Flight Attendant

[buscador]

Did you not read any of what was posted previous to this?... In fact, Southwest FAs have far more earning potential. If you believe otherwise then you're still not getting it.

Good job Bears fan,,, now being a viking fan I find very few times I agree,, but you summed it up well,,,, so how is your mech contract going??? 70% boost going to get voted in,, what is your take

 

[buscador]

For the record, Word Twister seeks a peaceful coexistence between WN and Guess who? In Datlanta! If it goes against Delta it is unacceptable. Delta this Delta that Delta Delta Delta Delta infinity!

That pretty much sums up all his psychobabble ramblings

Signals,, you seem to have a finger on the pulse and your exactly right,, I have seen SWA go from,, the little train that could,, to the monster that will crush you if you get in its way,,

I of course had little to do with any of that,, I just showed up to work and did my job as was expected,,,but now we are the giant that everyone seems to want to fail,, so they can say,, haha we told you so,, lets face it ,, we are all just employees and go where our leaders take us,, but it slips by so many,,

when we bought out Morris air(late 93'),, I moved to SLC only to see the DL pilots push back the planes and set the parking brakes and thrust up blowing the bags off the SWA baggage carts,, of course that was mature,,reasonable,, cause those baggage handlers at SWA are the ones who took the DL round trip price to PHX from 790$ down to $179,.., so all the reasonable people could take their 3 friends and themselves to phx for the same price as DL charged for one person,, but baggage handlers were the problem... and then DL stopped giving us SWA employees our one non rev ticket per year,,,, oofff,, that hurt,, SWA was the enemy in SLC,, not DL management or their ridiculous prices,,it was SWA

Then god forbid we went to Philly,,, ohh no,, The USair president came out with a halloween phone message to all their employees stating that SWA was the enemy(not poor management),, that SWA was invading their home turf,,he then put a challenge to the USair employees,, we can either stand up and fight or pack and run,, he said he wanted to fight,, but then took his golden parachute 4 months later,,, so love or hate SWA,, we seem to doing a lot or good things in the last 20 years,,,
sometimes making enemies seems to benefit the average Joes like you and me and millions of pax's,, and those paying passengers seem to be accepting SWA ,,,,even if its only a measley little 100+ million or so a year,,not too many ..not enough to get that USair president off his island beach to come back and fight,,,,

Now we have jumpseat agreements that every national carrier begged swa to take ,, why,, because we have more frequency than anyone else,,so we move more employees around the country ,getting to their jobs,, ohh yea and to their travel destinations,, Just ask those ones who once hated us.. USair commuters,, the ones who thanked us for saving their jobs as they commuted from Pit-Phl,, who are now once again upset,, why,, because as of FEB SWA is pulling that route,, wow,, you talk about weird,, the ones who once hated us,, now hate us again cause we are not THERE,,, crazy industry

,, what a horrible airline,,,,, so thank you for pointing out the obvious,, seems you may be the only one around here without a dog in the fight who seems to speak the truth,, keep up the good work,, you seem to be seeing more clearly than most

 

[signals]

Wow. You went right where WT tends to blow the Delta horn the loudest...the SLC scenario. He uses it as an example of the Delta victory over, in his perception, Southwest. And most of us know the WN vs. US in Philly and PIT. I was often amused at the US non-revers starting trouble at the WN gates, since US wasn't as strong in Pits any more.

Your airline is the greatest of all and don't let anyone kid you...they ALL fear LUV B)

 

[WorldTraveler]

