SWA vs. FedEx- Who has better SCHEDULES?

[flight-crew]

Is it true that most of the FedEx schedules are similar to week on / week off? Does FedEx have any schedules that aren't so long on... more like 3 or 4 on, and 4 or 5 off?

I would be interested in hearing what some off the best schedules are like at FedEx, and the best schedules are at SWA.


The Pro's/Con's of FedEx vs. SWA that I have come up with are:

FedEx pilots make more money and have a retirement. They can also fly international and widebodies. They probably fly less overall legs per day. The con's are that they have to fly at odd hours. The domicile selection isn't very good. The progression might not be as fast as SWA. Both have their pros and cons. But I would really like to know about the schedules.

 

[USNFDX]

Here we go Again!

Break out that dead horse!

 

[de727ups]

Let me tell you about night freight...

3 day trips are BAD....

When you are on duty all night, it's best to do week on/week off schedules. That way you have time to adjust into it and adjust out of it with your body clock. Those who debate SWA vs FEDEX, and have never flown night freight, need to realize that it's a completely different lifestyle....not suitable for all.

Personally, I love freight and have made a pretty good deal for myself in it (140K a year, 10 days a month)....and I think those SWA guys work waaaaay to hard.

 

[Sugardaddy]

My schwarts is bigger than your schwarts

"...I love freight and have made a pretty good deal for myself in it (140K a year, 10 days a month)....and I think those SWA guys work waaaaay to hard.."

Here we go again.

 

[CoopDog]

I agree......

"Let's nip it.....nip it in the bud."

Barney Fife

 

[Falconjet]

Chill Out

USNFDX and SugarDaddy: Just because you have made up your mind where you want to work or are happy to be working where you are doesn't mean that others out there aren't trying to gather info to help them make their career decisions. Instead of belittling the posters and saying here we go again, why not add something constructive or remain in the background?

flight-crew: Chase was kind enough to send me SWA FO bid packs for HOU and PHX a couple of months ago so I could get a feel for the typical schedule there. Obviously a few months or years of reserve would come first, and who knows what that might be like. It appeared to me that just about every line was 4 on 4 off, or some variation of that. But some of those lines (which I would assume go more senior) returned to base at least a couple of those nights.

What I have discovered in a little less that a year at FedEx is that (in the back seat of the Boeing anyway) there are many different types of lines in the bid pack. There are trips with deadheads at both ends that last for a week (for hub turns in the am typically), there are am out and backs, pm out and backs, and am and pm overnights. Even on the out and back lines they are kind of a week on, week off, but you only fly 4 nights that week, with a couple of filler trips to get the credit hours up to minimum if needed. Even on reserve you typically get at least one full week off per month, and sometimes up to 12 days off in a row. Reserves work 15 days per month in a 4 week bid month and 19 days in a 5 week bid month.

One really cool thing about FedEx is you have a lot of flexibility in terms of dropping or trading trips and even R days. R days are harder to drop but if you want to be daring you can drop R days and then try to pick up trips from open time to make up the pay. If there is nothing in open time you can't get back on reserve, so there is a bit of a gamble by dropping the R days. Everybody seems to like different types of lines so you would be surprised to see some of the lines go as junior as they do (although not quite down to me yet!). If you choose to live in Memphis eventually you will be able to hold lines with pm out and backs and spend every night at home, or am out and backs and spend every DAY at home.

Bottom line, there is a lot of variety at FedEx, and the current contract allows a lot of personal flexibility for trip trading that the folks from other carriers now with FedEx assure me is much greater that they had at their prior carriers.

Hopefully some of the new SW pilots can shed some light on your question as well.

Good luck.

 

[de727ups]

The last thread?

I didn't know about that.

I do think SWA guys work hard....it's not the type of job I'd want to do. At the same time, SWA guys seem happy and work for a great company, so to each his own....don't think I'm putting down SWA at all. I've talked to SWA guys who look at me and say "how can you stand night freight"...so it's very much a personal choice...that's all. How cool would it be to work at a place where people enjoy what they do.....

I talked to a FEDEX crew in the van at YVR the other day. They had just got off a 4 day weekend layover. The FEDEX guys have commercial tickets for all outstation deadheads (the guy looked at me weird when I mentioned my deadheads were on the company)...this is something we hope for in our next contract. Also, it sounds like the FEDEX trip trade rules are much better than ours for flexability....at UPS, it's very difficult to trade trips.

 

[canyonblue]

The next post will come from a complete jackass. That might nip it.

 

[flight-crew]

Let me re-phrase my question:

Is it possible to get a shi.tload of days off at FedEx (like 18 - 20 days off per month), and only have to work 4 - 5 days at any one period?

The same question applies for SWA.

 

[Sugardaddy]

Flight-Crew,
I don't work at either company, but there is a thread out there called SWA vs FedEx, or something like that. It has been around for a year and half now, with an endless stream of opinions mingled with facts. Best of luck to you, hope this helps.