Hugo Stiglitz

Yeah it’s pretty lame SWA does this, and especially dumb because reserves rarely go unused. A new hire here could go straight to a reserve-only line and still hit consolidation without having to subvert seniority in the process. I guess management would make a case that a legacy who buys off an FO so that a new hire can consolidate is being less efficient cause it’s paying two people for the same trip, and hey it’s SWA so we need every cent we can save for, oh I dunno, updating our scheduling software, among other things?

Sucks, right? Military much?

The military having to do a lot of work at the behest of the commander in chief…ya really hate to see it.

Oof, freezing fog with midpoint RVR 600. Here’s the ATC tape…good stuff starts about 8:30 in: https://archive.liveatc.net/kaus/KAUS3-Twr-Feb-04-2023-1230Z.mp3 Sounds like SWA was cleared from a holding short position with FedEx on a 3 mi final. A minute later when asked if moving they said “rolling now.” Then 30 sec later it sounds like maybe FedEx directed SWA to abort before announcing its go-around? Didn’t come from tower and SWA continued so I guess it wasn’t them…but sounds like it caused tower to lose SA on if SWA was airborne or on the ground. Good on the FedEx guys for having their spidey sense tingling as soon as tower cleared SWA for takeoff. Stay safe out there…

Out of curiosity for the DAL guys, any gripes from the pilot group? Any major asks that were inadequately addressed?

At SWA you can never be called or have flying added on a day off, but it can be added if you’re on duty. One confusing thing is that here the term “JA” applies to what you’re thinking of (“You thought you were going home but this other trip needs to be covered so go do it”), but also to what is actually an unscheduled overnight (“I got so delayed today that I missed the last deadhead flight back home”). While the former is contractually legal it’s exceedingly rare (hasn’t happened to me in 5+ years), although the latter occurs in my experience maybe twice per year. In a true JA you’re flying a brand new pairing in addition to the one you already flew, but in an unscheduled overnight you’re contractually deadheaded home on the earliest flight following your rest period. And here’s the biggest difference with the AF: you’re rewarded if the company doesn’t get you home when you planned. True JA pays double on all legs, unscheduled overnight pays higher of 1.5 or full day’s rig, and if you’re reserve you have the option to drop a day of work later in the month. A minimum of extra $500-$1600 depending on seniority is a pretty decent way to feel okay about getting home at noon instead of 1am. Compared to my C-17 career when a 10-day SRT consistently got me home 2-3 days late and sometimes 2 weeks late with nothing to show other than a backlog of office work and pissed off Bobs, it’s a night and day difference. Our union actually tracks this stuff if you’re curious…during this week’s epic meltdown there were 70 unscheduled overnights*, exceeding the historic average of 14 for that week. There were 9 true JAs, and the historical average for that week is 0. There are definitely reasons to decide airline life isn’t for you. IMHO JA really shouldn’t be one of them. *Edited for full transparency that this number only refers to people at the end of their trips and not the ones who got messed up in the middle of theirs from all the cancellations and clogged scheduler lines. Also plenty of commuters who couldn’t get home too.

Would also add that point to point is affected less by disruptions when frequency of flights between city pairs is high enough that cancellations can flow to later in the day or different connecting airports. When the pandemic recovery began SWA gambled on adding new cities rather than restoring frequency between existing ones. The new COO has talked openly that the goal for next 2 years is now rebuilding frequency, but in the meantime the airline is vulnerable to meltdowns. Well we F’d around and are now finding out…

Probably too soon to say but SWA has always faced hiring headwinds because of the obvious reasons. IMHO we had been successful in becoming a destination rather than stepping stone airline for 3 reasons: 1. Best balance sheet among the majors 2. The whole never-furloughed thing 3. Pilots have genuinely loved their jobs. Most of that’s related to the work rules, some of it is tied to that Southwest “culture” A year ago the company issued furlough warning letters as a political stunt. Everyone knew they didn’t need to furlough but the fact that they took that first step kind of blew up the surety of #2 above and chipped away big time at #3. The pursuit of #1 came at the expense of investing in modern systems and maximizing efficiency. These meltdowns are a result, which throws into question how long #1 will remain the case. And of course the more meltdowns we have the less people enjoy their jobs. I do think SWA is the index fund of airlines though…doesn’t look so great when times are booming but suddenly pretty attractive in lean years. We’ll see if that remains the case.

