Southwest Airlines Pilots Approve Contract Extension

[wannabe CRJ driver]

Thank for the encourgement Jetdoc.....BTW I will NEVER EVER become as bitter as busdrivr....I personally think that when you get that bitter...you quit and leave the job to someone who will enjoy it!

 

[Busdrvr]

On 8/24/2002 731 PM

"I'm not gonna be rude or anything I'm just gonna give the busdriver a few of facts and my personal obsevations:

#1. Students at Comair Academy don't pay for a job....they pay for training....the paid flight instuctor position....you interview for that.....the F/O position on the CRJ....you interview for that too!"


Keep telling yourself that. Does Air Willy require you to? Skywest?

"#2. Maybe I don't get it...but I'd rather drive a RJ for 30 yrs than work with the self serving a**holes at UAL/AAL/DAL....MY PERSONAL FEELING is that they have been the most greedy people on the face of the earth and I would'nt share a flight deck with those people ever!"

You'll fit right in in the RJ DC. Are you just venting? Are those OAK guys that voted no just a bunch of self serving greedy "a**holes"? Are you familiar with Comairs pilots current attempt at a seniority grab at DAL? And you want to fly for them? If you're worried about the "self serving a**holes", stay away from those senior Dallas guys. Do you think they voted for this current contract out of the goodness of thier hearts because they want to fly charity runs for all those hookers and drunks out of Vegas? Or do you think they want to protect and prop up the value of the nearly 1/2 BILLION in unexpired options that have lost 1/3rd of thier value since Jan? as far as sharing a flt deck, you're a LOOOOOONG way from being qualified to do that at UAL, AMR, DAL, and yes, SWA.

#3. SWA pilots do work harder that the other major airline pilots....Thats why I think that they deserve an industry leading contract....but not now in the current state of the industry....the guys and girls go out and rock & roll all day everyday....and I can only hope to join them in the future!

If they deserve an "industry leading contract", then why sign on for another 4 years!! why not sign on for 2 and then renegotiate when the economy is good? As for industry leading, I'd been happy if they'd just excepted "industry average". even the pilots Union recommended a no vote.

"Okay maybe I broke my promise of not being rude...but when people flame my airline...I'm gonna respond. Have fun driving you "Scarebus" busdriver!

Actually I drive the 737 now. It's a lot of fun and a great jet, but I'd take the Bus ANYDAY for comfort and "fun to fly". The cool thing is I'll get to fly more than 1 jet for the next 25 years.[raise:]

 

[Busdrvr]

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"I don't get you sometimes busdriver. YOu pretty much always slam Southwest, Jetblue, and Airtran pilots for being underpaid, but in another thread on UAL you post what you claim to have averaged the past couple of years, and even I, a lowly government worker, make more, and I am by no means "living large"."

Put it all together and what you'll see is if you are a GS-12 or so, yes you make more than a SWA F/O, and a junior UAL, AMR, DAL, NWA, U, (did I leave anyone out?). The big diff is you can actually make a descent living once you get past the first few years as a F/O at the others, buit to make a descent living at SWA, you pretty much must upgrade to Capt OR fly a lot of OT.

"Heck, what you claim to make is not much more than a first year flight attendant at Southwest."

You must be misinformed about what a first year SWA F/A makes. It's nowhere near 50K.

"You should take the furlough, as you can then get paid more than a Southwest pilot AND you can get one of those plum government jobs to supplement your income."

Had a gov job, I wanted to become useful though[]. I actually do put a considerable amount of time "helping out" by flying for the reserves.

 

[Busdrvr]

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On 8/26/2002 10:44:42 AM

Had a gov job, I wanted to become useful though.

Should we ever be under a biological attack of smallpox, and you're in KC, look me up... I'll be making myself "useful" somewhere on the front lines.
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Actually, I've ALREADY been to the front line[]

 

[KCFlyer]

Had a gov job, I wanted to become useful though.

Should we ever be under a biological attack of smallpox, and you're in KC, look me up... I'll be making myself "useful" somewhere on the front lines.

 

[wannabe CRJ driver]

Hey busdrvr......you know what...your right....I am a LOOONG way from sitting on the fligh deck of an airliner......about 2yrs away.....hopefully with a lot of hard work, I'll be in a right seat of a CRJ. You can bash me all you wan't....I look at the job of being an airline pilot as being the best things in the world to be.....when I see pilots act greedy, it makes me sick. I personally don't know why half the OAK pilots voted no....I have a friend who is based there...and I'll ask him next time I talk to him. My whole thing is that through the whole contract negotiations.....did you see SWA pilots sickout/slowdown/bash the airline?.....no you did not....but the pilots at DL/AA/US and o course UA did. As some one who worked the front lines during all of those events....what those pilots did to those passengers was wrong...plain and simple! Airline pilots do not leave there passengers and fellow crew mates in a lurch. Okay the CMR pilots went on strike.....they did it because they were getting sh** on by mainline DL and their own mangement.....their pay and benifits were very substanderd. Maybe I'm one of the weird ones who believe money isn't every thing....because it's not!

