4.6% (Earnings, Hank Ketchum, Greg Auld, Erich Schnitzler)

Join host Amy Robinson, Matt McCants, and guest Amanda Burford, SWAPA’s Hotels Liaison, for a discussion on crew accommodations as part of the Contract 2029 Education Series. This episode covers key insights into hotel policies, processes, and the role of the Crew Accommodations Board in supporting pilots on the road. For more information, visit the  Crew Hotels and Resources Site . This site gives you access to the Crew Rest Feedback Form, Crew Hotel List/Alternates, Hotel Standards Manual, and the Amenities and Transportation List.

Today's SWAPA Number is 4.6 as in 4.6%. That was Southwest Airlines operating margin in the first quarter of 2026. That's the best first quarter margin that the company has produced since before the pandemic. So today, we'll take a look at the company's financial performance, how its revenue initiatives have played out and where we go from here. Joining us today are SWAPA Second Vice President, Hank Ketchum, as well as Erich Schnitzler and Greg Auld from the Economic and Financial Analysis Committee. We've also included a companion piece that defines some of the financial terms that we'll be talking about today. So please take a look at that to help follow along if you didn't major in finance.

Welcome back to the Contract 2029 SEP Education Series. This episode builds on recent scheduling education tied to a potential new fleet, focusing on key points due to time limits. Members from SWAPA, APA, and Delta ALPA discuss long‑haul widebody scheduling concepts as a due‑diligence exercise—not a forecast—to help pilots understand how widebody operations differ if future fleet changes occur.

Welcome back to the Contract 2029 Education Series as we continue our focus on scope. The first four lessons reviewed Section 1 basics, current airline partnerships, differences between Southwest and other airline scope, and common FAQs. Those resources set the foundation for today’s discussion with negotiating chair Kurt Heidemann and EFA chairs Erich Schnitzler and Greg Auld on new fleet types and potential Section 1 impacts.

Communications Committee Pilots Matt McCants and Tony Mulhare go over the 26 Frequently Asked Questions from the first 3 weeks of education on Section 1. From important definitions to differences in our competitors' scope language, this is a great summary that leads into our discussion of new fleet possibilities next week.

Today's SWAPA Number is 1.1%. That's the percentage of pay that Southwest will distribute in profit sharing from 2025. So today we're sitting down with retirement guru and negotiating subject matter expert, Damian Jeanette, about profit sharing, the market-based cash balance plan, and updates to our retirement accounts in 2026.

Welcome to your Contract 2029 SEP Education series. In this first episode, Negotiating Committee Chair Kurt Heidemann will go over all areas of Section one for our Pilots. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at [email protected]. Follow us online: Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilots Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Today's SWAPA Number is 7/1/27, as in July 1st, 2027. That is when SWAPA has the right to early open negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement. That may seem like a long way off, but in order to be ready for that moment, the membership must form the outline of what we are trying to achieve, and we do that through a process called Survey, Educate, and Poll. Joining us today to walk through that process and, more importantly, your role in it, we have a negotiating Committee Chair Kurt Heidemann and President Jody Reven. By the end of this show, you'll understand how your input directly shapes what SWAPA seeks to achieve and why this process matters more than ever. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at [email protected]. Follow us online: Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilots Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Today's SWAPA Number is two because today we're sitting down and telling the stories of two pilots in our ranks that are some of the most powerful we've had the honor of sharing on this show. Midway First Officer Emanuel Prince grew up on Chicago's west side in a two-bedroom apartment with his eight siblings. While most of his friends were trying to be like Mike, Prince had his heart set on being a pilot. Despite a multitude of challenges during his childhood, Prince landed an internship with McDonald's corporate flight department and never looked back. He burned the candle at both ends for years as a Southwest ground operations employee, building time when he could, but ultimately resigned from the Company to fly for several carriers before finding himself back at Southwest in January of 2024. Baltimore First Officer Jared Savage grew up in Compton, California. He was raised by his mother and grandmother and grew up with his twin. During his senior year of high school, Jared obtained his private pilot license at the age of 18, the same year he was accepted to Tuskegee University. Unable to afford continuing his flight training, Jared worked as a lineman at Moton Field for almost a year, eventually earning enough money to complete his instrument rating. While finishing his training, he met some key figures in his life that helped him land a scholarship and proceeded to become the first flight instructor for the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation. Jared is still heavily involved with the Red Tail Flight Academy in Tuskegee, Alabama. The road to the right seat of Southwest Airlines is never easy, but these two stories of overcoming adversity and somehow managing to give back are ones we can all learn from. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at [email protected]. Follow us online: Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilots Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737

Today's SWAPA Number is 14%. That's the amount that is recommended to ensure that you maximize your employee contributions and your catch-up contributions before your NEC caps out. So today we're sitting down with two of our resident experts on retirement, staff members, Mike Haynes and Kevin Sheth. Mike and Kevin have a combined 44 years of experience in this world and have a lot of insight to provide on top of what we've communicated so far about the new planned features. But there's no such thing as being too smart on the retirement planning front. So let's dive into what's new in 2026. If you have any feedback for us at all, please drop us a line at [email protected] or tap here to send us a text. Follow us online: Twitter - https://twitter.com/swapapilots Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/swapa737