That’s interesting…at first I thought that could be a USERRA violation based on discrimination as a result of military service, but then I realized it’s the union not letting you vote. I guess the company can be accused of discrimination by deeming you an inactive employee? A couple years ago SWA lost a lawsuit for not making 401k NECs to members out on mil leave. Now when we’re out we get a contribution based on our average monthly credit. Presumably your union has a military committee that has considered it already, but I still call BS that you’re not allowed to vote!

They had greater leverage and used it to negotiate a better contract. ‘Merica. Fingers crossed airline unions can do the same…

Genius move and a win/win…takes out some of the apprehension for those who have FOMO about getting into the industry ASAP, and ensures a continued steady flow for the next few years while all the rest of us race to the bottom in terms of experience. Actually I’m jealous.

Lanyards don’t affect the bottom line. Unions can’t be perceived to be encouraging any actions that modify how people perform their jobs (and negatively impact revenue). Fewer pickups than historical averages, more sick/fatigue calls, anything that the company can point to and claim is an organized action in violation of status quo can trigger a lawsuit and possibly hurt the union during mediation. There’s a rich history of them making such claims right or wrong, and sniping random social media posts from union members running their mouths as “evidence” is a relatively new tactic. Notably “informational pickets” don’t fall under job actions because they’re conducted off duty. And Bashi, while yes, your premise that there is a lot to focus on before joining an airline is true, awareness of the union dynamics shouldn’t be too far on the back burner at least. Mil guys already have a rep for not being team players because of their cluelessness, no need to unnecessarily add to it.

I heard Alaska is happy with their new TA? So-so pay bump, but I’m told big fixes to work rules. And I think a snap-up too? Going to be high stakes when everyone adds a snap up and it all comes down to the final major to reach a TA that’ll carry the hopes of the industry along with it.

Sure I can. Don’t be so emo.

Yeah. Welp. And I was promised condoms prevent pregnancy. BRB, gotta change another diaper.

The numbers are from where they claim to be from, but it accidentally ignores the denominators (rates). https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-coronavirus-vaccines/fact-check-graph-showing-englands-covid-19-death-statistics-misrepresents-impact-of-vaccines-idUSL1N2Z10I3 It’s like saying F-16 pilots are worse at flying than RQ-4 pilots because the Viper has had more Class As. Lazy, but hey I guess whatever info validates your preconceived notions is good data. It’s all besides the point though; no need to turn this into the world’s trillionth vaccine efficacy pissing match. I think the point is if the author titled his article “AF Leadership is Just as Shitty as Everyone Above Them,” then it’d have a little more merit than the whole “sinister plot exposed!” angle.

Great headline, was looking forward to the smoking gun. Now I’m wondering if the possibility might exist that it has nothing to do with the evidence it presents. The email screenshots literally say: Person 1: “We’re struggling to meet this requirement because of reasons. Can you answer some of these questions?” Person 2: “We’d love to help you.” Person 3: Answers one of the questions. Where did the law-breaking conspiracy occur?

Nah, you guys are just confusing my apathy for opposition. But I’m still reading your measured responses and promise as soon as my lightbulb goes on that this is a national emergency and not just some anecdote that’s getting blown out of proportion then I’ll be fangs out too. In both the unit and the airline I’m yet to have a single person tell me their preferred pronoun, but daily I’m listening to someone’s rant about wokeness, so I guess my perspective of what we’re spending too much time talking about differs from y’all. I don’t plan to, so I just…won’t. No objection to the “won’t kill more bad guys” sentiment though. I had a former squadron commander tell me it was more important to go to SOS than IPUG. CCs say dumb stuff all the time. And if that gets under the skin of a Flt/CC then maybe they’re being too, uh, fragile. You’re right it is true, but lots of things are simultaneously true while also not being that big of a deal. Where did the leap occur that a single slide titled “What Can I Do?” is the same thing as a concerning AF culture shift? We’ve all complained for years that the suicide awareness training hasn’t done anything to stem suicides, and I’ll be the first to confess that if I ingested a biological agent my 80% SABC test score wouldn’t save my bacon….why are we running with pitchforks to the internet as if this is any different? Amen to your first sentence. Second one is interesting. Could be wrong but I’m unaware of politicians having a direct hand in debating and deciding on our courseware slides. You’re in favor of that though? I see unintended consequences of setting that precedent. I never intended a dig and upon further reflection still don’t see where the disparagement of those who answered the call occurred, but I’ll apologize for however you took it. Would you feel less sensitive if I changed it to “great aunt who retired from Wells Fargo?” Kind of have to tip my hat to the irony of you reading into my words and getting offended by something I neither outright said nor intended though. Maybe someone should put together some training so I can recognize inadvertent microaggressions and avoid triggering any groups? Oof!

