Southwest F/a's Working Free

[KCFlyer]

KC:

Fighting for change isn't always pretty. Rosa Parks taking a seat at the front of the bus wasn't pretty at the time. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom defying state law and issuing marriage licenses to gay couples isn't pretty, but it's necessary. Usually a little ugliness is necessary in taking a stand and fighting for change. In collective bargaining, it's a motivator for getting management back to the negotiating table. I respectfully disagree with you and others who say, "oh, just take the money and don't rock the boat." Southwest has become a major player and is continuing to evolve. They have gone from being a short-hop regional carrier to having become a major transcon airline. It sounds to me like some of the existing workrules (or lack thereof) no longer work in the type of operation that Southwest Airlines has evolved into. This current contract dispute might get pretty ugly. In the short term, Southwest's "love and light" image might become tarnished. The bottom line is, is that the collective (SWA F/A's) doesn't feel valued. SWA flight attendants are looking around at their other major airline counterparts and are NOTICING that their work rules and on-the-job quality-of-life isn't up to the same standard. The more mature Southwest Airlines becomes, these issues will continue to present themselves. The same will occur at Jet Blue. In five year's time a flight attendant is going to be pretty sick and tired of making the same $20 an hour.

So...given what SWA has offered in the form of Pay already (and retracted due to union pressure) - which would have put them at "industry leading" levels...and factoring in the 401K...health benefits....profit sharing...not to mention zero layoffs - would you say you'd hold out because they didn't have a "duty rig" that even thought they worked a couple of more hours per day than you, they would be PAID far more than what their counterparts at other airlines were making. Or is more pay for less work the sign of a "progressive" contract?

I believe I've seen in other arguments on the UAL and U boards that the employees have conceded about as much as they can afford to concede. That means that any other savings will have to come from "work rule" changes. Need I remind you that it's good that you have duty rigs, as most of your aircraft are parked at the gate two to three times as long as the typical SWA jet.

 

[Whadayano]

Not to mention that if they worked for any other major they would be facing contract talks about CUTTING wages. Southwest is the one long term proven success in the US airline biz. You can have the pay scales, priveleges and work rules of the other majors, but then you'll have their problems--shrinking not growing fleets, lay-offs, involuntary furloughs. At Southwest if you don't mess it up, you really have job security, and given their balance sheet today, for a long time to come. What 15 year f/a, contemplating the chances of having any pension to retire on at all, from any other airline (and I don't just mean U) wouldn't trade places with you for that?

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

The reference to Rosa Parks made me almost want to throw up. It's incredible what people will try and dredge up to attempt to justify an indefensible position.

Here is what will happen:

Parker & the Company will make an offer somewhat better than the one they have on the table today (maybe it will be as good as the offer of last July) and the union will declare victory and go home.

Or

The Union will refuse to budge, Parker will lock them out, put a new contract in place which awards seniority to former airline employees based on years of service with their former employer, resembles the current company offer in terms of wages per trip for pay, and will keep the company profitable.

The PATCO strike didn't work. This one won't either, in the long run. A strike or lockout will cost Southwest some money. It is money well spent if it ensures that management is not to captive to unreasonable demands by a group of employees. One reason that Southwest is the only profitable large carrier out there is that the emploee compensation packages have rewarded productivity. Folks got paid pretty well, by and large, but they had to work hard to get it. The Comapny is not going to roll over and play dead because the Flight Attendants want USAirways or United work rules.

I find it funny that other air carrier employees are so supportive of the Southwest FA struggle. You reckon it could be that they want Southwest to bust their cost model and be in the same boat they are? After all, misery loves company.

The number of furloughed FAs throughout the industry (and even some who are working for potentially expired carriers) might jump at the chance tow work for good wages, for a going concern, if they were able to trade their seniority 2 for 1 at a legitimate company.

It will be a shame. The bottom line is the company belongs to the stockholders. The employees are important, but the FAs are one piece of the big picture. Most of us who pay our good money to fly Southwest want to see them get a raise. We don;t want to see them ruin the company. Their comments about "this change will only cost point x cents per ASM falls on deaf ears...it's hard enough to trust Price Waterhouse (don't ever trust Arthur Anderson)....do you think we are going to take the word of some union accountant at face value when it comes to impact of a contract change on operating costs? Give me a break.

