SWA 6.36% raise 9/1

[Snoopy58]

xXpress,

Bad on us for using ackronyms nobody has bothered to explain.

MOT= Monthly Open Time. Late this month, all the bits & pieces of trips that haven't been covered as of the awards of the Blank Lines (2nd round bidding -- described a couple weeks back) get tossed out for bid. You can bid on individual pairings, most senior in base gets it, and if nobody in base wants it, then most senior out-of-base gets it. Don't have to bid if you don't want, and what you get pays straight pay (except first years, they get at 2nd year rates).

LITT = Line Improvement Trip Trade. Trade with the current bank of uncovered trips. In concept, I have a 3 day trip, I can trade it with any uncovered 3-day trip that I'm legal for. Must be in my base, and both trips must be at least 5 days in the future. There are more rules, but that's the idea. Pays straight pay. Very quickly, all high paying & weekday trips get picked up, and what's left in open time are the less desirable trips. But you can still swap your weekend trip for a "better" weekend trip. "One man's trash..."

DOT = Daily Open Time. Anything that isn't covered 5 days out goes into DOT bid. Awarded by seniority in domicile; if nobody in the domicile wants it, goes by overall seniority. Second year pay for the first years, straight pay for everybody else. Bids close at 9AM the day before the trip.

EF = Extra Fly. "If you have something available, call me & offer it to me." Pays straight pay, or 2nd year for 1st years. You can say no. Essentially, anything that didn't get picked up in the DOT round, they try to fill with EF (generally the day before, sometimes the day of, time permitting). You sign up on a list, for your base or any other, and they call & offer you what you're legal for. They call the list in seniority order (in base first); first guy to say "yes" wins.

VJA = Volunteer Junior Available. "If you get to drafting people at 1.5X pay, draft me first." Trips pay better; no ability to say "no." You can sign up for your base & others; called in seniority order in base then out of base.

JA = Junior Available. "Tag, you're it." 1.5X pay. Called in INVERSE seniority order (only those who are legal for the trip, and not anybody who is on reserve that month). Can't say "no" if they get ahold of you; can say "no" if you call them back.

That is roughly the order in which unfilled trips get covered, except that Reserves get used roughly between EF and VJA, depending on the manning levels & time available to scheduling.

Obviously, there are more rules than this, but that's the general idea. By the time you can start doing all these good things, you'll have the ability to see it on the computer & have somebody in the pilot lounge explain it to you (along with the rules I've left out for simplicity).

Does that make sense? If no, post a question & I'll try to explain more clearly.

Snoopy

 

[zymotic]

More Questions

What are the new Captain rates?

Is the Sep '04 raise a sure thing and could it be higher if profitablity is up?

Canyonblue: You posted the days you worked. Did you have SEP 1-5 off or were you flying a carryover trip?

 

[KLJ]

My Last 8 Months at SWA

Since there seems to be a lot of interest in what life as a newbie FO is like at SWA, I'm gonna make my schedule for Feb 03 - Sep 03 available for y'all to peruse. I'm a 2nd year FO based in HOU commuting from SAT. Sept is my line (40 below me in HOU) which will completely change by the time I get through with it. I usually trade everything I have, and I pick up flying frequently at other bases. The line I got in Sept is actually unusual for me -- I got 2 weekends off! Usually, I work all weekends/holidays unless I get lucky and trade out of it.

I will post the TFP for each month and the block time in parentheses.

Feb TFP 122.69 (block 87.25)
Mar 124.44 (42.06) (had some sick leave)
Apr 103.3 (78.36)
May 102.2 (75.38)
Jun 96.73 (71.59)
Jul 111.9 (71.31)
Aug 154.35 (90.32) (5 days VJA)
Sep 92.0 (53.3) (training)

If you have questions, feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

If you go to this link, you should be able to download each month's .pdf file. Here's the link:

http://homepage.mac.com/klj/FileSharing7.html

Some personal stuff there; I trust all of you will be discrete with it!

KJ

 

[Torpid]

good stuff

KLJ, that was pretty cool to post your schedule! I've always wanted to see what a typical day/month was like at Southwest. It still blows me away that you guys can do 20 min turns! At my airline, we are given 30 min at a minimum to turn a 50 seat RJ!!

 

[SWA/FO]

I will have to look at your board CanyonBlue. I got one in SEPT.

 

[vx9.tc]

This note is mostly for 1st year guys looking for 2nd year pay, but also may be a good read for others able to help them.

If you want to try to maximize your availability to pick up second year pay you need to attempt to clear your board. I know what you're thinking, who would want a 4 day block of reserve? You may be surprised now and then, especially at the end of the month (no trailing legality).

Another possibility a few of us are still learning about is the ability to do a partial GA of the remaining portion of your RSV block (Remaining portion can not be picked up until your current day's RAP is complete.) How can this help? MOT, DOT and EF are already awarded by the time the partial GA can be picked up? If someone takes the remaining portion of your block you are now able to get on the EF list or check what's been assigned to the reserves. If you see something that got assigned to a reserve that you are legal for, call skeds and they'll give it to you for EF (2nd year pay). You can even post your GA if scheduling has already assigned you a trip for the following day. The guy taking your GA will be given the RSV block as well as the assigned trip. That may not be attractive to the pilot doing the pick-up, but it will get you off the hook for your 1st year pay reserve duty. The reason I said "may not be attractive" is because given your newly unassigned status you may want to then call scheduling to pick up any reserve assigned trip, including the one you just gave up. You get the trip for second year pay and the guy who helped you is now on the hook for reserve, giving the company another person to use for the unforseen sick-call or uncovered flying, possibly allowing scheduling to avoid a JA event.

