Southwest lowers turbine Mins back to 1000

That, or offer health benefits from day one. Lots of pilots leave for that reason (no benefits for six months) since they have kids and a spouse at home to worry about.
 
Easiest way to prevent these guys from bailing is to pay for their darn medical insurance for the first 6 months.

edit: :yeahthat:

great minds think alike:D
 
FlyChicaga said:
I'm just itching to submit my application there and actually have it accepted by the system. Next step, B737 type rating. Just need the time off.
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I think the type rating requirement changed. Now you don't have to have it to interview, you just have to get it within 6 months of being offered a job.
 
I actually don't have a problem with the type rating.

Here's why.

If they said, "You need to have a type rating, but you can only buy one from us for an over-inflated price before you apply" that's one thing.

But you can go to "Yao Ming's House of Rice & 737 Types While U Wait" and qualify.

My opinion only. It's A-OK if yours differs! :)
 
FlyChicaga said:
That, or offer health benefits from day one. Lots of pilots leave for that reason (no benefits for six months) since they have kids and a spouse at home to worry about.
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The only way for CAL to stop people from jumping ship would be to raise the pay IMO. In fact, my guess is by the time they get thru training, get the type, submit their application, and get the interview at SWA, it's been 3-4 months already, so not much longer to wait for the benefits to kick in. In fact, a friend of mine just recently go thru OE there and it was 2 months from class date to OE.

The real kicker is the $60k or so you'd make second year @ CAL vs. the $100k+ at SWA second year, the better schedules at SWA, (I hear thru captains, 18 days off as the norm) as well as the better corporate culture at SWA (for now).

Personally, I think CAL has better long term prospects than SWA, but that's just IMO. I think there will be significant growth in the overseas markets with the increase of globalization and CAL, as well as United, DAL, and NWA, will be able to capitalize on that growth much more than SWA. I'd rather be at a network carrier - long term - than a big "regional". (in actuality most "regionals" are now "nationals" it seems!!!) Note - this isn't a dig on SWA, they are a great company and I would be FORTUNATE and LUCKY to ever work there.
 
SWA is still my #1 choice. Stable, good pay and I could move back "home" to MCO. I don't need to fly int'l to be happy, especially if I've got more than half the month off and $$$ to enjoy myself. Hell, ticket prices now, I could take the extra $$ I'd be making at SWA and BUY a ticket instead of biting my nails wondering if I'll make the flight.

As for CAL, I think health benefits within 30 days of hire would go a LONG way. It's one of the things that has me on the fence about applying there when I hit the mins. I've got a wife and kid, so that health insurance is a big thing. Anyone that's priced COBRA lately knows THAT'S not an option on a $30/hr job.
 
I have a problem with the type requirement; it's a variation on PFT if you ask me, but no one bats an eye because it's a major. :confused:

What if regionals required new hire FOs to show up with an PIC type in their respective airplane... same thing.

No matter, I really don't think all the hard work and all those domestic legs are for me :D
 
E_Dawg said:
I have a problem with the type requirement; it's a variation on PFT if you ask me, but no one bats an eye because it's a major. :confused:

What if regionals required new hire FOs to show up with an PIC type in their respective airplane... same thing.

No matter, I really don't think all the hard work and all those domestic legs are for me :D
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Pansy.























:)
 
E_Dawg said:
I have a problem with the type requirement; it's a variation on PFT if you ask me, but no one bats an eye because it's a major. :confused:

What if regionals required new hire FOs to show up with an PIC type in their respective airplane... same thing.

No matter, I really don't think all the hard work and all those domestic legs are for me :D
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Agreed. I think it is still PFJ basically. Not trying to step on SWA fans toes, but they seriously need to can this requirement.
 
My Dad is a SWA capt. He said they are hiring 900 pilots this year. That's the most they've ever hired.

As for the type rating thing, I wouldn't count on it going away. My Dad had to have one when he was hired in 1982 (payed for by People's Express). Apparently they thought about dropping the requirement in the late 90s though.
 
E_Dawg said:
I have a problem with the type requirement; it's a variation on PFT if you ask me, but no one bats an eye because it's a major. :confused:

What if regionals required new hire FOs to show up with an PIC type in their respective airplane... same thing.

No matter, I really don't think all the hard work and all those domestic legs are for me :D
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Here's the way I look at it. I could pay for the type rating and get more money, or I could make less money at somewhere like CAL or US Air flying the same equipment for a fraction of the pay. It evens out, IMO. Which is why the regionals don't require a type. With the money they're paying us at this level, no one in their right mind would buy a type for this job unless they were made of money. I'll spend the extra $6-8K for a type if it gets me $100K a year as a second year FO, killer health benefits and back to MCO.

It's not really PFJ in my mind. Like Doug said, SWA doesn't make you get the type rating from them. If they did, THEN I would have a problem with it.
 
I'm going to go get the type when I find an opportunity to get the time off. I should have done it over my vacation now, since I have two weeks off. Oh well.

Time to go look at open time... 100 hours a month for the rest of 2007! :D
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it costs a whole lot of money to train a class of new pilots in a jet aircraft, with type rating, right?

I'm not at all surprised that SWA requires a type - this is company built around lowering its cost of doing business, which is one of the reasons they're stable, profitable and pretty damn much the Land Of Oz around here.

It's like Kell said - they pay very well - plus, the guys that come to them with a type already have 121 experience and lots of hours. They can be choosy and pick whom they want....

....right?

Or am I completely off base?
 
I raise the BS flag on the type requirement for SWA as well. The only thing it serves is reducing their training costs by not having to have DEs and doing a full 6 or 7 sim sessions to type a pilot.

That is a real fine line of difference between someone at Gulfstream paying to be an FO or someone buying a the "Advanced CRJ" course to get a job with a regional.

The thing that makes me chuckle a little is how everyone is ok with it, because it is Southwest and they are doing well financially and operationally. If they are such a great place and treat their employees with respect, they would accept any jet type rating as "proof" of being able to be trained and spend the money to train all of their pilots in house.
 
Dugie8 said:
I raise the BS flag on the type requirement for SWA as well. The only thing it serves is reducing their training costs by not having to have DEs and doing a full 6 or 7 sim sessions to type a pilot.

That is a real fine line of difference between someone at Gulfstream paying to be an FO or someone buying a the "Advanced CRJ" course to get a job with a regional.

The thing that makes me chuckle a little is how everyone is ok with it, because it is Southwest and they are doing well financially and operationally. If they are such a great place and treat their employees with respect, they would accept any jet type rating as "proof" of being able to be trained and spend the money to train all of their pilots in house.
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I see the same thing from a different angle, though. Their lowered costs are part of the reason they ARE stable and profitable. I doubt (could be wrong) that there is a single guy flying the line at SWA who would say, "Yeah, I hate these bastards for making me get my own type rating."

It's not like they're screwing anyone, and considering their applicant list is, by what I've heard, a mile long, they're doing something right. Just because they do it differently from other airlines doesn't make them wrong. It doesn't make them right either...but...they're in pretty good financial shape. <shrug>
 
What would you think if ALL airlines required you to show up qualified in their particular aircraft on day one.

No big deal as long as they don't stipulate where and how??
 
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