This whole thing is headed to lockout and replacement if the FAs don't begin to understand the company doesn;t belong to them. They are important. Let nobody diminish the fact every employee is important. However, it's the old 'put your finger in a glass of water...now pull it out. Can you tell where you used to be?' cliche. Nobody is irreplaceable.

If paying the wages and operating with the work rules the FAs want is such a grand idea, let them scrape up the capital and start an airline. Pilots have tried that (Pride Air). We might as well let FAs give it a try. In the interim, the options are: (1) take the money and enjoy what you have or (2) get locked out and get replaced. It's that simple.

Don't think it will happen? Hide and watch.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

Oh, and before someone questions my ability to forecast the future, ask KC.

Back in 1999, without knowledge of 9/11 or any of the externalities, I predicted EXACTLY what would happen with USAirways back on Holly Hegeman's Planebusiness.com when she had a public message board.

Here is the crux of the biscuit - if Southwest's FAs will take last July's offer (if it is made available again) and sit tight, they will emerge with the ultimate in industry leading contracts (after all the other guys have had to cough up concession after concession to keep their mismanaged company afloat).

Exactly how have the other firms been mismanaged? One way has been management giving in on work rules.

And to those who whine about Parker instead of Herb......I would suggest that Parker (in the case of these negotiations) continues to do exactly what Herb is wanting him to do. It's just that Herb has always hated to be the heavy....and by letting Parker handle the negotiations he can avoid being the bad guy. But if you think that what Parker is doing and offering is all his own idea, you are sadly mistaken.

 

[LiveInAHotel]

I picked up my mother in law at the airport yesterday. She flew in on Northwest. I noticed that it was at the gate at 3:30. I noticed that it was scheduled to leave at 4:50. Since KC isn't a "hub" for Northwest, I'm assuming the flight crew was hanging out waiting for the return flight. How much is "padded" into the Northwest FA's pay for that hour?

swagalleyhag,

It seems someone is avoiding your question!! Yet, he/she continues to argue with all of us about OUR contracts. KC, you don't know how our contracts work. You're not even an airline employee. So my advice to you, quit telling us what we should accept in our contract and what we shouldn't accept. This is the flight attendants choice! This is why smart flight attendant groups are UNIONIZED!

 

[KCFlyer]

I picked up my mother in law at the airport yesterday. She flew in on Northwest. I noticed that it was at the gate at 3:30. I noticed that it was scheduled to leave at 4:50. Since KC isn't a "hub" for Northwest, I'm assuming the flight crew was hanging out waiting for the return flight. How much is "padded" into the Northwest FA's pay for that hour?

swagalleyhag,

It seems someone is avoiding your question!! Yet, he/she continues to argue with all of us about OUR contracts. KC, you don't know how our contracts work. You're not even an airline employee. So my advice to you, quit telling us what we should accept in our contract and what we shouldn't accept. This is the flight attendants choice! This is why smart flight attendant groups are UNIONIZED!

Where did I ever say what you should accept? I only question the long term damage that the union tactics are causing this company. You really don't have to work for an airline to harbor those feelings. Believe it or not, as a "non employee", I do believe I have a bit more objective view of the situation than someone who is painting a single individual (Parker) as the reason for the "loss of LUV" at this airline. And I do believe that ELP's statements hold a lot more truth than anyone really cares to admit....Herb's office ain't all that far from Mr. Parkers...why hasn't Herb headed down there and told him to pay up??

And excuse me, but I am ignorant of the "facts"... perhaps you can tell me how much the NWA FA's were paid during that hour that the plane sat parked at the gate??? If they made more in that 60 minute period than than the FA's on the LUV flight that had left 30 minutes into that same period made, I'll shut up.

 

[JAMAKE1]

Mr El Paso:

I am glad to know that I almost made you vomit. Your condescending undertones

such as, "just smile and take the money" make ME want to vomit. The reason that

I have such a vested interest in the plight of the Southwest flight attendants is that

it is SO refreshing to observe the collective finally waking up to the fact that they

have been DUPED all these years. I am excited to witness the flight attendant

group sobering up from years of having been force-fed corporate kool aide. They

are realizing that the kool aide leaves a bitter taste in their mouth. This saga is just

starting to get juicy. I'm gonna go get me some popcorn and make myself comfy

because this show is gonna be better than any closed-circuit Vegas boxing match.