 

[Busdrvr]

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On 8/27/2002 5:39:10 PM

"....did you see SWA pilots sickout/slowdown/bash the airline?.....no you did not....but the pilots at DL/AA/US and o course UA did."

When did the U pilots pull a slowdown? the big diff is SWAs contract was not even amendable for another 2 years, DALs and UALs contracts were past the date. But you'll understand later.

"As some one who worked the front lines during all of those events....what those pilots did to those passengers was wrong...plain and simple! Airline pilots do not leave there passengers and fellow crew mates in a lurch."

Please be specific, what did they do wrong? Not fly overtime? I never have and prob never will. Did they actually fly down final at the appropriate speed, taxi at a brisk walk? I know you don't see much of that . []

"Okay the CMR pilots went on strike.....they did it because they were getting sh** on by mainline DL and their own mangement.....their pay and benifits were very substanderd."

And the UAL pilots weren't? At the time they were the lowest paid of all the major airline pilots (except, of course, Luv).


"Maybe I'm one of the weird ones who believe money isn't every thing....because it's not!"
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I agree, but then you won't fit in at Luv. It's all about the stock for the senior guys. If it wasn't about the money, then why do they fly on average 30% more than other airlines?

 

[Rhino]

Formerbusdriver,

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that you are perhaps the most odious, unprofessional excuse for a pilot that posts on these boards.

You're ignorant posts regarding SWA pay are oft-repeated, always unsubstantiated.

Your attacks on the pilots at JetBlue and AA reflect poorly on you directly and all UAL pilots indirectly.

 

[KCFlyer]

Busdriver...I've read in several publications where most pilots said they'd fly for a lot less, but they'd never tell managment that. Pilots are one group who do what they love to do...and get paid to do it. Yeah, you're away from home a lot, but so is the guy who's out in the field, working the bugs out of a new software package. And his "duty rig" is usually "Stay until it's fixed". Been there, done that. 36 hours straight. Sheer delight.

Somehow, I think you guys have an easier time greeting the new day with "I get to fly today". Computer careers pay pretty well, but I don't know many guys (well, guys who date) who wake up and can hardly wait to get to the office and pump out some code.

 

[Busdrvr]

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On 8/27/2002 9:12:15 PM

Formerbusdriver,

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that you are perhaps the most odious, unprofessional excuse for a pilot that posts on these boards.

You're ignorant posts regarding SWA pay are oft-repeated, always unsubstantiated.

Your attacks on the pilots at JetBlue and AA reflect poorly on you directly and all UAL pilots indirectly.
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Rhino, sorry UAL turned you down, it's not my fault. Please tell me where I've misrepresented the truth and I'll gladly retract that statement. Guess it also reflects poorly on SWA, they hired me to.

 

[Busdrvr]

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On 8/27/2002 9:06:25 PM

"Busdriver...I've read in several publications where most pilots said they'd fly for a lot less, but they'd never tell managment that. Pilots are one group who do what they love to do...and get paid to do it."

Doctor? Healing people has to be a rush! Lawyer? Cop? That statement applies to just about every "good" job. I'm sure Bill Gates (you're right, he's goofy) gets a rise out of going to work every day. Why else would he when he's worth what he's worth? Defeating the next bio terror? Sounds like a cool job. The fact that you enjoy the job, and you'd do it for much less, doesn't diminish it's value. To be honest, I wouldn't do it for much less. But I've got options. My three pet peeves in aviation are 1. liars and cheats, (if you'll lie about times, will you lie about Mx?, did you lie in your log book to get the job?) 2. Those who don't think they are worth what a major Airline pilot makes. ( Many doctors prove that this is not always as easy as it looks each and every year. The great JFK jr thought he had it wired ) 3. Those who aren't worth what we make (showing up drunk?!)

 

[wannabe CRJ driver]

Maybe busdrivr is bitter at SWA because he when he applied he was told "Thank,but no thanks". People tend to bash organizations that they can't join!

 

[N421LV]

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On 8/28/2002 12:09:45 AM

Maybe busdrivr is bitter at SWA because he when he applied he was told "Thank,but no thanks". People tend to bash organizations that they can't join!
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No young CRJ, that's a cliche straight out of the UNITED playbook! [] He already said he was (allegedly) hired at SWA too. My guess is that his arrogance stems from being hired at United in the glory days of the late 90's, and his bitterness from watching his airline (and his lofty career expectations) imploding right before his eyes. Guys like him make it real hard to feel much sympathy for the plight of United, sad as it may be.

 

[JetDeep]

whats my number!

 

[Tanker]

Busdrvr
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[/quote]
BTW, how many first year pilots are on the SWA pay roll? Second year guys?
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[/quote]
Out of the 4092 on the SWA seniority list as of 3/27/02 228 are in the 1st year (post 9/11/01) and 530 are in their 2nd year