I booked a more expensive ticket with them because the commercials I saw were well done and got me interested. The advertising definitely painted a much rosier picture than the actual plane ride. I didn't appreciate how much different the experience was than the advertising portrays and doubt I'm the only one that's had that experience. It's a good way to piss people off by convincing them to pay more for a product that based on my experiences was inferior for its price.
Behind the Southwest Airlines Culture
- Thread starter Seggy
- Start date
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
you bought something based on what a commercial said? I have some great property and 56N / 30W if you're interested.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
I liked it when I was there....and it existed. To hear my friends in the ramp talk, that culture has been burned to the ground at the altar of the Almighty Dollar. Even bags fly free is probably going to be a thing of the past based on hints Kelly keeps dropping. Maybe then they can stop the bleeding that is outsourcing and cutting back on full timers. When I was hired, if you couldn't work 40 hours a week, SWA didn't want you as a ramper. Now they only want seasonal or part time rampera because benefits are expensive. When I was there, they treated you we'll because if you saw it as a career, you watched out for the interest of the company. Now, they don't want those career guys since their hourly wage increases year after year.
This is all based in the ramp, so I'm sure it's different for pilots. But I think you can draw a line for when the change happened, and it starts the second Herb left and accelerates after Colleen left.
arkflyr
Well-Known Member
It is sad what is happening to what was something special. My father retired in August of 2012 after 18 years so I can only comment on my observations from what he has had to say. It seems like in the last 5 years it really has started to become just another airline. It was probably bound to happen as nothing good lasts for long, but it is sad to watch. That being said I still think that it is a good place to work and have a career but one should never limit their options. I think you see many junior guys jump ship, as there will be a better chance at long term earnings at other carriers.
It is kind of funny though, while even if he had stayed @ATN_Pilot and him probably would have got along great. He was one of the minority of wildly pro labor liberals there, that was also "acquired" and not hired, believed most in defending the profession, and being a pilot advocate.
Oh yeah, after 8 airlines, 3 bankruptcies, and 2 mergers, he said it was the greatest job he ever had. While he is disappointed with the changes that are taking place there, he wouldn't change anything that he experienced. And the experience that he had there was very different than what someone starting out today would have.
It is kind of funny though, while even if he had stayed @ATN_Pilot and him probably would have got along great. He was one of the minority of wildly pro labor liberals there, that was also "acquired" and not hired, believed most in defending the profession, and being a pilot advocate.
Oh yeah, after 8 airlines, 3 bankruptcies, and 2 mergers, he said it was the greatest job he ever had. While he is disappointed with the changes that are taking place there, he wouldn't change anything that he experienced. And the experience that he had there was very different than what someone starting out today would have.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
No doubt.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
FWIW, the discontent over the deal is not just on the ValuJet side. The FA-of-the-day yesterday is the daughter of a Southwest pilot, and he is apparently very unhappy with how things went down as well. (Although he probably wanted more of a cramdown or wanted to borrow a stapler. The only guy guaranteed to be happy with an integration is #1.)They threatened to put us all the street if we didn't cave on their seniority cramdown. See, it only took one sentence.
The pilots you know are "real" Southwest, as they would say. They haven't felt the sting yet. They will soon enough, and then it's going to dawn on them that Gary and Mike are not like Herb. The AirTran pilots have already learned that.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
In all honesty, the SWA FOs in the bottom half of their FO list got a pretty good short-term screwing, also, though they do end up doing better later on. Because the deal downgraded all of our captains, they've been flooding into the SWA domiciles and bumping the FOs down the list who didn't have the seniority to snag the newly available captain seats. Apparently guys are actually getting bumped out the bottom of MCO because of it.
BEEF SUPREME
Well-Known Member
At XOJET I had to airline every week. SW wasn't bad. Since I was OAK based I made A list shortly. I knew I could rock up 30 minutes before my flight, grab a coffee, get my bag on first, the FA would hand me a can o' water and smile, I'd find a seat up front and get out of the aircraft first at BUR. I had gate agents try and get me home sooner, generally treat me like a professional and part of something bigger. I traveled in uniform and SW gate agents and FAs would at least give me recognition as some kind of equal. As an outsider to airline flying this was pretty nice after 15 days on the road. Usually this didn't happen with other airlines.
Baronman
Well-Known Member
That seems odd...I have a friend who's fairly new to SWA (2-3 year guy) who's at the bottom of the stack in MCO. He was hired after the AT merger.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Rotten swill!
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
They threatened to put us all the street if we didn't cave on their seniority cramdown. See, it only took one sentence.
You should have taken it to binding arbitration and forced their hand.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Cherokee_Cruiser
Bronteroc
Well then it sounds like your merger committee messed up. Not the first time it's happened, ALPA carriers have had a bad history of seniority list integrations.
Seggy
Well-Known Member
scooter2525
Very well Member
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SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
If only they had had an inexperienced little troll like yourself to help.
He might be a bag, but that doesn't make him wrong in this case.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
He is wrong about ALPA. ALPA has a rather successful history of seniority integrations overall. And while he may not be wrong about the Merger Committee (or really the MEC) screwing up, that's a lot easier to say when you're not the one making the decisions. Having been someone responsible for making the decisions that affect nearly 2,000 pilots and their families, I can tell you that it isn't easy. It keeps you up at night, and wears on you emotionally. It's not fun. So when a cold-hearted and ruthless management team tells you that if you don't take their cram down, that they're going to put all of the pilots that you represent out on the street, leaving them and their families without an income, it's not so easy to stare those managers down and call their bluff. I've done it many times, but I don't hold it against the Merger Committee or MEC members for not being able to do the same. Not many people can do it.