Our Pilots

[Goldilocks]

What facts? All I see are opinions and name calling. Off the meds again?

Thanks Van, I just spit coffee all over my monitor....lol...

 

[CJinx]

Bottom line is that our pilot workforce has a couple good things going for them that will coax top dollar pay out of the company. You can't throw anybody behind the controls of an aircraft and expect things to work out. Anyone with a GPS and a driver's license can do your job.

 

[worldwide]

Some facts. The skill level to fly a 737/717/MD80/90/95 isn't that different from the skill level to fly a 777. Seniority determines who flys what and where. SWA is an "all 737" (almost all, forgot about Airtran purchase) carrier, so there isn't much choice of which airplane to fly, just which version. It can be argued that multiple day and night landings with many more cycles are more dangerous and disruptive to the system than being on autopilot for 4-5 hrs evry night while you read Penthouse and brag about your new Mercedes or Porsche, or who you are banging other than your wife. The SWA pilot has enough time to actually fly to their next destination and not read a magazine or discuss money.

The SWA union is an in-house union, similar to what FedEx pilots voted-in and then dropped in favor of ALPA.

You're conveniently not factoring-in the lack of a pension and inferior benefits the SWA pilots receive, making their actual level of compensation much less than a Fedex pilot.

My buddy is a 5th year FO at SWA. He doesn't make anywhere near what a FedEx pilot does in total compensation. He wishes he made what a FedEx pilot does, but he doesn't want to live in MEM...ever. Cannot blame him for that.

SWA is an orange and FedEx is an apple, so this is NOT an apples vs. apples conversation.

You need to get out more often.

That's rich. Your buddy wants the perks of working for Fedex but does not want to actually work there. Can't have your cake and eat it to.

And why did the Fedex pilots choose ALPA? Perhaps more leverage and a stronger union to negotiate a better contract?

5th year FO at SWA makes $128.77/hr with a guarantee of 78 hours/month or around $10K/month. Per diem is $2.15 hours. 401k plan in place with a match that goes as high as 9.3% with a profit sharing plan

5th year FO at FDX (757) makes $114/hr with a guarantee of 74 hours/month or around $8,400K/month. Per diem is $2.15 hours. 401k plan in place with a $500/yr match.

Do you still contend that a FDX pilot (same year and title) makes $30K - $40K/month versus the SWA pilot (even with pension)? You said they make 3-4 times what SWA pilots make.

FDX is hiring. If your buddy wants to make the big bucks, he has to make some adjustments to his life and work for a global airline versus a strictly domestic airline flying non-widebody aircraft (skill levels ARE different, hence the need for type ratings in each aircraft). MEM is not the only option for a domicile for FDX. LAX, ANC, HKG or CGN are options. But that would require your buddy to move, make an adjustment in life, fly larger aircraft, etc. If he wants the "glamorous" life that you think the FDX pilots have, adjustments have to be made. Or, get a better union that can negotiate a better agreement.

 

[55+]

Used to deliver bid packs to a pilot who lived outside of seattle ...he was really nice ..didnt live in a mansion has been with fedex for a lot of years..hopefully hes retired by now..dont think he liked it much.

 

[MrFedEx]

That's rich. Your buddy wants the perks of working for Fedex but does not want to actually work there. Can't have your cake and eat it to.

And why did the Fedex pilots choose ALPA? Perhaps more leverage and a stronger union to negotiate a better contract?

5th year FO at SWA makes $128.77/hr with a guarantee of 78 hours/month or around $10K/month. Per diem is $2.15 hours. 401k plan in place with a match that goes as high as 9.3% with a profit sharing plan

5th year FO at FDX (757) makes $114/hr with a guarantee of 74 hours/month or around $8,400K/month. Per diem is $2.15 hours. 401k plan in place with a $500/yr match.

Do you still contend that a FDX pilot (same year and title) makes $30K - $40K/month versus the SWA pilot (even with pension)? You said they make 3-4 times what SWA pilots make.

FDX is hiring. If your buddy wants to make the big bucks, he has to make some adjustments to his life and work for a global airline versus a strictly domestic airline flying non-widebody aircraft (skill levels ARE different, hence the need for type ratings in each aircraft). MEM is not the only option for a domicile for FDX. LAX, ANC, HKG or CGN are options. But that would require your buddy to move, make an adjustment in life, fly larger aircraft, etc. If he wants the "glamorous" life that you think the FDX pilots have, adjustments have to be made. Or, get a better union that can negotiate a better agreement.

My FO friend puts his family first, so he fully realizes that he's limiting his income potential at SWA. Of course, FedEx pilots went with ALPA for a better deal. The in-house union was joke that Fred could still manipulate, so they ditched-it and went with something Smith had to respect. Good on them for being smart enough to do it. Sounds like they understand Fred better than the hourlies do.

As far as skill levels go, it's all about type-ratings as you mention. You can stick a 15,000 hour SWA 737 pilot into a "heavy" with training on the new aircraft. Most of these guys flew something large in the military anyway before ever signing-on with a commercial carrier, so the transition isn't going to be a drastic as you make it sound.

