First off that’s your own fault for drinking the kool aid, or you just didn’t know better because your new to the industry. Don’t think just jump…please.

All of you think about leaving, please do. I don’t want to have to listen to you in 10 years saying how bad it is and I should have left after meltdown 22. You will also be helping us here that will be working to improve the pilot experience here by reinforcing the sentiment that pilots don’t want to be here with the current CBA and conditions.

This is not Herb’s SWA and hasn’t been for a LOOOOOOONG time. The culture, DEI and LUV nonsense are just advertising coverup for this is just another big US corporation with the same crappy US corporate culture as all the other big airlines and the only things that matters are the bottom line, investor dividends and exec bonuses.

 

You’re about 12 months from upgrade at both Delta and United on the 737 and 757/767 if you’re serious about it.

 

it’s the inevitable end result of capitalism: Large, faceless, bland, and exploitive corporations. We as a species asked for this.

 

If things stay the same... 1 year could turn into 5 real quick in this industry...

 

yep. I was 11 months from captain when I got hired at my regional. I moved across the country for the first possible upgrade 6 years later

 

True and at that point they’d be tacking on 4 years to upgrade time everywhere. If you’re unhappy where you are, don’t think a Captain upgrade at the same place is going to fix all the problems you have with the institution and make you happy.

 

If you aren’t living in a SWA only base, you’d be silly to stay. You’ve got a 7+ year upgrade to a west coast base flying guppies.

 

And the A-320. That said, there are many good reasons to stay at an airline versus move on, and as others have said a single meltdown event should not be one of them. It could happen to any of our shops.

 

This is not a single melt down event. We had one last year that was huge. GK blamed it on the pilots not picking up extra and calling in fatigue. Anymore , this is a yearly event.

 

My experience with Southwest corporate culture was interesting, especially when compared to other major airlines.

The "LUV" spirit, or whatever it's called, is evident. And they also have a stated practice of "hire based on attitude and enthusiasm, and we'll train them on the rest." Made for a more entertaining environment than a normal corporate HQ.

Most pertinent to the above discussion though, was the ever-present attitude of: "We're SWA, we know better, we don't need expensive IT contractors, we can make it better with some elbow grease, Texas know-how, and good-ol-boy gumption."

One of those things that saves you tons of money, right up until the point it doesn't.

ETA: United used to have a similar "stitch it together with spreadsheets and baling wire" attitude when it came to IT. Not due to any kind of larger culture, more because their leadership was cheap and/or oblivious. They've kinda "come to Jesus" on the whole thing, and now you can't walk 10 feet in their HQ without running into an IT contractor from one of a dozen different companies. They still have their issues, but they're on a much better IT footing than 5 years ago, and I think it's reflected in their operation.