The SWAPA Number

In each podcast we explore a number that will help us explain an issue that matters to our Pilots. This might be a scheduling metric, a Company financial number that impacts us, or anything else that has significance to us as SWAPA Pilots.

Episodes

Nov 8, 2021

37 min

Today’s SWAPA number is 68%. That was October’s On Time Performance, the lowest modern record for the month of October. By comparison, the historical average for October is 83%. It’s clear our operation is struggling.So today on the show, we’re going to talk to a couple of regular guests- SRC Chair Scott Plyler and SRC Analyst Meagan Nelan.  They’re going to give us SWAPA’s assessment of the Columbus Day weekend meltdown, explain some of the root causes of our operational problems, and give us an idea of what our pilots can expect for the rest of the year.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Oct 25, 2021

41 min

Today’s SWAPA Number is 420. That’s the number of days since our CBA became amendable on September 1, 2020. While things have been slow going thanks to the pandemic, we’re about to reach a major milestone this month when SWAPA finishes presenting it’s full Contract 2020 proposal to the Labor Relations team.By wrapping that up, the focus will shift to the Company’s comprehensive proposal and a start to negotiating in earnest. So today on the show, we’re going to talk to NC Chair Jody Reven and our usual host Kurt Heidemann will be joining him to answer questions.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

10/14 COVID Update

Oct 14, 2021

Oct 14, 2021

7 min

The Company's COVID policies are always changing, so today we're bringing you a quick update with the latest from VP Mike Santoro.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Oct 11, 2021

36 min

Today’s SWAPA Number is 12/8. That’s the date that the federal government expects all Southwest employees to be vaccinated. SWAPA has been engaged with Southwest on this issue for months now, but the pace of things has picked up dramatically in the last week.  So today on the show, we’re going to talk to SWAPA President Casey Murray and Vice President Mike Santoro who will help us catch up on all of the news on COVID and vaccine mandates while giving us their perspective on SWAPA’s relationship with SWA.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Sep 27, 2021

36 min

Today’s SWAPA Number is $25.5 million. That’s the total expenses of the 2022 budget which will be voted on by the membership in October’s Fall General Election. Today we’re going to talk to SWAPA 2ndVice President, Tom Nekouei and Director of Finance Brian Hickman. They are going to talk us through how the final number was achieved, what changes have been enacted this year, and what the membership can expect to see going forward as far as financial reporting.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Sep 10, 2021

26 min

Today’s SWAPA number is $28 million. That’s the amount of money Pilots pay into the SWAPA offered STD and LTD plans per year.  With SWAPA Benefits Open Enrollment quickly approaching, we are going to talk to Benefits Chair Brent Weisner and the NC’s benefits expert Damian Jennette about all of the SWAPA-provided Benefits plans, how to pick the option that’s best for you, and what the expectation is as far as benefits in Contract 2020.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Aug 30, 2021

27 min

Today’s SWAPA number is 1,000. That’s the number of Pilots who stood shoulder to shoulder at the Dallas picket on August 24, 2016, what ended up being the largest single-site Pilot picket in history. On today’s show we talk to SPC Chair Chad Korb and SPC member (and current BWI rep) Daren Black about that time in history, what the SPC has been doing over the last few years, and what they are doing since they have been funded earlier this month at the special BOD meeting.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Aug 19, 2021

33 min

In this episode, President Casey Murray and Vice President Mike Santoro talk about SWAPA’s efforts to engage the Company on supporting our Pilots during the most disruptive summer in our airline’s history.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Aug 16, 2021

39 min

Today’s SWAPA Number is 161. That's the average number of pilots per day, that were JA’d to work on a day off in the month of August, so far. We've seen JA records shattered this year. The most open time JA’s, the most unscheduled overnights, or what we call RON JA’s, the highest fatigue rates, the highest sustained reassignment rates and the most food and hotel availability problems ever recorded.So on today's show, we're going to talk with several SWAPA SMEs, including SRC chair, Scott Plyler, Meagan Nelan, SRC analyst, Contract Admin Chairman, Seth Kornblum, and our fatigue specialist, Scott Hutchinson. They will put some numbers to what our crews are seeing out on the line, talk about some contractual tools our pilots have at their disposal, and tell us about some issues our members have been facing this summer.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Aug 2, 2021

32 min

Today’s SWAPA number is 40 That’s about the average number of comm pieces SWAPA distributes to our members, the media, and other outside audiences on a monthly basis.SWAPA SMEs produce a huge amount of information and it’s our Communications Team’s job to turn it from a rough draft into a polished product, usually with very short deadlines.On our 50th episode a while back, Kurt Heidemann and Amy Robinson talked about their role in Comm. Today on the show, we’re going to talk with the rest of the members of the Comm Team about their SWAPA Comm products and how they work to keep our Pilot group educated and unified.If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to send us a text.Follow us online:Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilotsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

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