Plz fwd to Smisek...thanks.

 

The E170 is a mainline jet and we ain't "taking back all our flying" unless the economics returns all our flying to the mainline.

Just being optimistic, nah, realistic.

 

Forget El Heffe, post it here. We'd like to see it.

 

The previous UAX 70 seat max was raised to 76 seats. UAL had not added a 70 seater to the 153 UAX flew for years. The UPA then lifted the UAX seat limit to 76 and the number to 255 70/76 seaters. For flight hours the UPA uses a different metric, but it is essentially more liberal, but you contend those are the reasons for UAX parking 50 seaters? I've got news for you. The 50 seaters have been uneconomical long ago relative to 737s and A319s, but they served a larger labor relations purpose.

Again, the only reason the majors are accelerating the parking of the 50 seaters is that they cannot find the pilots who will fly them for minimum wage. The UPA 'limits' gave the company 102+ 76 seaters for nothing. DAL was already at that limit and their pilots got 88 mainline 717s and near tern Delta Express shrinkage to 450 aircraft. Our negotiators got theirs and our clocks cleaned for DAL - 1 year.

 

Saw it during a football game over the weekend. One of a series in their new ad campaign. Can't find it online, yet.

 

Southwest Airlines TV Commercial, 'The Big Ones' - iSpot.tv

 

What a joke. Their entire fleet is guppies. They are the last airline that should talk about how big their airplanes are.

Our 2nd quarter profit was more than twice theirs. They are probably scared.

 

Now it's becoming perfectly clear to see how we've given away half of our flying to pilots not on our list flying planes smaller then the Guppy. Tell you what... why don't you ask your Southwest buds how much they make and how many days off they get in a year.

How many quarters have they had in the last dozen years or so without a profit? Scared... nah. Proactive... yep. I think they're being squeezed harder now by the majors for sure, but they'll survive and thrive.

 

I agree with everything you say but I sure wouldn't want to be hired there now as a young 30 something. With all the AirTran 30 something's ahead of me there won't be any upgrades in years to come. However great company no doubt.

 

Not as much as you think. I have a good friend at SWA and he is lamenting leaving UAL for SAW now that they merged with AirTran. Says it will take him a total of 14 years to make Captain. He says those rumors you hear of Captain making $400k a year, etc is just like here, maybe 1% who get the overtime deals. He says he flies a 4 day trip every week. Gets 3 days off a week. He said he wished they had our new work rules.

The biggest thing they will ever fly is a guppy, and our widebody pilots get more days off on average than their most senior pilots.

A 12 years Captain at SWA maxes out at $216/hour. Ours maxes out at $255/hour. Their FOs $151/hour. Ours make $171.

I wouldn't go there no matter what.