Flyunder

I'll have to commute either way SWA commute will be easier. Possibility of making more if we ever get a new contract at ULCC. Probably be better at SWA though.

ZapBrannigan

Carefully compare the contract at your current airline with SW - not just the pay rates. If you take pay rates out of the equation the SW CBA is below industry standard in a number of areas. Even little things like hotel language are lacking. That should be a part of your decision making process. If you're going to be an FO for the duration of your career, your work rules and quality of life should be as good as possible. Good luck with your decision!

flyguy81

Why? We own the entire C terminal. No need to segregate to 2 terminals and add on more personnel and a 2nd fleet.

LennyAlanMcHifi

I thought somebody had said on here that SW wanted to expand Denver even more. No different in terms of fleet than JetBlue or Spirit.

Proximity

How do hotels at SWA compare to ULCCs and legacies?

ZapBrannigan

No long/short overnight language. No contractual minimum standards. Most hotels are full service (include gym and restaurant) but most are in airport locations or in industrial/business parks whereas at legacies they are frequently downtown or in tourist locations. You haven't lived until you have spent 21 hours at an airport hotel in STL or LGA. Some hotels are business class hotels like Hyatt Place or Sheraton 4 Points that don't have an actual "kitchen". Meals might be heated up in a microwave by the same person who checked you in.

There are discounts, usually ranging from 30% to 50%, but 50% off of a $20 burger and a $3 drink is still expensive. I look for opportunities to walk offsite to find cheaper food.

Incidentally, we don't have crew meals so it is common to leave hotels before restaurants open or to arrive after they close at night. Food planning can be a challenge.

e6bpilot

I second that this is a very accurate assessment of our hotel situation. Some of the locations are awesome, some are completely unacceptable for long overnights.
MKE, FLL, PHL, LIR, PUJ are examples of great locations. LGA, EWR, DTW, MEX and any of the domicile overnights are examples of really bad locations.
The main thing, like Zap was saying, is that the company is in complete control of the hotels and cost is always the primary overarching objective when securing accommodations. The Crew Accommodations Board is made up of crew members who negotiate the hotel contracts, but the process is convoluted, a bit "good old boy"ish and ultimately SWA holds the purse strings. We need language in our contract.
Nobody minds an airport hotel on an 11 hour overnight. Try staying in the EWR prison hotel (no, literally, it abuts the fence of a prison) on a 22 hour overnight.

flyguy81

We gained 4 more gates when DL was moved to the A terminal. This is growing the base to approx 400/seat. Used to be 1.5 yrs to hold DEN as a FO. Now it's 4 mos. We can add daily departures since the gates are never all full.

Salukidawg

Not only that, but C Concourse is still expandable on the East side of the Concourse which could easily accommodate another 10-20 gates. No need for Frontier anymore.

flyguy81

Agreed.....I'd love to see that happen! Whatever gets me off rsv quicker.