The SWAPA Number

Today's SWAPA Number is 231 million. That's the net loss for Southwest Airlines in the first quarter of 2024. Today, we're sitting down with Eric Schnitzler and Greg Auld of the Economic and Financial Analysis Committee to shed some light on the industry as a whole, as well as the financial outlook of Southwest Airlines, given some recent events. If you have any feedback for us at a...

This week, guest host and Communications Director Amy Robinson walks us through the newest expansion of Trip Trade Giveaway and ELITT. If you’ve ever wanted to pick up or trade with the company over a non-fly or vacation event, you’ll want to listen in and understand how that works.    If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org Follow us online: Twitter - https...

Today's SWAPA Number is 4,452. That's the peak number of flights per day in the revised June schedule. That's just over 6% more than last year. So today we're going to speak with SRC supervisor, Meagan Nealon, SRC committee member, Dan O'Connor and SRC Chair, Scott Plyler about where the network schedule stands for the summer season, as well as discuss what's upcoming...

This week, host First Officer Tony Mulhare from SWAPA Communications discusses a potential shift in position by the Company regarding early morning crew meals. This week's Contract Admin Q&A covers several topics, including bereavement leave and why overfly credit can sometimes be absorbed by daily rigs. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or ta...

This week, host Captain Matt McCants from SWAPA Communications outlines the next high points in April’s implementation schedule. He also plugs the upcoming SWAPA polling event, and gives the membership a look into active debates, including a grievance between SWAPA and the Company. If you have been part of an online reroute, you’ll want to listen in to this week’s Q&A, which covers a number of...

In this episode, host First Officer Tony Mulhare from SWAPA Communications discusses frequently asked questions about STD and LTD and the special open enrollment period, which closes April 12.  He gives an update on implementation items for April, including sick trip accrual and the reduction in the ELITT Umbra, otherwise known as the gray bar, and covers several questions from our Contract Admint...

Today's SWAPA Number is 134. That's the number of cases that the Critical Incident Response Team, which we refer to as CIRT, has handled in 2024 alone.  Today we're going to talk to SWAPA CIRT Chair, Captain Dave West, about what his team does and how you might interact with CIRT during your time here at Southwest. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at com...

As we wrap up Contract 2020, frequent friend of the show, Damian Jennette, will give us some highlights including some never before heard clips that will give you, our listeners, some insight into the process it takes to bring you information directly from the source- our SWAPA subject matter experts and leaders - throughout this last year.  If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a...

In this episode, host Captain Matt McCants from SWAPA Communications discusses the three education products available to Pilots that explain changes in the new Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Plans, and the actions Pilots may need to take. He also covers some very common scheduling and pay scenarios, along with some great Q&As that Contract Administration has fielded from the line. If you&...

Today's SWAPA Number is 50%. That's the percentage of monthly base earnings a SWAPA pilot will receive while on disability under our new contract.  That benefit begins 60 days and lasts until FAA retirement age, if necessary. This major improvement from our old LOL plan was a key pillar of Contract 2020, but that begs the question, do we even need a SWAPA disability plan anymore?  So tod...

In this episode, host First Officer Tony Mulhare from SWAPA Communications discusses the upcoming open enrollment period for the newly negotiated MetLife disability plans and some associated questions.  He also goes over several unique Contract scenarios, including ones pertaining to split-to-cover reserve assignments, the SWAPA Pay Audit tool, and Ground Time Overrides. If you have any feedback f...

In this episode, host Captain Matt McCants from SWAPA Communications discusses the road ahead for the new disability plans and the education that will help inform pilots about the changes.  He also answers several unique contract questions, including ones with March scheduling and pay provisions. With Spring Break flying ramping up, you won’t want to miss this week’s content.  If you have any feed...

Today's SWAPA Number is 12. That's how many domiciles Southwest will have once we open Nashville in May of this year. So on today's show, we're going to talk with SRC chair Scott Plyler and SRC member Dan O'Connor about what that means for our pilots and our network. Amy's out sick today so joining me as host is the third member of SRC 3, Meagan Nelan. If you have any...