apparently we hit a nerve with Buscador. (She) went into a multi-post tirade trying to defend WN's worth to the industry - even though that really wasn't the issue.
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What does seem to be apparent is that WN isn't the red hot success they once were.... they have been near dead last in revenue performance (RASM growth) for a couple quarters and it wasn't just the international routes of the network carriers (that she apparently doesn't mind flying on with her ZED benefits) that boosted network carrier revenues - some of the network carriers (that would be DL and UA, specifically) outperformed WN's revenue growth by a 10 to 1 margin.
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And of course we also know that WN lost money in the last quarter due to those darn fuel hedges - the same ones that they coasted into DEN and PHL on and now that those hedges have expired are finding they can't lose the money they will lose if they have to pay the same fuel prices everyone else pays.
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And of course, WN STILL hasn't increased its market share in SLC - and is pulling down flights in ATL every time a schedule change comes out. The huge ATL invasion is turning into a pretty rapid retreat if the truth be known. (but that's what we do here, folks).
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And then the icing on the cake apparently came today when WN - which said it would be aggressively bidding on slots at LGA and DCA - was shut out of winning the auction in any city.
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Apparently, the powers at Love Field have decided that Buscador's high salaries don't provide them with the resources they need to either show a profit or grow the airline in the top business markets in the country - unless of course those slots were given to them as they were with the UA/CO merger.
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We'll check back on your company's revenue progress and then you can give us updates on your salary, too, Buscador. Perhaps you'll cash out while WN can continue to afford your salary... remember those legacy FAs used to make boatloads of money too - and we all know how that story turned out

 

[buscador]

Wow. You went right where WT tends to blow the Delta horn the loudest...the SLC scenario. He uses it as an example of the Delta victory over, in his perception, Southwest. And most of us know the WN vs. US in Philly and PIT. I was often amused at the US non-revers starting trouble at the WN gates, since US wasn't as strong in Pits any more.

Your airline is the greatest of all and don't let anyone kid you...they ALL fear LUV B)

well maybe not the greatest but we try ..lol

To think I didnt even mention the Elitest attitudes of the DL Pilots outside the planes,, many times especially in SLC our crew would get in the van, the van would then stop to pick Up the DL flying gods,, they would look into the van and scream OUR contract says we get our OWN van,, DELTA ONLY...

You should of seen the look on the gods faces when the van driver said ok,,, I will be back in 25 min.. see you then,, and pulled away.. Priceless,, like two little puppies left out in the cold and snow,, but they got their way

Their arrogance is known, its funny,, I LUV to see them get on my plane and try to act all nice,, I should be honored to have such a VIP on my lowely low class airline,, it makes me feel smarter just to be able to talk to a DL God

Thanks again for your insights,, have a good Thanksgiving

 

[num1bearsfan]

apparently we hit a nerve with Buscador. (She) went into a multi-post tirade trying to defend WN's worth to the industry - even though that really wasn't the issue.
.
What does seem to be apparent is that WN isn't the red hot success they once were.... they have been near dead last in revenue performance (RASM growth) for a couple quarters and it wasn't just the international routes of the network carriers (that she apparently doesn't mind flying on with her ZED benefits) that boosted network carrier revenues - some of the network carriers (that would be DL and UA, specifically) outperformed WN's revenue growth by a 10 to 1 margin.
.
And of course we also know that WN lost money in the last quarter due to those darn fuel hedges - the same ones that they coasted into DEN and PHL on and now that those hedges have expired are finding they can't lose the money they will lose if they have to pay the same fuel prices everyone else pays.
.
And of course, WN STILL hasn't increased its market share in SLC - and is pulling down flights in ATL every time a schedule change comes out. The huge ATL invasion is turning into a pretty rapid retreat if the truth be known. (but that's what we do here, folks).
.
And then the icing on the cake apparently came today when WN - which said it would be aggressively bidding on slots at LGA and DCA - was shut out of winning the auction in any city.
.
Apparently, the powers at Love Field have decided that Buscador's high salaries don't provide them with the resources they need to either show a profit or grow the airline in the top business markets in the country - unless of course those slots were given to them as they were with the UA/CO merger.
.
We'll check back on your company's revenue progress and then you can give us updates on your salary, too, Buscador. Perhaps you'll cash out while WN can continue to afford your salary... remember those legacy FAs used to make boatloads of money too - and we all know how that story turned out

What's all this about SLC? If Southwest wanted to get any bigger in SLC they simply would

 

[buscador]

What's all this about SLC? If Southwest wanted to get any bigger in SLC they simply would

Exactly, seems worldtraveler is just another hater,,, She doesnt have anything better to do than to try to point out all the flaws in our horrible little company...In a SWA thread none the less,,

