iaflyer

Then he better pay up. Wayyyy up.

While you guys may not want to hear it, I'm thinking it's the Airtran guys holding most of the cards, not SWA folks. Remember, Southwest (and Gary Kelly) who wants Airtran, not the other way around.

LuvJockey

Gentlemen, this will go nowhere until both parties know what is actually in the deal. At that point, our Delta friends will be free to criticize it all they want to.

I am sure that they have the best interests of both parties at heart. What they really fear is having to explain to their friends and neighbors in PeachTree city that they have lower pay and worse work rules than the AirTran guy that just bought the house across the street. Hell, the AirTran guy might even act like he is in charge of the hotel van.

I can't wait to hear the cries for justice from the same Delta guys who called AirTran a junk airline only 6 months ago.

With that, I'm done...for now. Peace out.

80ktsClamp

I'm actually looking forward to our green tailed neighbors getting a big pay raise. More pressure on mother DL to pay up.

buzzpat

^^^^^ Yup. This only helps our cause. More power to the Trannies.

1Seat 1Engine

Sadly that's not true either. Imagine if you guys acquired GoJet and they got relative seniority. Sweet for them because they're all 27 years old! In 15 years they'll all own the top seniority of the airline!

That's similar to the difference in demographics between SWA and AT. There is no way a rational SWA pilot would vote to give relative seniority or DOH to a pilot group that is so much younger. It's a major impediment to current SWAPA pilots future careers.

If you guys were all 8 years older, you'd have an argument there.

buzzpat

I can't wait to hear all of the SWA guys guffawing when the lists are integrated. Then, it'll be the SWA guys bad-mouthing the Trannies. That's good theater. Getting the popcorn ready.

1Seat 1Engine

Hopefully this post is overcome by events but...

My perfect vision of the future: I hope SWA/SWAPA/AT is able to complete this transaction with a negotiated agreement. That means getting an agreeable deal we can all vote yes to within the next month or two. Then the company completes making us a single operating entity and we all go home happy and better off (I realize that we're airline pilots and some of us will be unhappy no matter what---Every Thursday?)

Maybe some of these rumors of growth are true and we all walk away big winners no matter what, but we really won't know until the jets are on the ramp. My standard is hope for the best and keep a hand over your nuts.

I understand that no one wants their cheese moved. I don't want AT's cheese. I have a very hard time believing that SWAPA pilots are salivating over an ATL base. My personal opinion is any of our commuters will happily continue to commute to where ever as long as their long term system seniority isn't impacted. I live way out west so I may be wrong, but I can't remember flying with a single guy who lives in Georgia (and I used to live there so I might remember).

Just realize that SWAPA pilots have to see gain or status quo for this deal to happen via negotiation. From our perspective, over the length of our careers, DOH is not close to status quo, it is a near term seniority boost and a long term seniority block for SWAPA pilots.

Don't let the extremists on either side of the aisle take control of the arguments. There is a way to make this happen and HARM no one. Some will be bigger winners (and we don't know who they are yet) but there is a way.

1Seat 1Engine

As I hit "send" the e-mail arrived on my phone announcing an Agreement in Principal.

MatthewAMEL

July 16, 2011


Fellow Pilots,

This afternoon, the AirTran Merger Committee (MC) reached an agreement-in-principle with SWAPA and Southwest Airlines on a seniority list integration and transition agreement...

No details yet.

FAULTPUSH

Are you implying that if SWA takes away...errr... TOOK away the growth and captain seats that Air Tran had coming with their airplane orders, the SWA guys won't bid captain in Atlanta? As for fences, are you going to fence the growth that Air Tran would have had in MKE, BWI, etc?

From the USAir merger (and I think others too):

"...merger representatives should attempt to match equities of various methods of integrattion until a fair and equitable agreement is reached, keeping in mind the following goals, in no particular order:
a. Preserve jobs
b. Avoid windfalls to either group at the expense of the other.
c. Maintain or improve pre-merger pay and standard of living.
d. Maintain or improve pre-merger pilot status.
e. Minimize detrimental changes to career expectations."

A percentage merger maintains all of those except for the Air Tran guys get hit on e, because their upgrades and hiring have stopped since the announcement. An arbitrated award might give them some offset to that.

Anything that ultimately downgrades Air Tran pilots and upgrades SWA pilots(i.e. any kind of staple) violates b, d, and e.

In a negotiated integration, you could have financial carrots to offset some level of stapling (for Air Tran), or not stapling (for SWA).