I emailed my friend last night and he is not making 10k per month at SWA, so better check those figures. Since you seem to know so much about FDX pilot wages, how is the pension? I have another friend who is an MD11 captain based out of ANC that won't say anything except that it is "generous". The puny $500 401k match also doesn't sound right, because that is the hourly plan, just like the PPP and crappy insurance benefits are an hourly deal. Our insurance and retirement literature specifically state that they are separate from the pilot plans.

 

[purplesky]

Come on guys leave the pilots alone. Their income levels and benefits are not the problem.

You Fedex guys have the income problem thanks to Freds corporate greed to achieve shareholder value. cough cough

Its not like you would get a pay raise if the pilots took a pay cut.

 

[MrFedEx]

Come on guys leave the pilots alone. Their income levels and benefits are not the problem.

You Fedex guys have the income problem thanks to Freds corporate greed to achieve shareholder value. cough cough

Its not like you would get a pay raise if the pilots took a pay cut.

No. we wouldn't get a pay raise. But the point is that they make big money in a company that is supposedly just scraping by. We (the hourlies) have lost our retirement, lost profit-sharing, had our medical premiums and deductibles jacked-upward, and on and on. What takeaways have the pilots experienced? None. In fact, they get a cash bonus just to sign their lucrative contract, which we aren't even allowed to see.

Come on. We're getting screwed blind while these guys are making major bank.

 

[STFXG]

They deserve it. How many of you have invested 50-200k on your education and building enough hours to get hired on at express? Then spent years slumming around with garbage hours and low paying jobs building your careers?

Your job requires a drivers license.

 

[purplesky]

No. we wouldn't get a pay raise. But the point is that they make big money in a company that is supposedly just scraping by. We (the hourlies) have lost our retirement, lost profit-sharing, had our medical premiums and deductibles jacked-upward, and on and on. What takeaways have the pilots experienced? None. In fact, they get a cash bonus just to sign their lucrative contract, which we aren't even allowed to see.

Come on. We're getting screwed blind while these guys are making major bank.

I agree you are completely getting screwed and so are millions of other workers in this ONCE GREAT NATION OF OURS.

The Republicans and corporate America have been raping the American worker both white collar and blue collar for 30 years now. Its a GLOBAL ECONOMY cough cough

We almost elected Twitt Robme as our president. A man who made a large fortune outsourcing jobs and has the money parked offshore.

The thing is airline pilots have had a rough time since 9/11. There are many pilots that are underpaid or just layed off. They have lost pension value and taken huge paycuts.

The pilots at FDX and UPS made the right choice 15 or 20 years ago when they chose to fly packages instead of bodies to Orlando. They took the crap cargo pilot job when flying for AA was the glam job back in the day.

I guess with a non union workforce Fred will keep taking away whatever he can. The pilots are not to blame for FDXs corporate greed.

If the day ever comes and it might, that a union push gets traction at FDX the pilots will be your best friend because they will support you guys.

 

[purplesky]

They deserve it. How many of you have invested 50-200k on your education and building enough hours to get hired on at express? Then spent years slumming around with garbage hours and low paying jobs building your careers?

Your job requires a drivers license.

Also the job requires many years of hard work and service to the customers. The job is much more than a drivers license. Most people wouldnt last a month as a delivery driver working 12 hour days.

The most important thing is DELIVERY DRIVERS ARE THE FACE OF THE COMPANY. Thats customer service. Getting Sales leads. etc.

 

[Goldilocks]

Read thru this link and you will see what kind of benefits and salary. Makes me sick that someone just applying and has an interview can use our jumpseat...Its got nothing to do with that hijack but everything to do with the pilots not wanting the "mere wage earners" on their planes. Airline Pilot Central - FedEx | Cargo

 

[Mr. 7]

I love how that site, right on the front page, lists the exact pay raise you'll get every year. And, it's a great raise.
Unlike us.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

I love how that site, right on the front page, lists the exact pay raise you'll get every year. And, it's a great raise.
Unlike us.

For us Happy Hands and crew say "It's a raise? Great...where is that coming from? The awards budget that doesn't get used? We'll just tell the Frontliners that we can't afford it this year...yeah, poor us." BBBBWWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

 

[SmithBarney]

That's weird.
Why would it pay more to fly a larger plane full of cardboard with replaceable objects inside than to fly a smaller plane with irreplaceable cargo inside?

Because pound for pound the cardboard generates more $$ per pound. I bet the insured value of a FedEx flight might even be more than a commercial flight.

Just like UPS pays Drivers more than FedEx Express, because on a given day(in most cases) the PPP(profit per package) that a UPS driver delivers is much more than Express Courier.

 

[TUT]

I love how that site, right on the front page, lists the exact pay raise you'll get every year. And, it's a great raise.
Unlike us.

You can always apply or aim higher. Just sayin...