HEY bearsfan,, tell me ,, do you have time in your day to go into the other airline threads and point out all their flaws,, because come to think of it,, I have never once even thought of that,,,puffing up about how great SWA is,, I didnt think so, because you dont seem to have a case of elitism..lol,, bow down to delta,, seems they are not only the biggest(until ual),, but they are the smartest and best in the WORLD..my humble bow

I guess we will never be as smart as her, WT , she seems intelligent but at times I wonder,,because I know that the only thing consistent is Change,, contracts, profitabiliy, job security.. so I will just enjoy my Jack Daniels and enjoy this moment,, I have a feeling my pay has a better chance of going down before it goes up,, so you dont mind if I enjoy a little sunshine while it lasts,,, lol

You have a wonderful thanksgiving

 

[WorldTraveler]

no, Buscador, you decided to turn a conversation about FA salaries into a pushing match between network carriers, esp. Delta, and WN - when no one raised the issue of the companies overall.
By your comments, though, it appears that you are trying to validate your own self-worth and can only do it by tearing everyone else down.
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The simple discussion WAS and REMAINS that other FAs in the world do quite well financially and in many ways probably have it easier than you given that some of them actually are provided beds on their aircraft that they can use to sleep.
Instead of accepting that SOME FAs at other carriers COULD do as well as you, you decided to start into a rage regarding pilot attitudes and everything else in an attempt to distract from the clear reality that not everyone measures job satisfaction by making the highest salary and even for those that do, some other network FAs do just fine using their own model.
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I have NEVER doubted that WN is a well run airline and have said as much on this forum... but let's also be very clear that there are network airlines that are delivering better financial results than WN right now AND WN is embroiled in a not-so-nice merger integration that is not exaclty what your wonder kids at Love Field had in mind when they decided to pluck up FL.
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So, how about look at life through a little less "it's all about me" kinda attitude and you might see that other carriers are doing quite ok and so are their employees.
And don't forget that the airline industry is highly competitive.... WN has succeeded BECAUSE it has done well... but it is venturing into a whole lot of new things and the old WN model isn't working quite as well as it did in times past. No one sits at the top of the heap forever... glad WN has had a good ride but it just might be that WN's days of being viewed as one of the best run airlines in the world is coming to an end.... maybe, maybe not. But a little humility would focus on the potential downfall than continually bragging about what you now enjoy.

Failing to recognize that rather basic principle and branding other people "haters" because they challenge you simply shows your inability to deal with the world as it really is.

 

[signals]

Time to get to the HEART of the beast.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Time to get to the HEART of the beast.

