The SWAPA Number

The theme of this week’s episode is “coming soon” as Communications Committee Chair Matt McCants points to near targets for a number of new scheduling features and 401(k) Plan changes. This means deadhead self-release, reserve ELITT, and footprint protection, to name a few, along with new max deferral percentages and Roth touches on your 401(k).

The Q&A this week has some great information on holiday ELITT and deadhead release, ...

Today's SWAPA Number is 14. That's the number of outstanding grievances that are in process relating to contract interpretations. Defending our contract is one of the biggest pillars of what we do at SWAPA when Contract Admin is on the front line of that defense. Without a doubt, there are discussions or questions just about every hour of every day that we're having about this document and how it's impacting our...

In this week’s edition, Committee Member Tony Mulhare discusses the runoff election for SWAPA Vice President and for the BNA & BWI Domicile Reps.  He also discusses recent errors found with training preferences and RCO due to company IT changes to the VDT and reserve preference selections. 

 The weekly contract Q&A focuses on several reserve related questions including how Release to Check In affects Leg Change Override and ...

Today's SWAPA Number is 73. That's the current number of reciprocal agreements SWAPA has with other carriers.

So today we're sitting down with Brian Ross, chair of the Jumpseat Committee, and committee member Caitlin Bute for an update on the state of our partnerships with other carriers and the hot topics in the industry.

If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at comm@swapa.org or tap here to se...

n this week’s episode, Communications Committee Chair Matt McCants has some elections reminders and quick ways to vote if you haven’t cast your ballot for the Fall General Election. He also goes over how to access the options for your Southwest Airlines Medical Open Enrollment, which runs until November 5. This covers your selection of medical, dental, and vision plans along with life insurance, updating your beneficiaries, and Los...

 Today's SWAPA Number is 13,561. That's the number of views the Aeromedical and Benefits committee page has received in the last 12 months. So that's roughly each Southwest pilot viewing it once per year, and as we just started open enrollment for 2025, what a better way to rehack that currency than a guided tour of that page and its contents.

This is another audio visual presentation. So for those of you li...

In this week’s edition, Communications Committee Member Tony Mulhare discusses the SWAPA STD & LTD open enrollment period that begins next Monday and also points to the recent SWAPA Vice President candidate discussion that can be found on swapa.org. 

He also gives a summary of upcoming implementation items like Reserve ELITT and deadhead self-release.  He provides an overview of the footprint protection preference and how to sel...

Today's SWAPA number is 11. That's the number of days that the SWAPA Open Enrollment period is available. That runs from October 13th to October 24th, and you have several decisions to make if you wish to change your STD and LTD elections.

So today we are sitting down with Benefits Committee member, Tony Caparella, to talk about what we've learned after 18 months of the new benefits package from Contract 2020, the ope...

Today's SWAPA Number is 1.32 million. That's the surplus amount that the 2025 budget should end the year with. And 2026 is also planned to be a surplus budget.

So today we're sitting down with SWAPA's Second Vice President, Hank Ketchum, Internal Audit Committee Chair Andrew Rose and Finance Director Nia Williams to get an update on how we will finish 2025 and also give the membership some insight into the 2026 b...

In this week’s episode, Communications Committee Chair Matt McCants previews what’s coming on the Fall General Election ballot. With nominations closing September 29th, he covers the process for submitting forms, the publication of the candidate list, and release of the full 2026 budget book alongside a budget-focused podcast. Members will also find details on the Constitution Modernization proposal and resources to help navigate t...

In this week’s edition, Casey Casteel from SWAPA Communications discusses implementation of Reserve VDT in CWA and how the Reserve Preferences page has changed.  She gives a rundown of Reserve VDT provisions as well as some of the initial limitations with OTA and text bidding.

 Casey also reminds our listeners that the first round of 2026 Vacation Bidding is open and will close on 14 September.  Contract Admin Q&A topics for thi...

Today's SWAPA Number is 14. That's the number of articles in the SWAPA constitution, all of which will have proposed changes as part of a constitution modernization effort, appearing on the ballot in the fall general election.

So today we're sitting down with Baltimore Chair, Mike Santoro, and Phoenix Chair, Kevin Reese, to go over the proposed changes to the SWAPA constitution that the membership will vote ...

In this week's SWAPA Ride Report, Communications Committee member Tony Mulhare discusses the company request for a contract reopener as they consider adding Far Interntational routes as well as the new interline agreement with Eva Air.  Need a refresher on PDEW, listen for the basics or watch the video linked in the notes.  He corrects some rumors about GDO usage, and gives a reminder about the 1 September start of vacation bi...

Today's SWAPA number is, six. That's the percent acceleration in RASM or revenue per available seat mile in the fourth quarter that was implied during the second quarter earnings call for Southwest Airlines. Now, that's looking down the road, but a lot has happened in the recent past for both the company and the industry as a whole. It's been continuous light chop during 2025 with impacts from the supply chain, ...

In this week’s show, Communications Committee Chair Matt McCants goes over the data from Contract AI’s initial launch week and some best practices on how to use it. The SAC always has some news to share, and this week we look at the effects of the cut backs in the schedule along with the long view on implementation measures coming in the next quarter. With all things scheduling comes pay discussion, so listen in to review all the d...

Today’s SWAPA Number is 401 as in 401(k). But this episode isn’t a podcast, it’s an audio visual presentation. While some may be able to follow the myriad of numbers that come with a retirement discussion, a picture paints a thousand words. So 401(k) Committee Chair Andrew Payne alongside Committee Members Brian August and Damian Jennette have prepared a soup to nuts presentation to walk us through everything you need to know about...

In this week’s edition, Communications Committee Member Tony Mulhare makes a pitch to the membership to use the SWAPA Pay Audit tool on the website or the app instead of calling Contract Admin first, allowing them to focus on high priority contract compliance issues.

He also plugs the new red-eye filter selection in the Trip Trade/Give Away Inventory Tool as well as previews that filter’s addition to LineTuner.  Fall schedule adjust...

Today's SWAPA Number is 721. That's the number of cases your critical incident response team, or CIRT, fielded in 2024. Now, that's a lot. Almost to a day, but they range in subject matters when it comes to what happened to trigger a call to CIRT, from incidents in the aircraft to traumatic incidents at home.

So today we're sitting down with CIRT chairman, Captain Dave West. Dave has been our chair for six years ...