Come to think of it, you would be a dream employee at Walmart. They LOVE

people who are just willing to "smile and take the money."

 

[Fly]

For those who keep throwing out there that they would like to have "United or U's work rules"....ummmm, ok, if that's what you want. 😉 Maybe you should ask Parker for them, I bet he'd say "yes" in a heartbeat! You make more than us, your work rules are very close to the same, and you get 401k match. We (UAL f/a's) can have 14.5 scheduled work days, is that what you want?

I think the average line LUV f/a should probably find out what the other major f/a's are ACTUALLY making before they jeopardize their careers. Take it for what it's worth, I'm just trying to help you here. You have the BEST contract NOW, anything better is just icing on the cake.

 

[Fly]

We (UAL f/a's) can have 14.5 scheduled work days, is that what you want?

Actually, I just worked a HKG trip and the flight time was 15 hours....so I guess even that 14.5 scheduled is out the window too since we don't recieve overtime and we obviously don't just "pull over"

Like I said above, if you keep holding out for work rule changes, be aware! You may get them, and they may be EXACTLY like mine! :blink:

 

[hp_fa]

WN FA's:

I believe the vast majority of HP employees support you, at least emotionally, in your quest for a fair contract. We wish you well.

ELP:

Watch out, what you are asking for is, at best, asking for Burger King people to be your FA's. See how fast they get you out of the plane in an emergency.

Or do you want a bunch of FA's outsourced from India to be your FA's? They will likely work cheaply.

I would not want to be a WN FA. My personality would not fit their profile, but I very much like my job at HP. Just a difference in how we do our jobs, but we all do the same primary job in an environment of different corporate cultures. I also percieve that many of the issues that are now arising at WN would not have occurred with Herb in charge.

Fly:

How long was your layover in Asia? I think your situation is quite different from a WN FA doing 5-7 legs on quick turns.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

Dear HP FA:

Perhaps you could enlishten us as to how much HP Fas get paid. You need not show us the whole contract...just the hourly wage rates, say, for starting, 5 yr, and top out...and how many years to top out.

Also please tell us about the profit sharing, 401K match, and pension benefits you get over at HP.

Oh and BTW---do you get paid in between flights? How long is the typical turn?

It would help us better determine whether or not WN FAs are getting a raw deal.

Your comments vis-a-vis Herb and Parker clearly demonstrate, with all due respect...that you hace absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

You say you wouldn't want to be a WN FA...that your personality doesn't fit their profile. I'm not sure exactly what that means. I've ridden HP out of ELP on occasion on my way west.....at least in my office, your firm has the reputation of being KMart to Southwest's WalMart.....cheaper, tackier, and less robust customer service. But I don't wish to debate the relative merits of the two airlines. (You'll lose).

You support the WN FAs. Great. Now tell us how much you make.

To those who would think I have a hidden agenda or am anti labor. Nothing is further from the truth. I just can't sit quietly by as a labor union acts in a way that is not in the best interest of its membership, is attempting to wreak havoc on the most public minded airline in the country, and, for a lack of a better way to describe it....is justbeing stupid.

Lockouts arent fun and strikes are rarely successful. Particularly when you are dealing with a company that has the public on its side. Don't think so? In my office (govt) this strike thing has been discusssed at length....I think the nicest thing anyone has said about WN FAs in this matter is "ungrateful."

In general: we all think WN FAs are the best. We would like to see them get a raise. We also see what has happened to other companies whose management has, over the years, given in on workrules and othr union demands. They are not making money. They have laid off and furloughed bunches of employees. That hasn't happened at WN. It just galls me that nobody can see a connection.

Southwest can survive a strike or lockout. What is can't survive is being held hostage by employee work groups.

The lockout is what I see as the most likely outcome, though. And pickets with signs that say "SCAB" is not apt to keep droves of oassengers off the airplane. Not as much fun to picket when you can;t go up to the gate area, either.

 

[SWAFA30]

A week or so ago when the topic first reared it's ugly head I predicted that it would devolve into a virtual shouting match a la the US board, with neither side convincing the other to change their point of view. Looks like I was wrong....not. All of this bickering might actually be funny if there weren't thousands of jobs at stake, mine included. But hey, just think how cheap the plane tickets will be when JP fires us all and hires 7,200 replacements all working for $14.67 Meanwhile Mom and and Dad will be able to fly the whole family to Disneyworld and back and still get change back from a 100 dollar bill.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

SWAFA30:

Now, now, it hasn;t devolved quite to USAirways level. It's still civil, for the most part. And we are all free to disagree.