I'm not really sure THAT thread is what you want to use to prove your point, but since you went there, I'll respond, even if it doesn't have a whole lot to do with the FA question.
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THAT thread - one of the longer running in the past couple years on the Delta forum - was full of predictions of how WN would swoop into ATL and at the very minimum grow the market and there were a whole lot of predictions that WN's operation would grow to 275 or more flights and that DL's revenue would be significantly harmed.
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I provided a wealth of information that showed that WN really hasn not succeeded at establishing a large presence in any major DL city and also showed that WN faced enormous challenges in integrating FL's operation from the perspective of making the FL ATL hub work within the WN system.
Here are just a few highlights:
- I said that FL's average fares were lower than WN's which meant that WN's first job would be to bring FL revenue up to WN standards before they could think about growing.
- FL's average aircraft size is smaller than WN's - which meant that WN would have to increase the number of passengers on the same number of flights BEFORE growing the hub.
- FL carries far more connecting traffic, much of it lower yielding Florida traffic, over ATL than WN does over its other "hubs"... WN would have to increase its share of the local market in order to offset the amount of low yield flow traffic that FL has carried.
- Mergers are almost always messy and WN would have to deal with issues that are not part of what WN normally confronts - and that could well slow the speed with which it could make the merger work.
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So, here we are today, months after that thread finally got put to rest, and we see that:
- WN has cut several markets from ATL, validating that many FL markets don't work in WN's way of doing business.
- FL is reducing the amount of low fare traffic it is carrying - its average fares have jumped rather dramatically in recent months - but WN is also cutting FL capacity.
- WN has stated that the 717 - the backbone of FL's network is not a viable aircraft in the WN system and will probably be removed as soon as possible.
- The merger process has been difficult so far, is not settled, and has limited WN's ability to begin to reap benefits from the merger.
- WN's revenue growth has significantly trailed the industry in recent months, it has put the airline in a no-growth mode for the near future, and WN showed an uncharacteristic loss recently. Even if it was driven by fuel hedges, WN's operating margin was well below the rest of the industry.
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And most recently, WN lost out on a bid to expand its presence at LGA and DCA because it either decided $4-5 million per slot pair was too rich for WN's liking or they really didn't know the value of those assets, but the point is still the same - WN will have to make whatever presence it has in the NE work with the assets it currently has or it will have to start thinking about a merger with/ acquisition of another carrier - while WN's competitors will continue to grow in the NE.
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So, my predictions about the difficulties WN would face were deadly accurate and WN has some major strategic decisions to make about how to return the company to profitability (the levels that allowed Buscador to be as highly paid as he/she is), and gain access to key markets in which WN has all of access it likely will have for a while.
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Losing the slot deal also means that WN will either have to leave a disproportionately large number of the LGA/DCA slots WN now owns operating to/from ATL, competitng against DL - a carrier against whom WN really does not have a very good track record of growth - or WN will have to transfer slots away from the ATL hub to other WN hubs/focus cities in a move that will only weaken ATL further since LGA and DCA are some of the highest revenue markets to/from any city in the eastern US.
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So, I was quite accurate that WN has enormous challenges and other carriers have better potential to improve their situation than does WN - and WN's attempts to try to play catch up on the east coast may fall significantly short of what WN and FL executives touted in the months between when the merger was announced and when the hard work of making the merger work began.
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... and of course this also means that those high WN salaries that Buscador has been bragging about might not grow quite as quickly as they have in the past while some of WN's competitors might start paying profit sharing and handing out pay raises at levels similar to what WN once did.... and given that SOME of those network carrier FAs already rack up time a whole lot faster on their long-haul international flights and get to take sleep breaks too, the perceived value of working for WN vs. network carriers might quickly change.
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Once again, nothing in life is certain.... and on this day, we should all be thankful for what we do have... but also recognize that rarely in life does anyone stay at the top of the heap for long.
Recognizing some of those basic principles of life are why I have been able to accurately predict that WN would be facing the difficulties it now is facing.
How well and how quickly WN returns to its glory days depends to a very great degree on how well WN management can face the challenges it now must face.... but do not forget that many network carrier employees never thought their companies would face the troubles they did - and those employees have paid a high price for their companies' inability to adapt and change.
Only now some of those network carrier employees are beginning to reap the rewards from the hard work of sacrifice and adaptation.

 

[buscador]

Time to get to the HEART of the beast.

Wow signals,,seems you have Upset WT,, now she is really going to go off on SWA

Funny thing I was not bragging about salaries only commenting that at this time we at SWA have industry leading contracts, yes it could and probably will change... I understand that,,but now I feel that my pay and flexibility can compare or beat just about anyones AT this time,, I am not going to be arrogant, because I have seen the Legacies employees arrogance for many years,, its kinda funny,, the WE ARE BETTER than everyone attitude they show, even after taking huge concessions I have seen FAs from UA, AMR etc snub SWA employees and walk away,, wow

Now the irony here seems to be that just about everyone in the Industry Knows that #1 in arrogance, elitism, snubbing noses and uptightness, goes to .. yep you guessed it,, hint not SWA

Now I have had drinks and van rides with many NWA pilots, who are now ,,well you guessed it,, just about every one of those 25 or so pilots have made jokes about working with the True Flying gods,, saying how there is a big stick up the Flying gods @$%#$ ,,that a sense of humor is not nor ever has been allowed over at the Worlds best airlines,,, I am paraphrasing a bit, but the message is clear,, The NWA pilots need to get serious, they are now Part of the BEST

Signals, you have to admit WT is well versed, educated and has done her homework,, I give kudos to WT, but ironically the majority of the information seems to be How SWA is f#$(ng up, how bad RASM is, the LGA screwup, growth etc,, seems mostly comparing SWA vs DL blah blah blah,,.. again I can see the points and most are valid, well thought out,, but the vein of most of WT posts seems to be a vitriol hate towards SWA,,reminding us all That the true champion of the world is ,,yep you guessed it,,,,, so hidding behind those stats is what?? Just like the FAA can hide behind SAFETY as an excuse, you sometimes have to shake your head and wonder,, why,

