Ramper at United or Southwest

Diamnd15

Diamnd15

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone, my name is “D”, and I wondering about taking a job for being a ramper at United or Southwest. I just turned 18, last week and got my commercial multi on my birthday. The job for United pays 10.50 an hour and the shifts are four hours a day, for 5 days, with two consecutive days off. At southwest the shifts are 8 hours, and they can be when ever they like (morning, evening, every day of the week, etc). Southwest feels a little bit more like a family style business, and at the United interview I really didn’t get that. I’m young and don’t really know who I should go for. I want to pick one airline, and stick with them for as long as I can so by the time I build up my hours, I will already have some seniority. I know Southwest and JetBlue are the only two profitable airlines, but southwest only pays 8.50 an hours, and the commute for me is twice as long. So if any of you guys have any insight for me that would be great.



-Thanks
 
united seems to have a habit of hiring seasonally around this time of year, then furloughing all the people they hired after the holidays. not saying you won't get that at WN, either, but united has made a history of it.
 
There is a :sarcasm: tag, Max! : sarcasm : where it used to be : sarc :

I dunno. It's not like you're going to go from ramper to pilot quickly, so I'd almost say go for the higher pay and the shorter commute in the short term. And let me have some of those buddy passes so I can fly from the west coast to the Pacific.

"Certainty" and "Passenger Airline" are on two different pages of the Oxford American Dictionary in more ways than one.
 
You mentioned 'senority' in your original post. Just a note to say that senority you build as a ramper counts only towards 'company' senority. You won't be able to use that senority to bid schedules & equipment, or for pay purposes as a pilot.

Working in a non-flying position for an airline IS a great way to network, meet people and get firsthand experience in the industry.

Pick whichever company would work the best for YOU, right now! Don't worry about 10 years from now. There's no guarantee that any company that's around now will still be in 10, 20 years. Or even 12 months for that matter!
 
"I want to pick one airline, and stick with them for as long as I can so by the time I build up my hours, I will already have some seniority."

You know you can't just transfer from being a ramper to being a pilot, don't you?
 
I'd go with Southwest. I just got back from an interview with them. Compared to United they are 100% hands down a better company. They know how to run an airline and they know how to treat their people
 
I second going with Southwest. The guys I met on the ramp in KORF seem to love the company. I have been trying to get on with them but most of the open positions are located at BWI, then you can transfer after six months. I'm currently in south Florida and I just got a call from Jetblue KPBI. I welcome any feedback on working for Jetblue. Seems like a good company to work for but I have'nt had the opportunity to interact with any Jetblue employees.
 
Wow finally a question I'm fully qualified to answer. I'm also 18, and wanted a ramp job to help pay for flying.

First off let me tell you that I was almost offered a job with United, and landed one with Southwest. I went through the interview process with both, and I felt more wanted by Southwest. I ended up with them in July, and haven't turned back since.

Scheduling at Southwest depends on the station, but you will work at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. You will bid each month for a line with start time and days off. Plan on PM crew, middle of the week off. If you work at an understaffed station, plan on working 6 days a week, and just about 60 hours a week, until you gain senority. Yesterday for example, I worked 17 hours, but some of it was OT and some of it was double time. The overtime policy at Southwest is very easy to figure out and rarely is there ever a question about it.

Another thing about Southwest is the moral of the people. We for the most part, like our company. They treat us well between the work rules, benefits, and the different rewards you recieve. I really have to say the benefits here are awesome. Profit sharing is also highly recommended if you plan on staying around. It's not too much of a gamble when your company has been profitable for 30+ years.

Another thing about Southwest is how fast paced it is. Especially since I'm so young, I need things to go fast so I can keep busy. At BDL for example, we work all 4 gates, with just about two crews. Yesterday, during my double shift, I worked every single flight Southwest operates in and out of BDL. It really helped the day go by. Also that 30min turn can suddenly become a 15min turn to make up time. Now those are fun, especially when everyone works together to get things done.

So overall, Southwest is an awesome company. The pay isn't great to start, but the company is good if you plan on staying around. If you have any questions regarding training, benefits, and pay just let me know.
 
What kind of travel benifits would you get? If you like to travel outside the country it might be worth it to work for UAL instead.
 
Travel benefits are extremely leniet. We fly on Southwest for free, obviously, but depending on your station you can fly other airlines for free too. For example at BDL, we fly on Delta and US Airways for free. We also have agreements set up with just about every carrier, including international. Usually it's a $50 fee or ID90.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. i know i just cant go from being a ramper to being a pilot. but i would just like to stick with the airline, and see how the pilots like working for them. united is much closer to me than southwest, but southwest just seems like a much happier airline from what everyone has said, and they treat there workers a lot better. just again i want to say thanks for everyones insight.
 
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