I will contest one of your comments:

JP paying new hires $14.67/hr.

If and when the lockout takes place, the company will put in place a contract that very closely resembles the one the union is rejecting.

Starting TFP will be somewhere North of 17 bucks and somewhere South of $20.01, for the first six months. Bank on it. And then it will go up. And profit sharing will still be there. As will the 401K match. And pass privileges. In fact, the contract he puts into place will pretty much be what the union is turning its nose up at.

Hoss, I respect the work you do and I don't think there's any question where my airline loyalties lie. I don't think anyone wants you...or any other WNFA ...to lose your job.

Just some of us who ride the line and fork over our money for plane tickets don't think you and your cohorts, in this day and age, are being totally resonable. We want you to get a raise. We just are philosophically opposed to seeing the company throw away what it has achieved over the last 33 years.

And as far as "workers arise" and "collectivism rules"...how many 30 yr FAs at the competing airlines....are millionaires and millionairesses?

We all hear the complaints about 1st year FAs making $14.67 an hour. Let me ask this.....what do 1st year FAs make at AA, US, or UA?

They don't make anything. All the 1st year FAs are still on furlough.

Has WN prevailed because the employees are brilliant or because management has been sound? Probably both. But you have to give the management some credit...a lot of credit.....they haven't done anything stupid to get your airline into financial straits (no relation to George or Gibraltar).

I wish the givernment paid me a whole lot more (most folks with a Masters and 20 yrs of experience do better than $70K) and couldn't exercise the option to send me places where people shoot at me. But they don't and they can and they do. However, the bottom line is I knew what I was getting when I signed the paperwork.

Taking a job as a FA is similar, in some respects. You knew what they were paying when you hired on, nobody put a gun to your head to make you take the job, and unlike my deal.....if you feel that oppressed you can always walk away.

I hope it will be resolved amicably. However, I think the only way it can be is if there is a reasonable contract put on the table and voted upon. The fact that the union won't go to binding arbitration ought to tell anyone everything they need to know. Typically, it is management who hates to go to binding arbitration.....the arbitrators are notoriously pro-union. In this case, with the industry being in the state that is.....it just perplexes me why any group would turn their nose up at an industry leading contract.

At any rate, if it comes to lockout, good luck in your next career. In the meantime happy & safe flights.

ELP

 

[JAMAKE1]

Hi FLY:

Some of your postings have left me in absolute stitches and I LOVE the cruelty-free
fairy dust. I do however, take exception to some of your comments regarding our contract at United. Let's face it, we do not tidy after every flight and we are not required to cross seatbelts and clean lavs. You have also talked of no ground pay, however we do have good trip rigs (compared to the rest of the industry) which make up for some of that. We also get paid for holding time (after 10 minutes), and we have retained 5 paid holidays (down from 10 previously). We also receive training pay for recurrent training and other company-required programs, something that most F/A's at other carriers do not receive. As I have mentioned under a different topic, no, we do not have 401 K matching, however we have a pension. Most companies who match 401 K's do not provide a pension. Southwest's F/A starting wages are on par with what the regional jet operators pay, not the majors. In spite of the concessions, I still believe that United F/A's enjoy a superior contract to most of the industry. I am not trying to be a cheerleader for United or AFA, but I feel that some of your comments are a bit misleading. I will say that Southwest F/A's certainly have us beat when it comes to domestic duty time. I totally support them in their effort to achieve a contract that is satisfactory to them and I will be out there marching with them should it get to that (God forbid). I do fear that they may have to budge on their duty time if they are going to be successful in securing duty rigs. I have worked for four airlines and can tell you that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

Respectfully,

A happily voluntarily furloughed F/A

 

[SWAFA30]

Now, now, it hasn;t devolved quite to USAirways level. It's still civil, for the most part. And we are all free to disagree.

Civil, barely.

I will contest one of your comments:

JP paying new hires $14.67/hr.

If and when the lockout takes place, the company will put in place a contract that very closely resembles the one the union is rejecting.