WHY do you think WT finds the need to come into the SWA threads and post every bad point possible,, is it arrogance!, the need to feel smarter than the rest, to show the superior stat retention,,,to remind all of us That DL rules the worlds Air,, or is it just a true Hate for SWA,,, I am not sure,,,,

Now I have never gone into a DL thread, well for many reasons, first of all I dont really belong there,, secondly is that NO matter what I think it will always come down to ,, I am nothing more than an Employee # at SWA, they dont ask me my opinions, they dont care what I think about the Big picture,, I understand I am just one little rower on a very very big boat,, they would not miss me if I left,, I need them more than they need me! my opinions are exactly that,,mine,

,I can not stop the path the boat goes, or change its course,, I am along for the ride and can only row the best I can,, hoping mgnt is not screwing up,,thats the big picture for us rowers

I guess that I have enough respect for others, I hope everyone is happy and makes a good living where ever they work,, I just dont have the time to go to other companies threads point out their arrogance, incompetence, failures or success,,,

I defintely dont feel an overwhelming need to prove my intellectual prowess or lack there of,,,, I could Care less what DL,UAl, JB, f9, do cause there is nothing I can do about it,,Yes I like to be informed on the industries movements,, but to go into their threads,, again I am just a little rower on the SWA ship,, so good luck to all us rowers,,,

I have nothing to prove to them, so I leave them alone,, interesting concept isnt it,,

Now Signals,, does this rant and line of reasoning make a bit of sense to you,, or am I the crazy one here,,you seem level headed and logical, I would be interested to see what YOU think

Have a Great Thanksgiving

 

[WorldTraveler]

we'll see what Signals says but
1. There is no division between forums on this board.. you are free to post anywhere you want and others do the same. Posting on someone else's forum (as if "we" own anything).
2. I have a great deal of respect for WN and have said that many times... but there is a perception among some that WN can show up wherever it wants and get what it wants - and they have done that many times with other network carriers. But they haven't succeeded with Delta who recognized long ago that if you can't win in the domestic market, you can't win overall. Delta has added int'l routes just like everyone else but DL has not allowed its domestic hubs to be overrun by competitors.
3. You did note that DL's cost per available seat mile in the last quarter was lower than WN's. didn't you? DL was the only network carrier to do that. That tells you why DL puts such a focus on productivity and why that focus has allowed them to hold onto key markets while WN has beat the competition.
4. You may think that one group of employees looks down at you and others but I am quite sure that there are equally strong opinions about you and some of the groups to which you belong... how you are perceived by others is not a whole lot different from how others see you.

thank you for your positive comments about my knowledge, etc.... but it is there to provide a perspective that it wasn't that long ago that DL was viewed as a goner.... DL did an incredible turnaround, is running a very strong business etc.... at the same time, WN set the standard for low fare carriers around the world but WN also saw its traditional model no longer delivering the revenue growth it needed - you can't do 20 minute turns in the congested northeast etc and grow by flowing almost entirely local traffic. etc. WN HAD to take risks. They will adapt and they will learn. But just as DL has figured out how to win in the new competitive environment but had to pass through some very difficult times in order to find success again, it is far from certain that you and your WN colleagues will find it as smooth as it once was. Examples of the "screw ups" that have occurred at WN simply point to the enormous challenges that face WN - and the uncharacteristic inability of WN mgmt to get everything as easily as they once did.
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I don't know you as a person but I respect your commitment and desire to succeed.... just recognize others have that same loyalty to their causes and will reach their goals, even if they do it differently than you do....
and if that means flying LAX-LHR or JFK-NRT 7 times per month, that is how some FAs will defined success. And they will have succeed at what they do as much as you do the way they do it.