You can find RSV assignment under the tab beneath "crew member assignments" labeled "Open time awards" or even a better place is under the "DRO" option.

Good luck out there guys, get that 2nd year pay!!!

PS if you're trying the partial GA with a trip already on your board, consider leaving a contact number in the notes so anyone interested could call to discuss your plan if the GA is processed.

 

[PTinbound]

Dude, you're killing me here.
What is GA, RAP, and DRO?

 

[Snoopy58]

Huh?

Give Away, Reserve Availability Period, and Daily Reserve Order.

This stuff is graduate level probie reserve tactics. Don't even try to understand it until you've had a chance to play with Maestro -- you can hurt your brain that way!


vx9 -- If I pick up the trip that you (on reserve) are giving away, are you saying that somebody else (or you yourself) can pick it up from me (without my approval)& now I'm stuck on reserve, while your reserve days are gone? Q&A #161 in the contract makes it look like you are still on reserve in this case (i.e. you didn't gain any open days), and I would have the trip as an "A" (accept a give-away trip).

I haven't sat reserve in a while, but I've never heard of the ability to do what you described. But I may be missing something.

If you're right, remind me to NEVER pick up a trip from a reserve anywhere except where I would be willing to sit reserve!!!!!

The guy taking your GA will be given the RSV block as well as the assigned trip. That may not be attractive to the pilot doing the pick-up, but it will get you off the hook for your 1st year pay reserve duty. The reason I said "may not be attractive" is because given your newly unassigned status you may want to then call scheduling to pick up any reserve assigned trip, including the one you just gave up. You get the trip for second year pay and the guy who helped you is now on the hook for reserve,

 

[vx9.tc]

Yes it can be confusing, and I didn't explain it clearly enough. It really warrants a discussion realtime. But here goes on another explanation attempt.

Step 1:
As a first year guy you would want to put the reserve block up for GA (ie click on the red RSV block bar, and highlight the remaining day/days.)

Step 2:
Interested pilot sees your partial giveaway of RSV days. If there is a trip already assigned to the reserve, Maestro will show the message "unable to process reserve assignments, call scheduling." If no trip is yet assigned, Maestro should process the GA. A call to the first year guy letting him know he's off the hook and legal to work for 2nd year pay would be good headwork.

Step 3:
Pilot desiring the reserve block calls scheduling. Scheduling advises pilot that he is not only picking up the reserve block, but also the assigned trip.

Step 4:
First year guy's board is now free and clear to pick-up for second year pay. He can now call scheduling to pick-up any trip he's legal for, including the trip assigned to the reserve that just helped him out. He obviosly doesn't have to take that trip, perhaps that was part of the understanding from the start.

Step 5:
First year guy is flying for second year pay.
Other guy is on reserve. May or may not get used based on his DRO and reserve assigned/unassigned trips. As always being on reserve is like throwing the dice.


Although you may think the company loses, they actually now have an additional reserve to use prior to VJA or JA. Additionally, suppose the pilot helping out had just called scheduling to take the assigned trip from the first year guy in the first place. That guy would get paid at his pay rate 2nd, 3rd, etc...

Obviously this technique doesn't apply to everyone, but for someone who lives in base and doesn't mind being on reserve for a day or two it sure can help out our first year guys.


Another technique to consider for first year guys that would rather fly than sit reserve. Check your legality for GA trips at the very end of the month in the base that you would most like to be (not necessarily your present domicle.) You may want to be flying one of these trips vs sitting reserve the first couple days of the month. I believe you'll be legal to pick up one of these pairings even after you know your award for the next month, as long as it's not yet posted to your board. Applies for a blank line as well. Just check bid info on MySWA as soon as the awards are made following the bid close. Determine how you think they'd correct the overlap, and take the GA if it's appealing.

Any other techniques other guys may want to pass on?
Sorry for the constant use of the term guys, this and all posts obviously applies to our female pilots as well.

 

[Slug]

daffynitions

I've been here 6 months and I didn't get it until the 3rd time I read it. But hey, it works and I learned something.

GA = Give away, you can put your trip on the board for anyone to pick up as long as they are legal. Once your trip is gone you can pick up extra fly or open time which pays better (if you are 1st year). The problem is reserve comes in 4 day blocks and nobody will pick up a 4 day block due to legality. When GAing a trip you can split it up and give away part or all; not true for reserve, you can only give away the whole enchilada except as mentioned in the above post. In fact I've got a 2day reserve on the board in BWI for anyone who wants it.

RAP = Reserve Assignment Period. You are either an A.M. or a P.M. reserver. If you are a.m. you come on call at about 0230 and are off 16 hours later. P.M. people come on at 1000 and are released at 0100. In reality, if you haven't been used in the first 10 hours you are released on your own recognisance.

DRO = Daily Reserve Order. This is simply the listing of people sitting reserve at a particular base on a particular day during a particular RAP. It gives you an idea of who is ahead of you on the call out list, who has been called and who is returning from a trip to sit more reserve.

Hope this helps


Slug