SWA pool decision

[shootr]

I know the answer I'll get from guys behind me in the pool, but for anyone with good advice, here goes...

I'm currently #152 on our unofficial pool list. Been working as a reserve bum (over a year, now) and making an OK living with no family benefits. I just got offered a 1 year reserve mobilization (Dec02-Dec03) so full pay and full benefits for the entire year. Based on everything I've read and heard about this year and next, I'm scared to do it for fear of losing seniority but leaning toward doing it for short term security and adding some value to my reserve pension. What do you think? What would you do if given this opportunity with SWA (my dream job) hanging in the balance.

I do intend to call the People Department to see how it would affect my job offer and position within the pool. My guess is my position would remain in the pool but they just won't call me until my new availablity date comes up.

Good Luck All,
shootr

 

[RightBettor]

Ouch...

You know what they say about a bird in the hand... now you just have to figure out which bird is indeed in hand. If you're about 150ish or so on OUR list who knows where you really are on the double-super-secret-confidential pool list at DAL HQ.

Having to hang around in limbo and support a family on a day-by-day basis stinks!! I "feel yer pain." I'm in the same boat with respect to the family thing. Will SWA will get you in this year? Who knows, and if anyone can accurately guess that, then I want to pay a little visit to some Vegas tables with THAT person!!

Consider the fact that many of us were told to expect something in May of 2002, then August 2002, then whoops... classes are suspended UFN. I don't know if I am answering your question with this response, but bear in mind you cannot go wrong with taking the one year of steady, reliable income. SWA may or may not proceed with the hiring in 2003 (Some guys will consider that last comment blasphemy, however let's be pragmatic), but if they do hire in 2003, they may or may not get to your number.

The main thing here is you don't want to jeopardize your position in the pool. That is, you may lose some seniority numbers, but ultimately they will get to you once your commitment is up.

Good luck with your decision. I am sure you will lose sleep over this one. Best regards to you and your family.


RightBettor

BTW, I am number 32 on our unofficial list. Therefore I have no vested interest in seeing you take the military commitment for the year.

 

[UGApilotDAWG]

Hey Shootr-
Where have you been bummin? Corpus? or another squadron? I am #150 on the unofficial list so I have been flying P-3s since Feb after I interviewed. I got hired and got the same class pushbacks - summer , fall, then 2003. In august I was offered 2 yr TAR orders. If they were one year at that time I would have taken them. Now with the good news - I just try for one month orders if they'll let me and if not just keep bummin' and come in and fly as much as possible. I think if you talk to LL she'll give you an honest opinion / guess and hopefully that will make your decision easier. Good luck!

Les

GO DAWGS!

 

[pegasus]

I agree w/Rightbettor. I am 44 on our list, so not concerned from that stand point. I, too, have been waiting for a class date since Nov 2001. I was told Mar 2002, Apr, May, Jun, oops, maybe July. Class in aug? All cancelled. I have been on an emotional roller coaster. Had advice from good and bad sources (good = this board, bad = the in-laws). If I could do it again, I would commit to 1 more year in the reserves, provided you are assured of staying at the top of our list once you reach it. I reckon that you will only end up mising 6 months seniority at SWA, if all goes to plan. What you will avoid is the worry, nay misery, of seeing your life savings being whittled while waiting. Remember, next years hiring figures are conjecture. If anything happens from a security perspective, classes will be the first thing to go. At 150+ in our list your family needs bread on the table, not a dad/husband who spends all day staring at this website willing someone to write "just got the call". I know, been there.
Just mho. Whatever you decide, good luck.

