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
181 episodes since 2019
The SWAPA Ride Report: Vacation Bidding Accrual
In this week’s edition, Communications Committee member Tony Mulhare discusses some vacation accrual errors that have been made for Pilots out on a medical leave of absence and how to check that the numbers in CWA are correct. Round 1 of vacati...
September 13, 2024
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7:03
86 (SAC Implementation Update, Scott Plyler, Meagan Nelan, Eric Gavin)
Today's SWAPA Number is 86. That's the percentage of Contract 2020 provisions that will be implemented by the end of the third quarter of 2024. That said, the remaining 14 percent includes some very big ticket items like a training bid, m...
September 09, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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27:13
The SWAPA Ride Report: Annotated CBA Overview, Scheduling IT Update & Vacation Bidding Q&A
In this week’s edition, Captain Matt McCants takes the membership through the high points of the latest update to the Annotated CBA...
August 30, 2024
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7:17
153 (Communications, Mike Panebianco, Amy Robinson)
Today's SWAPA Number is 153. That's the number of emails, education materials, videos, and podcasts you've received from SWAPA in 2024 so far. And each one has passed through the Communications Committee before you saw or heard it.So tod...
August 26, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 18
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32:47
The SWAPA Ride Report: Vacation Accrual, Payroll Audit Process & Contract Q&A
This week, Communications Committee member Tony Mulhare takes a deep dive into how your sick bank and vacation accrual are related if you were to go out on disability and the importance of making sure you don’t get awarded a line for a month th...
August 16, 2024
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10:12
6,529 (Plan-to-Plan Transfer, Drew Payne, Mike Haynes)
Today's SWAPA Number is 6,529. That's the number of our pilots who are qualified to participate in this year's profit sharing transfer. A new provision in Contract 2020 allows pilots a one-time transfer of their profit sharing balances into the...
August 12, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 17
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31:07
The SWAPA Ride Report: 401k and MBCBP Recap, Grievance Update, & Contract Q&A
August 02, 2024
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9:11
4 (Pro Standards, Jon Ross)
Today's SWAPA Number is 4. That's the number of different generations in Southwest cockpits on any given day around the system. Today we're sitting down with Jon Ross, Chair of the Professional Standards Committee, to talk about how we can keep...
July 29, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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34:33
The SWAPA Ride Report: Market Based Cash Balance Plan Update, Vacation Shifts, & Contract Q&A
This week, Communications Committee member Tony Mulhare updates the membership on the Market Based Cash Balance Plan as well as the upcoming transfer window from Empower to Schwab accounts. He also continues the deep dive into vacation sh...
July 19, 2024
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7:17
15 (Elliott Management Update #2, Casey Murray, Hank Ketchum, Erich Schnitzler)
Today's SWAPA Number is 15. That is the size of the expanded Southwest Airlines Board of Directors, Now that Rakesh Gangwal, a familiar name to those in our ranks with US Air history was added to the board.Two weeks ago, we released a S...
July 15, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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28:33
The SWAPA Ride Report: Q3 Implementation Preview, Vacation Shift How-To-Guide, & Contract Q&A
This week, Captain Matt McCants tells the membership what to look forward to during third quarter implementation. The landscape of the duty day will look different whether you are on reserve or a line holder, so listen in to hear the details an...
July 05, 2024
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10:46
12 (Elliott Management Update, Casey Murray, Tom Nekouei, Hank Ketchum, Erich Schnitzler)
Today's SWAPA Number is 12. That's the approximate percentage of Southwest Airlines shares that Elliott Investment Management took hold of in early June, challenging the leadership landscape of the company and bringing some uncertainty as to wh...
July 01, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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32:57
The SWAPA Ride Report: Contract Housekeeping, Reserve Q&A, and Overrides Refresher
This week, guest host Ella Ziober reviews the most recent versions of the CBA source documents as we near the end of the second quarter. With Q3 around the corner, take a listen to hear about the mountain of IT work being done for the next phas...
June 21, 2024
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6:20
26 (Fatigue, Scott Hutchinson)
Today's SWAPA Number is 26. That's 26 fatigue calls per 10,000 duty periods, which is our current fatigue rate. That's less than half of what it was a year ago and one of the lowest since the start of the pandemic. So today on the show, we're g...
June 17, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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19:23
The SWAPA Ride Report: Scheduling Tech Development, SWAPA App Update, and 401K Recap
This week, guest host Alexis Thomas reviews the recent Empower accounts merger, and points to all the resources that Pilots have at their disposal when the ability to move funds to the Schwab 401k becomes available. It was a big te...
June 07, 2024
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6:27
16 (Hotels, Seth Kornblum)
Today's SWAPA Number is 16. That's the section of the contract that covers hotel standards. So on today's episode, we spoke to Hotels SME, Seth Kornblum, about the Crew Accommodations Board, hotel language, and some of the issues that have aris...
June 03, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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23:14
The SWAPA Ride Report: Training Elections & Side Letter One
This week, Casey Casteel from SWAPA Communications discusses upcoming implementation items like the training elections form that will go live soon as well as several items that were clarified or added in Side Letter One to the CBA, including op...
May 24, 2024
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5:50
4,200 (Training, Casey Murray, Greg Bowen)
Today's SWAPA Number is 4,200. That's how many Southwest pilots will retire by 2035. We may have stopped hiring for now, but those 4,200 pilots will need to be replaced and trained. Today we'll be talking with SWAPA President, Captain Casey Mur...
May 20, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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23:07
17.A.2 (VPTO, Jody Reven, Greg Auld, Erich Schnitzler, Scott Plyler)
Today's SWAPA Number is 17.A.2. That's the section of our new CBA that deals with VPTO, or Voluntary Paid Time Off. On this special episode of The SWAPA Number, we are welcoming NC Chair Jody Reven, EFA Committee Chair Erich Schnitz...
May 16, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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24:58
The SWAPA Ride Report: Scheduling Handbook Highlights and Pro Tips for Open Time Priority and Vacation Overlap
This week, host Captain Matt McCants gives us the high points of the newly released Scheduling Handbook – a must have in a Pilot’s tool box to resume own navigation through the new CBA. He also covers how much error pay and fixed audit pay have...
May 10, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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8:11
231 Million (EFA, Greg Auld, Erich Schnitzler)
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 th...
May 06, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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31:27
The SWAPA Ride Report: TTGA / ELITT Expansion and Overrides Q&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 l...
April 26, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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6:55
4,452 (Summer Schedule and Implementation, Meagan Nelan, Dan O'Connor, Scott Plyler)
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...
April 22, 2024
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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25:45
The SWAPA Ride Report: Membership Polling, Crew Meals, and new Annotated CBA
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 leav...
April 19, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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4:04
The SWAPA Ride Report: Polling/Implementation, a Grievance, and Reroute Q&A
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 gr...
April 12, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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10:14