Quality of Life Snapshot
10-13-2016 | 07:50 AM
#71
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,033
Likes: 0
I will second this and I strongly feel that it needs to be a topic we negotiate along with LTD and insurance benefits. Pilots are different when it comes to sick calls. Period. We can't fly sick at all. I get allergies and have had to call out sick because I either take my meds that aren't allowed or am too stuffy to fly. This isn't the case with the desk jockeys at the GO. So why are we on the same plan for buddy passes as them where we lose a month of "swag points" for calling in sick? It isn't right.
Pilot pass benefits need to be separated from the rest of the company. We just need to earn one per month or whatever and not be hampered by this stupid program where we pay taxes on these fake points. It would be worth paying a small "administration fee" or whatever to avoid the imputed income trap. Then let pilots decide if they still want to be in the swag program so that they can buy stupid stuff with their points and pay the taxes on them. I have started turning the points into Rapid Rewards points because at least I can book actual revenue travel with them.
Pilot pass benefits need to be separated from the rest of the company. We just need to earn one per month or whatever and not be hampered by this stupid program where we pay taxes on these fake points. It would be worth paying a small "administration fee" or whatever to avoid the imputed income trap. Then let pilots decide if they still want to be in the swag program so that they can buy stupid stuff with their points and pay the taxes on them. I have started turning the points into Rapid Rewards points because at least I can book actual revenue travel with them.
Like pretty much every other deficiency in our contract, this can be traced to a "union" that worked arm in arm with management, to the detriment of the pilot group.
10-16-2016 | 03:33 AM
#72
Furloughed Again?!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,948
Likes: 109
From: Boeing 737
The buddy pass system sucks but the reality is I wouldn't subject someone to trying to use a pass these days anyway. Flights are all full. I rarely even try to nonrev if I need to be somewhere. I have to admit that I like the ability to earn space positive tickets just by showing up to work -- though I agree with E6B that it incentivizes people to show up to work when they should have called in sick. ("I just need another 3000 SWAG points and I can buy those tickets to Florida for the family vacation!")
We should at least be permitted one sick call per quarter without giving up the points.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We should at least be permitted one sick call per quarter without giving up the points.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
10-16-2016 | 07:33 AM
#73
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,553
Likes: 397
Using passes on SWA is easy as long as you know when to do it and when not to.
My family has done around 50 segments in the past year, and we have gotten stuck twice, both times in Vegas. The key to doing it, just like anywhere else, is waking up early and being flexible. Having such a huge domestic network means that you can almost always eventually get to where you are going the same day. Most of our CSAs are really good and willing to help. My wife traveled with 4 kids on December 23rd from OKC to MCO a couple of years ago nonrev. She had to do 3 legs to get there, but they made it.
If I absolutely need to be anywhere, though, I buy a ticket. No brainer.
My family has done around 50 segments in the past year, and we have gotten stuck twice, both times in Vegas. The key to doing it, just like anywhere else, is waking up early and being flexible. Having such a huge domestic network means that you can almost always eventually get to where you are going the same day. Most of our CSAs are really good and willing to help. My wife traveled with 4 kids on December 23rd from OKC to MCO a couple of years ago nonrev. She had to do 3 legs to get there, but they made it.
If I absolutely need to be anywhere, though, I buy a ticket. No brainer.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
