First of all, my statements above were made based on FACTUAL numbers from myseniority.com. Sorry if they don't fit the story that you're selling. Call me a liar all you want, but the numbers bear out the facts of the situation.

Nothing against MatthewAMEL, but he might not have checked myseniority.com. He's rather junior and isn't part of the group that lost the most seniority in this deal.

Since we're hurling insults and calling the other a liar, I'm going to take a wild guess that this is your first "airline rodeo". Fresh out of a single seat fighter and now a junior F/O at SWA. Did I get that just about right? No wonder you have no clue about how bad a 30% plus loss of relative seniority is.

What I find ironic and insulting in all of this is being told to "get over it" by the very people who's union along with SWA management orchestrated this seniority grab. WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH OUR HIT IN SENIORITY AND YET YOU WANT US TO "GET OVER IT"?

Keep laughing and trying to make the situation light-hearted. Just know that I'm a firm believer of "He who laughs last laughs best", and I'm not the only one......trust me on that.

WM,

You're right. I used the ISL and general position on the list.

Using myseniority.com, the 12yr guy is no worse than 15% in any domicile (BWI).

However, the 7yr is essentially the same as me (2/2008) in the 90s in every domicile.

As far as my hire date is concerned, when I cross the fence, I am a new hire, just not on probation.

Holy smokes!! That myseniority.com website is really depressing! Being 44 and a relatively new SWA pilot, assuming little to no growth my seniority is basically going to suck the whole remainder of my career. It is very likely I will never sit in the left seat in a SWA jet. Commuting to reserve at 63 years of age is simply NOT going to happen.

So WhahhMaster, take comfort and joy knowing there are pilots at SWA who have it much worse than you.

But guess what? I still come to work with a smile on my face. The day this career is no longer enjoyable, is the day I will go do something else. Life is too short.

I work to live, I don't live to work.

WahMaster.

There's nothing you can do about it now. You can continue to complain to all comers and it ain't going to make one iota of difference.

If you've been to so many rodeo's, cowboy, how is it that you never saw this as a possibility? Right now I can't name a single airline pilot younger than 45 who's career has worked out the way they thought. I wish I had a dime for my buds at United and American who are just hoping to have a job.

If you think I don't have perspective on the airline industry, consider that I could have joined your rodeo circuit back in '95 and decided to stay in the USAF. There's a lot of pilots in my family from all paths. I made that decision because I already knew that the airlines are a crap-shoot pyramid-scheme fraught with exactly the kind of risk that seems to have befallen your AT demographic.

Didn't they tell you that at Riddle? Or did their brochure tell you that you had a clear path to Captain with no chance of bankruptcy, merger, buyout, furlough, seniority integration, strike, or anything else that's happened to almost every single airline pilot over the last 20 years?

You can try to cause as much trouble as possible when you cross the fence but it's only going to hurt you in the end. Your "who laughs last" euphemism all about kharma. I think you need to make some deposits in the good-kharma account.

You need to get over it...just sayin'. Get right with the world or go hire a lawyer or find a new job. For your own good.

JD: good post BUT I think a common fallacy in this discussion is the zero growth factor.

Why is zero a more likely growth percentage than some other number?

Before you think that I'm the "growth fairy", look around the industry. It is rare that things have been this static for so long, and that it's just as likely to be NEGATIVE:eek: number as a positive.

While being an FO at 63 seems bad, consider how bad it would to be furloughed at 50 or 55?

American Airlines had 3-4 year Captains in the early 90's and the CEO was projecting phenomenal growth. Then furloughed unexpectedly for a couple years, then had some slow steady growth, then 9/11. Today, if the company gets the work rules they want, they can probably do their current schedule with 1000 less pilots than they currently have. If you were hired in '90 there, you've maybe been a Capt 2-3 different times and no guarantee you're going to stay one now.

1Seat, I completely agree. I am very, very thankful for my opportunity at SWA. And this truly how I feel about things, every time I go to work.

I want our company to grow as badly as the next employee. That is why every time I show up to go fly I try to provide the best customer service I can. Flying airplanes is only a small part of what I do. Trying to make tomorrow better than today is 100% of what I do.

While I believe the vast majority of SWA pilots and employees feel the same and I do, I know there are some that don't. One in particular on this forum. We all know who that is.

Overall I don't worry about my seniority too much. In about 10 years I will be a fairly senior FO. At least I will get weekends off while I am in my 50's. I will easily and gladly survive in the right seat making $170K per year with zero real liability or responsibility to move that 737 from Point A to Point B. Life could be dramatically worse.

Point your anger at your CEO, Board of Directors and stock holders. The purchaser cannot compel the seller to sell.

This is not my first airline or my first corporate acquisition scenario. In the first one, I was a mid-level manager in a multi national corporation. When we were acquired they eliminated my entire division. I did not get to vote on anything I was simply handed a pink slip that said sorry, thanks for playing. Sure I was angry, but I quickly got over it and moved on with my life. I realized that anger would get me no where because it would change nothing and make me miserable. Life is too short to spend your life worrying about what you have no power to change.

Captain Amwayyyyyy......... :D

Actually, it's First Office Amway. Remember I got a late start on the second career!

Here is the ultimate question that everyone must answer for themselves. Did you get into this business because you love to fly or you love money? If you love to fly you are probably happy when you fly but not necessarily happy with the way your career has worked out.

If, as the Zoso says you are just doing it for the money then I would bet you are disappointed more often than happy.:eek: I personally got into this because I was hooked from the first flight I took. I got the strangest look from the Gunnery Sergeant who recruited me when he wanted to show me the pay I would receive as a 2ndLt. I said I really didn't care right now because it will be better than what I am making now and besides I am going to learn to fly. Enough said.

I have been fortunate in my career choice and the company I ultimately decided to (or they decided I could) work for. I can pretty much say that there has been very few days when I didn't want to go flying.

The Oscar