 

[PTinbound]

Shootr,
Run, don't walk, and sign the dotted line. The peace and security you will get will add five years to your lifespan. You don't have much to lose, either. I figure at the 1.47 factor you are roughly 223 or so in the REAL pool, and no one knows how many they will hire next year IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT. Maybe 225 or so if you use my convoluted delivery/retirement logic. So worst case scenario, you maybe end up getting on board one class later.
That may seem like a big deal for a month or so you are trying to escape from OAK, but believe me, in ten years, when you are #2,625 out of 7300 pilots instead of 2,605 it will all be water under the bridge, except you know you'll live five years longer after you retire. Just think of all the good advice you'll be able to give all those pesky new hires who don't know how to use the magic box because they didn't buy the Dreamworks 737 for the Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Also, my long range guesses are that 2004 and 2005 will be much bigger hiring years anyway, so you will still gain seniority very quickly even if you sit out that extra class. Heck, you might not have to go to OAK at all...
Anyway, there's a good chance your number wouldn't come up at all during that time, in which case you've gained everything and lost nothing.
Another factor is leave? Will you get all the active duty benefits, including 30 days leave? Could you save it until the end, and then take "terminal leave" to go to class? That's what I did with my first commuter that went out of business. I was still on Army pay for a month when I was flying Metros 11 legs a day from AUS to SAT, LRD, MFE, and back up, and then to CRP and the like. I had taken leave earlier to go through new hire training, so for a while I was on the line getting paid more than any of my captains.
Of course, then there was that fateful "Hi honey, I'm home, the airline just went out of business and I don't have a job anymore"
bit, but that's another story that for sure won't apply to you when you get on at SWA. But if you could take the leave, maybe you could effectively punch out in Nov instead of Dec. Just a guess. But even if you can't, I'd still go for it. A year is a long time to worry about not having a job.

 

[T1bubba]

Shootr,

I agree with everyone, take the orders and save yourself the stress of worrying about when your class will be for another year. If we do go to war leisure travel will plummet just like it did in 91, and classes for the rest of the year will be questionable to say the least. If you take the orders the worst case is you lose a few months seniority, which isn't too bad in the big scheme of things.

Just like in flying, always have a backup plan. This sounds like a pretty good one.

Good luck.

T1bubba
#27 on the list

 

[SOFHercDude]

from the for whats worth dept :

if you're looking for some part time employment check out

usajobs.opm.gov

Hundreds of thousands of federal jobs all over the country. Chances are you can find one you qualify in your area, get hired, and quit as soon as you get plucked from the pool...

With a note of caution tho -- I'm looking at a job in Rocky Mt National Park, walking distance from my house, pays up to 70K per year...weekends and holidays off, home every night..usual federal bene's....job description involves hiking, skiing, snowmobiling and back country camping.

I'm having difficulty trying to remember what about the airlines I find so enticing...

 

[Seeniner]

I'm not in the SWA pool.

Everything you hear about classes is rumor (I mean conjecture), you can't count on any of this. The last thing you need to worry about right now is losing some seniority numbers. Be realistic, a couple hundred people ahead of you over a 20 year career vs. a secure job...easy choice.

Besides, the way Murphy's Law works if you don't sign up the airline industry will not recover very fast. If you do sign up, shorty after you sign, the industry will begin to recover. So I say, run and sign up.

See

 

[f18pugsley]

I second the govt job thing. When they say the 'support the reserves', they mean it. You can do basically an unlimited amount of reserve duty with no fear of adverse repercussions from your employer. Also, as a govt employee, you will get paid for doing your regular job for three weeks of reserve duty (yes, you will get two paychecks from the US govt for those three weeks).

You may not want to mention that you are in the SWA pool when looking for a govt job.

 

[shootr]

To all,

Thanks for the good words and advice. In retrospect, really not a tough call to make. A lot of self induced stress made me overthink it (plus shootr dash 4 almost arrived last night!) I will take the orders, so everyone 153 and higher on the list...you just moved up by 1, at least until December 03! W8n4swa, I'll e-mail you my new available date once I'm on the orders.

Good luck all,
shootr

*added later*
So there's no confusion I don't have 4 kids. Dash 4 will be the 4th in the family, total (not including pets or mothers-in-law!).