Southwest pays and treats their employess well while Walmart is a hair above legal slavery. It maybe that there is more than a little jealousy behind that comment.

 

It depends on the context. Did he make the comment in a positive tone or was it obviously negative? With Wal-Mart, it seems people either love it or hate it. If it was negative, perhaps it had nothing to do with how SW treats their employees. It might simply be that he was comparing SW's low fares to WM's "always low prices" attracting a certain demographic with their clientèle. I don't know....just playing devil's advocate.

 

Sounds like a good theory.

 

The Costco of airlines perhaps? Cheap and they treat their employees well?

 

you could have responded in one of two ways:

1. remind him how much more money you are making at SWA vice Mesaba..

or

2. just told him to CMH (Chow My Hog)... (which is personally how I would have responded)...

cheers!!

 

This could be a thread hijacking, but having just renewed my Costco membership for $50, I've decided Costco isn't all that cheap. That's difficult to offset over the course of a year.

Unless you're my wife, who would say, "See, now we just have to buy more in order to make the membership worthwhile."

 

I think skybus is more fitting of the title "The Walmart of Airlines". I'd love to see how they put 156 seats on an A319.

 

LOL, couldn't agree more. How are you supposed to put flight attendants on commission?! More, crap they sell? But here I was thinking the F/A was there for safety purposes, boy I must really be wrong.