Then he really is a fool. If he fires us all, JP has a golden opportunity to decide pay rates for 20% of his workforce. SWA's current hiring stats and the stats at regionals with payscales similar to ours show that there is no shortage of candidates willing to work for what we are currently making or even less for that matter. What possible incentive would JP have for offering the scabs more than he is currently paying. For as many years as you have watched SWA do business, you ought to know that they will almost NEVER spend a penny more than they absolutely have to.

Starting TFP will be somewhere North of 17 bucks and somewhere South of $20.01, for the first six months. Bank on it. And then it will go up.

My years in this industry have taught me to bank on nothing but the fact that the sun will come up tomorrow. Anything is a crapshoot.

And profit sharing will still be there. As will the 401K match. And pass privileges. In fact, the contract he puts into place will pretty much be what the union is turning its nose up at.

And like us, the new flight attendant ranks will eventually mature and look around and see that they are not being treated the same as the rest of the company and eventually they will find themselves in the same quagmire we here are in now. Only then, JP or whoever succeeds him will have to fire 10 or 15 thousand flight attendants instead of only 7. Saying a proposal is sub-par is not quite "turning up ones nose" What everyone seems to be forgetting is that every other article has been tentatively agreed on. Everything from uniforms to scheduling to reserve duty is closed. Both of these negotiating teams do know to bargain and meet each other in the middle.

Hoss, I respect the work you do and I don't think there's any question where my airline loyalties lie. I don't think anyone wants you...or any other WNFA ...to lose your job.

I appreciate that. It would seem the company I work for does not appreciate the contribution I make to this company. It is nice to know that our passengers do. At this point, that is all that is keeping us going.

Just some of us who ride the line and fork over our money for plane tickets don't think you and your cohorts, in this day and age, are being totally resonable.

Judging by the countless reams...er bytes that have been written to that effect, I kinda figured that out.

We want you to get a raise.

At last, we agree on something.

Know what else I want? Brace yourself.

I want Duty Rigs that protect my pay during irregular ops. The difference in a pilots pay rate and mine recognizes the fact that said pilot brings skills to his job that I can not even fathom. I don't have a problem with that. But the fact that they have duty rigs and we do not says that to SWA, a pilot's time away from his home and family is more important than mine. THAT, I have a big problem with.

I want to reach the top of the payscale in 12 years. Not 17 like now, not 15 like the Company has offered, 12. Just like Customer Service and Ramp and Operations and Provisioning and Maintenance and yes even the pilots. 12 years. The funny thing that everyone seems to gloss over is the if the step compression we are seeking were implemented our payscale proposal would look frighteningly similar to the one the company has on the table.

That's it. All of this sound and fury and huffing and puffing boils down to duty rigs and step compression. Initial training pay is a non-issue. 33 years of history and we have all survived not making any money while we train. We are not employees until we graduate and non-employees don't get paid. The ground time pay issue is solved by implementing duty rigs. So again, it all comes down to step compression and duty rigs. I know that it is more interesting to think that the myopic, greedy flight attendants are trying to bleed the company dry but for THIS flight attendant that is simply not the case. I find it interesting that it has never occured to anyone that the pay and work rule changes the flight attendants are asking might actually be within SWA's budget. It is unthinkable that the union negotiating team might actually have looked over SWA's books and drafted proposals that are fiscally responsible. Just take and moment and think about that possibilty. What if, just what if the union was actually making requests that were fair and reasonable and SWA was just being cheap. Has that thought ever crossed anyone's mind? Probably not because that does not play into the mindset that corporations are good and unions are bad. Funny that I keep hearing..."You guys deserve a raise...but c'mon...don't you think you guys are asking a bit much?" It seems as though the public has settled on a figure, a sum, a number in their heads of what a flight attendant should make and even one red cent over that number is just plain unacceptable. Nevermind that SWA might actually be able to afford the raises we are asking for. As cheap as this company is , when SWA decides spending money is important, they find a way to make it happen. Too bad the group that spends the most time with their valued Customers does not rate as important.

We just are philosophically opposed to seeing the company throw away what it has achieved over the last 33 years.

Believe or not, neither do we.

And as far as "workers arise" and "collectivism rules"...how many 30 yr FAs at the competing airlines....are millionaires and millionairesses?

Those quotes are not from my posts so I will refrain from comment.


