Well, if it's any consolation to you, Southwest management are amateurs at top-loading the management ranks compared to other airlines--like mine (AA). They finally did away with this situation, but for the longest time at DFW in every terminal we had an Operations Manager who reported to a Manager of Operations for that terminal. I could never find anyone in management who could explain the difference in those jobs, or why there were two needed in every terminal. If there was one Manager of Operations for the airport complex with an Operations Manager for each terminal, I might have understood.
The bankruptcy has forced them to rationalize the management ranks to some extent, but for the most part it is the first-line supervisors in Flight Service (Flight Service Managers) who have had the most work dumped on them by reductions in their ranks. And, they were the ones who were the most overworked BEFORE the job cuts started. I guess it's a good thing that most flight attendants self-manage their time, attendance, and performance.
