Will SWA Ever Rival Legacy Pay??
 

Will SWA pilot pay ever rival those of AA/DAL/UA on the 737 level? I know SWAPA approved a contract that brought them to the level of the legacies, but was very short lived with DALs contract and UAs 'me too' clause. So how long will SWA stay behind the others? Will there be a new contract for the Max?

Comparing FO and CA rates for years 1, 2, and 12:
Company FO1 FO2 FO12 CA1 CA2 CA12
SWA 77 112 176 221 224 251
DAL/UA 86 131 181 243 245 265
AA 86 130 179 240 243 263

So...SWA exceeded DAL rates, then DAL (and via DAL "me too" clause, UAL) exceeded SWA rates.

Pattern bargaining, how does it work?

You're making $251 an hour and sweating a $12 difference?

Really?

A lot of pilots work for less than $251 an hour. You might not want to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Nope. Never. Impossible....

The MAX will not require a new contract. What will require the contract to be opened is if SWA wants to fly an aircraft (even a 737) with more than 175 seats. Additionally if SWA wants to codeshare beyond the limited codeshare in the CBA that would require negotiations.

All 3 will be in negotiations before we will. Could be said we'll leapfrog them in pay. Just depends on what we ask for and how long mgt wants to drag it out....

They were higher than everyone else's 737 rate for many years after 9/11 when everyone else was in bankruptcy or teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Keep in mind that the SWA pilots have the ability to pick up premium pay and make substantially more if they are willing to work extra. This is obviously easier if you live in domicile. I have heard some pilots drop their schedule and then pick up trips at premium pay. Requires regularly looking at open time and manipulating your schedule, but it may be worth it. YMMV.

There is a thread on the NetJets page talking about SW vs NJ and one of the pilots did the math. The numbers are impressive!

Can't speak for UAL or AA but it's very easy to do at Delta also.

We can't drop trips. We can only give them away (someone had to pick them up).