We all hear the complaints about 1st year FAs making $14.67 an hour. Let me ask this.....what do 1st year FAs make at AA, US, or UA?

They don't make anything. All the 1st year FAs are still on furlough.

Yes, but the ones that are still there, were first year flight attendants at some point. I too would be interested to know what they made as newbies when their carriers were healthy, profitable, and flush with cash($2 billion at last count) like mine ? before the bottom fell out.

Has WN prevailed because the employees are brilliant or because management has been sound? Probably both.

Not proably both, defintely both. If managment built this "house", the hard work of the rank and file are the "bricks and mortar". You can have the best business plan in the world but eventually somebody has to go out and execute it.

But you have to give the management some credit...a lot of credit.....they haven't done anything stupid to get your airline into financial straits (no relation to George or Gibraltar).

Absolutely, but management can't go out and load the bags and check in the flights and fly the planes and take care of the passengers. I'm sure you've seen "Airline" Right? Did you see the one where the flight oversold by 53 passengers and the mob at the gate was ready to tear down the rafters? The rank and file don't write the business plans and most of us can't even begin to grasp the level of sophistication and business savvy it takes to run an airline. What we do have is the talent, dedication, and the plain old heart and Customer Handling skills it takes to make Southwest work and work well. How else would you explain people consistently choosing SWA over other carriers that offer more "frills" The people of SWA keep Customers coming back, year in and year out. Herb always said that the other airlines could copy our business model but the key ingredient they would always be missing were SWA's people. When this is all over and the current flight attendant group is long gone, I guess we will see if he was right.

I wish the givernment paid me a whole lot more (most folks with a Masters and 20 yrs of experience do better than $70K) and couldn't exercise the option to send me places where people shoot at me. But they don't and they can and they do. However, the bottom line is I knew what I was getting when I signed the paperwork.
Taking a job as a FA is similar, in some respects. You knew what they were paying when you hired on, nobody put a gun to your head to make you take the job, and unlike my deal.....if you feel that oppressed you can always walk away.

Essentially, that is what is happening. The flight attendant job at SWA has changed. 33 years ago it was hot pants, good times and a chance to find yourself a rich husband. A full plane was 112 passengers and crewmembers didn't even have to clear security. Today it is terrorism, long hauls, TSA, sky marshals and full plane is now 137. This flight attendant group has frawn a line in the sand and decided under what circumstances they are willing to continue to work in the service of this company. Why else would we continue to push knowing that our jobs are at stake. It is very easy for me. I have not made much money most of my career at SWA and really don't have much to lose. I have contributed about $500 to my 401k but had to stop because I needed to bring more money home. I am vested but my profit sharing account is off-limits until I am a senior citizen anyway so it is not that painful to walk away from the money. Since it is as if I never had it in the first place, I don't ever feel like I am losing anything. I have no family to support and no obligations so, like I said I don't have much to lose.

I hope it will be resolved amicably.

The amicable ship has just about sailed. The company has launched a full scale "union-busting" attack. There is too much bitterness and rancor here now. A lockout may well be the only way to clean house and clear the air and move on.

However, I think the only way it can be is if there is a reasonable contract put on the table and voted upon. The fact that the union won't go to binding arbitration ought to tell anyone everything they need to know. Typically, it is management who hates to go to binding arbitration.....the arbitrators are notoriously pro-union.

It is my understanding that both sides have said that they would reject binding arbitration. Why would either side want to put their fates in the hands of a third party?

In this case, with the industry being in the state that is.....it just perplexes me why any group would turn their nose up at an industry leading contract.

Given it's current state, it does not take much to "lead" this industry. Besides, leading the industry is pointless if you are still steps behind the other unions at your own airline. Remember, this is all about step compression and duty rigs. All we are asking is to be treated the same as every other union at this airline and we are being villified for it. If I live to be 100, I will never understand why.

At any rate, if it comes to lockout, good luck in your next career.

It would be impossible to describe the sense of peace I have about this issue. Whatever happens, happens. I don't indentify myself by what I do or where I work. As I said, I am fortunate to have little responsibility so a job loss in my household will have little impact. Sadly, I could get a job at UPS throwing boxes and earn about what I am making at SWA. Since my brother also works for SWA, family get togethers will be interesting but we were brothers before SWA and we will be brothers long after I've moved on.

In the meantime happy & safe flights.

Likewise.