135 considering 121
 

I am currently a part 135 DO/Check airman making 150k , work 12 minutes from the house and make the schedule. Fly 12-15 days per month but basically work every non flying day on DO duties. I’m maxed on pay.

I have an interview at SW next week but have so many questions….any input would be greatly appreciated.

What can one expect to make first year, I know it’s gonna be a pay cut, just trying to decide how much.

I have a hour drive to the nearest major airport ROC and will need to commute, from what I’m reading this might not be too easy.

Does SW pay for any hotels for commuters? How does reserve work on housing? Trying to figure out how many hotels I’ll have to buy.

Please forgive the basic questions, I’m new here and don’t really know how the whole 121 world works…

Year 1 pay is $75/trip. Wouldn’t budget based on this but 105 is reasonably safe for trips per month. So 94k for first year + 15% 401k contributions + profit share

Profit share is an unknown but 5% is in the ballpark on non crazy years.

Year 2- 139k + 401k + profit
Year 3- 154k ++
Year 4- 170k

ROK has about 3 flights per day to
BWI with SWA. BWI is a
junior base too.

No hotels paid by company to commute.

Unless things have changed, profit sharing doesn’t happen until after your first FULL year of service. Since the OP is just now interviewing I would bet they don’t start class until after Jan 1st. So their first profit sharing check wouldn’t come until 2025. Plus you should never count on profit sharing in any budget calculation

It’s all over the place and what you make it. If you want to hustle you can do well ($125K+) in your first year. Fifth year you can do over $300K, but everyone is different. I came for the schedule control and money and haven’t been disappointed. Bring on the next contract!!!

Profit sharing rules have changed recently. Don’t have full details in front of me but isn’t the same as it once was for probably both of us.

Only have to work a partial year to be eligible. It’s like 4-6 mos or something.

All in - you will be better off financially here by year two if you hustle just a bit. Picking up extra time will be a little tougher because you commute. I don’t think $300k by year five is achievable with your commute, but $225k -$250 should be very achievable.

Don’t’ forget our 401K match. I am not certain what you have now, but I will nearly guarantee you will pick up another 10k-15k, compared to what you have in the 121 world. Our healthcare is awesome in my opinion. Sick time is awesome and never questioned (particularly compared to the regional I came from).

You will have some hotels. You will likely have to commute in the night before if you are an AM’er or stay over if you are a PM’er. (This could get fixed in the next contact but doubtful). Other than that, our reserves get worked - a lot. You probably won’t have more than 1-3 other hotel nights a month other than those referenced above.

I am not certain what it would be in BWI, but you can count on being on reserve for at least 3-4 months. A lot of newbies get sent to BWI out of training, but they rotate out pretty quickly as well.

Despite all the rhetoric on this site, it is still a pretty dang good place to work. We have some warts but the pilot group is awesome, you can make a lot if you hustle, have a choice between a PM or AM schedule (this was HUGE for me), 401k sick and healthcare are really good. SWAPA is likely a whole lot better than who you have representing you now. They get blasted on here a lot but I was represented by the Teamsters. SWAPA makes the Teamsters look like a high school team compared to the Pro’s.

In my mind our warts include or LTD, pay (we have to work harder than most to make the same or more money), long upgrade time, JA rules, rescheduling rules, and the increasingly WOKE culture.

Just my opinion, but I believe you would be significantly happier here than in a 121 job if you have 10-20 years left.

Best of luck in your interview and decision.

Don’t “consider” it. Pull a Nike and “JUST DO IT!”

It is crazy how much things have changed in the last few years that this is even something that one has to consider.

150K to work way too hard or 150K to work hard when you want to... hmmm.

Make the move.