WHACKMASTER

Flying a cramped, loud, archaic 737 up and down and down and up. FTS. After you’ve had a taste of longer haul flying in a roomier, quieter, and more livable cockpit, only then will you realize just just how much this SWA flying for lack of a better term…..sucks.

ZapBrannigan

From the seats forward it's the same cockpit as the 707, 727, and 747... so just close your eyes and pretend that the engineer is back there pooping in your hat. 😉

or that you're Dean Martin and Jacqueline Bisset is bringing you some coffee while Joe Patroni tries in vain to clear the runway. (Airport, 1970)

😎

flyguy81

I did $290k last year as a 7 yr FO. Worked the system with CKA pulls and premium. Didn't go crazy like some guys because I still like my time off at home to do things I want. My wife is friends with another FO's wife and that guy hustles....like 1 day off a week. Makes more as a 6 yr FO than most CA's but he's never home.....has lots of toys though for when he does take time off.

hoover

290k just pay not nec etc? Impressive. I know you pick up some but still impressive.
I don't play the cka game. I've never had one pulled and with my luck I'd get the guy who thinks every leg is a check ride. Been there.

flyguy81

Just pay + per diem. Started getting the NEC as cash back on the last check. The 2x/1.5x pay from Dec/Jan helped pad the bottom line or I’d have made prob $20k less. CKA game is a gamble…figured with the hiring and upgrades it was worth a shot. Def had to work a few when CKA did a last min trade.

RJSAviator76

Last year, I did 337k or so as a 7th year FO living in base (wages, so no NEC or per diem). Key word - living in base. People take a lot of things for granted. And this whole upgrade business is an interesting argument. A good friend of mine at AA wants nothing to do with upgrade there. Not interested in commuting to sit reserve there. Too big of a hit on QOL. I reckon it makes sense why so many bypass. Conversely, if the junior left seat sucked so badly here or limited us to min guarantee, we'd also have much shorter upgrade despite the current bypasses or the fact that we have a single type fleet.

vanillawafer

Clarification on Lax -nothing wrong with options nearby -food , beach etc -but during Covid, it was a bit of a rough area -maybe it’s calmed down now -but the homeless situation / gang situation was rough . A couple of crew members were attacked while walking from terminal to hotel - by a gang - one close friend of mine saw a homeless man defecate outside while she was jogging -during height of covid , I was headed toward Trader Joe’s & a homeless man approached me & started taking off his pants - etc -I have several fiends who have actually moved away from the lax , bur area because of the rising issues / I have a friend that still lives there , but is diligent in being careful & family is looking to move as homeless follow them into stores & come into their garage -this is not a political slant / these are all personal friends . The police do not respond to any theft until it’s a certain $ amount (I think it’s around 850.00) so yes , love the food , beaches & walking distance -just be aware of surroundings & be careful when alone . Perhaps it’s gotten better in the last year -it seems the more temperate mild climates suffered the worse for the homeless / surprisingly SLC has had a problem as well /

WHACKMASTER

Same as the 707 & 727. Same as the 747? Not.

Well, at least we’re not stuck in the J-ball, right?

ZapBrannigan

Ive never actually been up front in a 747, but a buddy from my commuter days (in the J-ball as a matter of fact) is a captain on the whale for Atlas. He told me the cockpit width in the front seats was the same as the 737. He said if you don’t look behind you it’s pretty much the same thing from a comfort perspective. I’m sure someone here can speak to that. Either way, they have the ability to stand up and stretch. We really don’t. But if you think about those old PanAm clipper guys crossing oceans in essentially the same cockpit (from the plumber’s panel forward anyway) it makes me feel a little better about it. Those daffodils in le’bus aren’t really pilots anyway. Fancy pants computer operators. 😏😉

flyguy81

That's awesome. Majority of my friends at DL, UAL, AA haven't upgraded yet either (some have been there well over 10 yrs)...the ones who have....live in base. If my options were commuting for the foreseeable future....I'd be lancing or just staying a FO. I can do weekend rsv if I'm driving to work....

I suspect you're right on how short upgrade would be here if our rsv rules mirrored those at OAL's.