This is the SWAPA Ride Report for Friday, March 8th, 2024. In this episode, host First Officer Tony Mulhare from SWAPA Communications discusses some common questions about Ground Time Override and how to find overrides on your payroll report.  Tony also provides a brief update on the current open enrollment period for the company provided life insurance benefit as well as some frequently asked que...

This is the SWAPA Ride Report for Friday, March 1st, 2024.  In this episode, host Captain Matt McCants from SWAPA Communications discusses some common concerns about the short-term and long-term disability plans on the horizon.   Matt also provides a brief update on what can be expected in the new versions of the Annotated CBA, the big-ticket scheduling items being implemented in March, how to shi...

Today's SWAPA Number is 1.5%. That's the 2023 profit sharing percentage that Southwest will be paying its employees this year. So today on the show, we're going to talk with NC member Damian Jennette about how that number was derived, how it compares to the industry, and how it fits into our pilot's retirement planning. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a l...

This is the SWAPA Ride Report for Friday, February 23rd, 2024.  The SWAPA Ride Report is your source for headlines, updates, and answers to frequently asked questions regarding your new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  This week we answer some frequently asked questions from Benefits, Retirement, Contract Admin and SRC. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.o...

Introducing: The SWAPA Ride Report, a new must-listen podcast to understand the latest developments with the new CBA, including frequently asked questions from pilots on the line. Check in for the Ride Report every Thursday. This week's edition focuses on Implementation updates and popular topics in the 401K, Scheduling, and Contract Administration world.  If you have any feedback for us at a...

Today's SWAPA number is eight, that's how many new overrides are being implemented and paid between now and March 1st. Today we're going to talk to SRC Chair, Scott Plyler, and SWAPA Manager of Schedule Analytics, Meagan Nelan, about where we stand so far with implementing the new contract, what's further down the line and what the membership should expect going forward. If you...

Today's SWAPA Number is 92.7. That's the percentage of pilots that voted to make the Tentative Agreement between SWAPA and Southwest Airlines, a Collective Bargaining Agreement, in the vote that closed last week. On today's podcast, we're talking with SWAPA president, Captain Casey Murray and SWAPA VP, Captain Tom Nekouei, about what comes next for SWAPA and its members in a po...

Today's SWAPA number is 745. That's how many pilots that have entered longterm disability since 2020. As our pilot group is considering the TA before them, we'd like to zero in on an area of our contract that holds a lot of confusion for our members and their families, and that is disability. To better understand how disability works, what is changing and what we've seen from Q...

Today's SWAPA Number is 64%. That's the percentage of Contract 2020 that will be effective on date of ratification. By the end of 2024, that number will rise to 84%. Today on the show, we're going to talk with Jody Reven, Scott Plyler, and Damian Jennette about the implementation of Contract 2020, why we agreed to the timelines in the implementation plan, and what happens if the Com...

On this Contract 2020 TA Education episode, we'll hear from Negotiating Committee Member, Damian Jennette about Section 4, Benefits.  00:20    Section 4 Overview and Language 01:27    Codifications 02:18    Survivor Eligibility and Retirees 04:24    All things COBRA 05:14    Medical, Dental, and Prescription Drugs 08:17    Disability Overview 10:22    Disability and Incapacity Language 12:39 ...

On this Contract 2020 TA Education episode, we'll hear from Negotiating Committee Chair, Jody Reven about Section 3, Expenses. 01:10    Expense Reporting and Reimbursement 01:40    Exceeding Limits Language 02:22    Per Diem 03:02    Additional Per Diem 04:00    Uniform Expenses 05:31    Parking Expenses 06:09    Provisional Parking Expenses 06:34    FAA Physical Exam Expenses 08:08    Non-Ro...

On this Contract 2020 TA Education episode, we'll hear from our resident host, Kurt Heidemann about Section 2, Compensation. 00:31    Overview of Language Changes 01:07    Pay Rates and Increases 02:06    Amenable Dates 02:55    Post Amenable Strategy 04:22    Post Amenable Raises 04:50    Ratification Bonus 04:59    Pay Rates Discussion 06:12    Conversion Factor 06:46    First Year Pay 07:2...