I don’t know, some of y’all’s ability to get triggered by a random CBT slide is impressive. I can personally attest to a career’s-worth of completing CBTs and having no idea what was in them, but maybe I’m the weird one. Still I’d wager that 99% of cadets would’ve already forgotten about it too other than now their great uncle who fought in ‘Nam is emailing them demanding to know why the hell they’ve gone woke. I get that Tucker keeps bringing this stuff up to get us all in a froth but oof, it’s gotta just be exhausting repeatedly taking that bait.

You’ve got the living in domicile part figured out, so you’d probably be right to just go with your gut and not overthink it…even though we all do. As far as forecasting the future there probably isn’t a more stark comparison of company financials than between AA and SWA, and yet the sense here at SWA is that we struggled just as much as everyone else and don’t have anything to show from our $16B pre-pandemic war chest…might as well have bought those 300 Dreamliners! There’s no harm in applying to all three and seeing what you think. Worst case you get some bonus interview practice. FWIW I had SWA maybe #4 or 5 but changed my tune after digging into it post-interview. I’m not pitching SWA over others, but since most of my mil buddies close the door on it because it lacks the cool factor I’ll offer up my standard spiel: in my 5-year experience all the knocks I’ve heard have pretty much been overblown (except for the long upgrade). Schedule flexibility, time off, and ability to make extra when desired has been surprising. I’ve had no missed Christmases/anniversaries/birthdays (even first year), which is kind of the reason I left the AF in a nutshell. My AF years were my time for strapping into cool machines and putting pins on maps, but now my QOL criteria is less about enjoying my time at work and more about maximizing my ratio of dollars to days off. Not saying that can’t be found elsewhere, but just bringing it up to answer your question on whether you should at least consider SWA.

Just a thought, but in that scenario they’ll still have a border to protect and a neighbor with a history of continuing to meddle even after things are “settled.” UKR would be strapped for cash yes, but I’d think they’d have a compelling interest in retaining whatever self defense capability they held. I’m thinking more along the lines of Israel after Nickel Grass.

Sadly yes, there is no way to trace it, unless the airdropper is a moron. True story: plane hadn’t yet left the gate in ATL and a mom sitting with her toddler receives “Chad’s Phone would like to airdrop you this photo.” Mom gets mad, tells the FA, who tells the ops agent, who asks for “Chad” to ring his call button. Next thing there are cops going seat to seat checking boarding passes until they locate Chad and escort him off. I get it, turn off your phone, decline the photo etc., I don’t care. But honest question based on your guys’ responses: is SWA the only airline that defines sending unwanted nudes or flashing as sexual harassment? And has an actual policy to follow if sexual harassment occurs on board?

…you would have preferred the pilots to instruct the ladies on board to change their airdrop settings and continue taxiing? There are policies for this stuff, they’re not just making it up. In fact I wouldn’t be shocked if someone tries making the case they were leaning too far forward by making the PA and not just returning to the gate to have the passenger removed as soon as he “whipped it out.”

Hate to see it, but love to see it. My better half is an active duty doc. I can’t begin to describe the toxicity and malevolence that we’d repeatedly witnessed in the medical community at 4 locations over 15 years…it’s stuff I wouldn’t have believed could be possible in the military if I didn’t see it myself. There was even a point in time she tried the IG avenue…with the same results as this Col Bode evidently got. On the plus side, it actually made me appreciate being in the OG, even with all our own warts.

No, not detectable = not enough viral load to be spread to someone else. At least that’s what the HIV drug commercial that keeps playing on my TV says.