For Pilots Only: May 25, 2024

Connecting the Dots

If you've been keeping an ear to the ground, you might have heard some rumblings about reduced flying hours from Southwest.

But before you start sweating about furloughs, there’s some backstory you need to hear to put it in the right perspective.

First things first:

Boeing hasn't been delivering planes as promised, which has thrown a wrench into Southwest's plans. They hired a bunch of pilots in anticipation of that shiny new metal arriving, but now they're stuck with too many pilots and not enough planes.

The good news is that Southwest has made it clear that furloughs are NOT on the table. They're not about to kick their pilots to the curb just because Boeing can't get their act together.

Instead, they've decided to try and get creative with cost-saving measures.

So they approached the union with a proposal:

Offer pilots the option to bid for time off and get paid 55 "trips for pay (TFP)" to stay at home.

Now, if you're not fluent in Southwest lingo, a "TFP" is basically their version of block hours. It's a unit of pay based on the flight time between Dallas and Austin (about 52-55 minutes).

Normally, Southwest pilots are guaranteed around 87-89 TFP's per month (which works out to about 77 hours). Under this new proposal, pilots could bid to drop down to 55 TFP's (roughly 48 hours) and take the whole month off.

Sounds pretty sweet, right?

Well, everyone in the pilot group isn't totally sold on the idea.

See, if the union says no to this plan, every pilot could get an extra 5-10 TFP's worth of pay per month, even if they don't actually fly those hours. It could end up being like a little bonus for everyone.

But if the voluntary time off plan goes through, that pot of extra pay gets divvied up among the senior folks who bid for the month off. The rest of the pilots could be staffed just right, with no extra "free" pay.

Some pilots could be feeling like that's not quite fair.

Now, what does this mean for pilots wanting to fly for Southwest?

Well, for one thing, it means that hiring is tied directly to those Boeing deliveries, especially the MAX 7. So until Boeing gets their production ramped back up, new pilot slots will be hard to come by.

But it also means that when the hiring floodgates do open again, competition will be fierce.

Southwest was already trending back towards being a tough nut to crack prior to the Boeing issues, and this little hiccup is only going to make things more intense.

So, what's a savvy pilot targeting Southwest to do?

First, keep your eyes peeled for any news about Boeing deliveries. That's going to be your cue that Southwest might start hiring again.

Second, use this time to make yourself the most attractive candidate possible. Rack up that turbine and PIC hours, polish your resume, and network like your career depends on it (spoiler alert: it does).

And finally, don't let this little turbulence shake your resolve.

Southwest is still an amazing company with incredible opportunities for pilots. This is likely just a temporary slowdown, and airlines have weathered far worse.

Keep your head up, your skills sharp, and your eyes on the prize. When Southwest starts hiring again, you want to be at the front of the line, ready to show them why you're the pilot they've been waiting for.

And if you need a little help navigating this crazy industry, you know where to find me. Raven is always here to help you plot your course to success.

Click here to schedule a free 1-on-1

Fly safe

James

PS: want more - LISTEN HERE to the SWAPA Podcast

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