Ahhh, the all-knowing Whack.

Tell me Oh Great One,

What does an APU fire have to do with leaving an a/c on ground power?

Contrary to The Great Ones' insight, this ridiculous policy will eventually get changed. But not soon enough.

SW has a lot of non Boeing rules they place on themselves. For those who have flown the 737 or boeings elsewhere you just need to get used to doing it differently and sometimes going against what Boeing says and common sense. I think this will change when we get more new blood in the training center and with the next acquisition.
As far as food goes I got a food bag and carry that with me now. Healthier food, cheaper, and no longer being dissatisfied with the food options at the airports. It's not for everyone but I think it was a good decision for me.
A great plus for me is the diversity of flying here. There is no typical trip. No getting bored flying the same thing every week. In the future we'll get another airframe and start going over the water. I'm sure we'll treat it like a mission to Mars and totally mess it up at first but sometimes it's fun just watching what they'll come up with next. If you're a type who needs everything to make sense, super anal, or can't be flexible it will be a tough place to work.

You sure are a big talker. I thought you were a big time high paid captain at the tranny. If so you would be a captain at the trailways.

He doesn't sound like the type of guy who cares if you push 10 minutes late. If he does care then I am quite positive he is the type of guy that will pin the delay code on you. No problem.

If you've worked at other airlines, what you will notice is that there are much fewer "airport appreciation" sits built into your days. While in the past I appreciated those times to have some lunch, use a full sized restroom for the morning constitutional, or just people watch... they are few and far between here.

That's good and bad. It's good because I'd rather the day be more efficient. Work as much as I can and then enjoy more days off.

It's bad because between the busy trips and the poor hotel locations (although that seems to be improving) it's hard not to feel as though you are a prisoner chained to the airplane. Bust your rear all day, go to the hotel in the industrial park, have dinner, go to bed, rinse and repeat.

I tend to bring food too, but I still force myself to go up into the terminal once or twice a day. For one, it's terrible for your health to sit all day. So just the opportunity to stretch, use a real bathroom, and clear your mind for a minute actually seems to give me a second wind. There's plenty of time between flights, and 99% of the captains are awesome about it.

The ones who aren't are either well known on line and easy to avoid (once you're off reserve) or I give them a "thumbs down" on an app we use to display our schedule. Then if I get scheduled with them again, I can see the thumbs down, read my notes, and trade away from the trip.

Bottom line, it is busier than other airlines where you may have worked. If you were corporate before, it's not even in the same league. But by the time you hit 100 hours you'll be accustomed to it. Some days you'll love it, some days you'll wish you had gone to law school instead.

GFY.......

Why are you shooting the messenger?

You kiss your mama with that mouth?

Ok I have a couple of questions about reserve life. What is the commuter clause? Is OAK still junior and if so how long would it take to get to DAL, DEN or HOU?

Most if not everyone does 1 month in OAK but that will be a hard line not reserve. A lot of guys are getting to DEN the next month. I believe all bases but ATL and MCO can be held within 3 months.

Commuter clause is 2 flights that will get you to the start 1hr before report.