 

[signals]

apparently we hit a nerve with Buscador. (She) went into a multi-post tirade trying to defend WN's worth to the industry - even though that really wasn't the issue.
.
What does seem to be apparent is that WN isn't the red hot success they once were.... they have been near dead last in revenue performance (RASM growth) for a couple quarters and it wasn't just the international routes of the network carriers (that she apparently doesn't mind flying on with her ZED benefits) that boosted network carrier revenues - some of the network carriers (that would be DL and UA, specifically) outperformed WN's revenue growth by a 10 to 1 margin.
.
And of course we also know that WN lost money in the last quarter due to those darn fuel hedges - the same ones that they coasted into DEN and PHL on and now that those hedges have expired are finding they can't lose the money they will lose if they have to pay the same fuel prices everyone else pays.
.
And of course, WN STILL hasn't increased its market share in SLC - and is pulling down flights in ATL every time a schedule change comes out. The huge ATL invasion is turning into a pretty rapid retreat if the truth be known. (but that's what we do here, folks).
.
And then the icing on the cake apparently came today when WN - which said it would be aggressively bidding on slots at LGA and DCA - was shut out of winning the auction in any city.
.
Apparently, the powers at Love Field have decided that Buscador's high salaries don't provide them with the resources they need to either show a profit or grow the airline in the top business markets in the country - unless of course those slots were given to them as they were with the UA/CO merger.
.
We'll check back on your company's revenue progress and then you can give us updates on your salary, too, Buscador. Perhaps you'll cash out while WN can continue to afford your salary... remember those legacy FAs used to make boatloads of money too - and we all know how that story turned out

What's with the we??? I hope you are referring to your split-personality and not involving me in your Delta Psycho Side Show Circus

Still wasting bandwidth, huh

 

[signals]

Happy Thanksgiving to all, you to World Turkey, rejoice and celebrate your day

WT, that forum had everything to do with this discussion. It is where we had our first encounter
It brings up your ongoing ramblings, and the fact that well, I won
It also shows your assessment of SLC, and how Delta plans the same in Datlanta against the WN God! Since your figures don't lie you fail to realize that those who REMEMBER their past are doomed to correct it. You can continue to fiddle while Datlanta burns!

You continue to confuse me with someone who cares and even if I am wrong-who cares

The best WN arguments are at the Delta forums because apparently Delta is making it an issue. February isn't here yet and your Mission Accomplished banner is being waved as you point out that Everyone Else wants WN to swoop down on Datlanta and destroy Delta. Again that is an assessment in your own mind. I continue to believe that the competition will be worthy of a great benefit for all travelers and that Delta might not be BMID-big man in Datlanta

Apparently you must not notice that people are going against Delta on these boards because of you and your ongoing ramblings-right or wrong!

 

[signals]

Buscador,
Upsetting WT isn't hard to do. All you have to do is put a wrench in Delta's Nazi Order. I think he's a Vice President that I consider the most useless money sponges in the airline industry. Just my opinion

If you read that forum I posted, you will understand WT a bit better. Nobody is saying that he doesn't know his $#!7 about your industry, but he has an excuse for anything that is said about Delta. Someone referred to him as a Delta cheerleader. Even obviously bad publicity is spun to suit his purpose. So Delta can never do any wrong in his head.

If you read that other forum you will see that I point out all the questions you have, including pointing out to him that he is the only one who thinks WN will hurt Delta. I'm sick of repeating myself to him because he twists it to suit him...thus Word Twister.

I think he comes to the WN forums, aside from summoning him by mentioning DELTA, because he fears WN and knows that this isn't B6 coming to Datlanta, and eventually he fears it won't be business as usual. I think you and most other WN employees adhere to the 'if you can't say something nice...' rule, but I don't!

Around here, like WT pointed out, you can go and post on any forum. I mostly hang out at US forums, but I am on temporary IHATEUS(play of words ) thanks to WT! I keep pointing out to WT that I am just stating my opinion, but he wants to play 'if you're not for Delta...' I even keep pointing out that I work at an airport, but not an airline employee, so duh, of course he knows more than me. I attribute that to his Delta condescending attitude, that you seem to know so well

Knowledge is power and I've learned more about your industry as a whole in these forums than my years working at an airport. Most people are good and share their knowledge without arrogance. Then you have the WT crowd.

Welcome aboard, enjoy the ride, pleasure knowing you and I hope you share more knowledge, especially about what you know best-Southwest!

Happy Thanksgiving