spineangel

You are ON the money.

SDCA

See? You're right again.

jamesteroh

I also thought an FA on WN was paid on segment length as well. I know on Delta the crew used to get paid as soon as the door was closed. On WN if the door is closed and they get an ATC hold or there is bad weather and they hold the plane for a while, I didn't think an FA on WN got paid.

I have a friend that is an FA for DL and he makes a good salary but he does international and speaks 2 or 3 languages fluently

spineangel

Why can't everyone else see the light, like you have??

SDCA

Gee, What a surprise! You are right....again.

SDCA

James, then ask your DL friend and have him explain/compare the two salary.

I am curious now.

pinniped

My guess, and I have no data to back this up:
- Southwest has a higher median salary than the typical legacy
- A lead FA flying int'l, speaking 2-3 languages, for a major carrier probably gets paid more than a senior Southwest FA

I don't question the hourly rates posted above too much. I just question whether an FA making $55-60/hr. can actually fly enough in a year to hit $150k at any airline. That's a ton of flying and I thought FAA rules had caps on how much an FA could work, similar to what they have for pilots.

spineangel

But...... Lord knows the SW stewardesses are worth 200K plus each year.

ILovetheReds

They dress like they are earning under $20K a year, not $200K. If they are really the highest paid in the industry they should dress and act appropriately.

Eemraldskies

Our highest pay is based on the fact that per our contract we are paid more as a brand new FA as well as our 'top out' pay is the highest. We receive yearly anniversary step raises.

A perfect example is a WN FA is paid in most cases, twice as much as an AT FA.

There are many FA's making at or over $100,000 per year. We have many ways to achieve this one being trips that pay time and a half. These trips are trips picked up during a certain period the last day of the month and first three days of the month.

There is also extra pay for time over a duty day limit, reroutes, stranded pay, pay from other FA's for picking up their trip, cost of living raises (aside from the anniversary raise) and other factors that won't make sense to someone in a corporate job, because it's just so different than a corporate job.

We have FA's from all walks of life to include Dr's., lawyers, MBA's, even a Rabbi!

Although there is no pension, there is profit sharing and 100% company match on the 401k.

That's just a snapshot for the curious.

Eemraldskies

Our uniforms are provided by our company. We have no choice in the pieces provided and are hoping we will see changes with the new company that will be providing uniforms to us this year. There are many that need to purchase an iron, but that's another topic.

I personally wear the dress slacks and blazer combo.

nsx

ES, I know that WN's flight attendants are outstanding, but the picture you paint sounds similar to one a UAW member would have drawn in 1970, right before foreign brands decimated the US auto industry. Holding wages above market rates eventually results in massive job losses. I hope you folks are not _too_ overpaid.

And I hope your 401k is invested in something other than Southwest stock. If the company ever did go bankrupt, your 401k would evaporate!

toomanybooks

Boy, that's the truth. WN employee retirement money should be invested in whatever is the opposite of WN stock. Don't forget what happened to so many Enron/Worldcom/Lehman employees.

Maybe Proctor & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson, companies that people will always be patronizing no matter what.

Eemraldskies

We have many options for our 401k investments. Don't worry for us.

toomanybooks

Good. If you hear of some WN employee loading up on WN stock/options, etc. in his/her 401(k), it would be a service to dissuade such investments.