We should go into it being over-prepared and ready for any situation the company throws at us. Expect the unexpected...

 

I agree. So are you saying we shouldn't rely entirely on the idea of a pilot shortage? I agree with that for a number of reasons:

1. The pilot shortage may not really exist
2. Even if it does really exist, the company may not care
3. If it does exist, the company may believe it can solve it in some other way other than appeasing the pilots like seeking regulatory relief or establishing an ab initio program

So, what does being "over-prepared" mean to you?

 

Not to veer too far off coarse but since pilot shortage is being brought up, has anyone heard about age 67? Is it still being considered?

 

Well, for the last year or so SWAPA has been conducting polls on every single section of the CBA and then using the results to write language for Contract 2020.

In the meantime the strike preparedness committee was never stood down. Instead they have been participating in informational picketing at other carriers including JetBlue and Spirit - arguably learning what works and what doesn’t.

The communications committee has been creating new channels including electronic and paper Reporting Points and Negotiating Point.

The association has been building relationships with other unions by hosting an annual independent pilots union conference in Dallas last year. Another is scheduled for October this year.

The SWAPA President, a known firebrand, is eligible for one more term which will carry him into the 2020 negotiation cycle. He isn’t likely to become LESS aggressive during that time.

The company still has yet to embark on any interline or codeshare relationships. Once they do they will likely look to ‘tweak’ the CBA language in order to match their business plans.

Now looking outside of SWA, American and United both have massive retirements that will occur in the next decade. American has stated they don’t even have the training capacity to fill the vacancies. The resulting upward movement will create astonishing training floats at AA, requiring unprecedented hiring. To meet that need, they have pioneered flow through programs with a number of regionals. Their efforts have been duplicated with regional partners at United and Delta. Even Frontier recently started a flow through relationship with Trans States. JetBlue is still building their “zero to hero” program.

So the question I might ask if I were a recruiter is, “What does a largely domestic operator of only 737s - one who is below industry standard in compensation, Retirement, and benefits - have to offer a potential pilot candidate that will entice them to leave behind their ‘cradle to grave’ career path with one of the legacies and come to work here?” Even if everything else were equal those other carriers offer choices that WN never could. Widebodies airplanes to worldwide destinations. Pay scales that far outpace 737 rates on their larger aircraft.

The challenge for the company will be figuring out how to recruit and retain pilots in the face of all of this competition to recruit and retain pilots. Even absent any negotiations at all, I believe they’ll have to figure out ways to sweeten the pot. What will that look like? Who knows. Space positive commuting? Live wherever you want? More money? More time off? Who knows... but what I DO know, is that the supply and demand curve is firmly in our favor when it comes to negotiating improvements in 2020. The only thing that could put the brakes on would be a catastrophic event that stunts the air travel market at large.

Just the opinion of one industry observer.




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Umm... Culture?

 

10 pages to explain our hourly conversion. To sum up, our rates are lower but we can work harder to make the same or maybe more than a legacy narrowbody peer. Unless you take retirements and upgrade into account. Might be ok if you don’t have to commute or ever want fly widebodies.

And culture.

 

Hahahahahahahaha

WN can still attract hordes of pilots with playful FAs having pillow fights and crazy room parties.

 

Is that still the case now with continued ramping-up of hiring that happened to coincide with the early retirement of the classic fleet? Hasn't that resulted in a dramatic drop in open time?

 

That just got rid of most of the premium time. Guys are picking up straight time so they can make their 120 trips!

 

Won’t last long. We will end 2018 with significantly more aircraft.