# More Airline News



## oldman (Jun 16, 2022)

Southwest has announced that they will be closing all of their reservation centers. In lieu of having reservation call-in centers, reservation agents will be working from home. This will save Southwest a lot of money. I wasn’t aware that Jet Blue has operated all of their reservation centers from home since their inception. So, if you ever call Jet Blue or Southwest to make a reservation, you will likely be talking to an agent that is working at home. I thought you should be made aware of that in case you call and you hear a cat meowing or a dog barking in the background. 

OTOH, United is going to continue using their offices as reservation centers and United is also investing $100,000,000.00 into a new training facility in Denver, which is United’s main hub. You can probably tell that I miss my job. There’s no bigger thrill than to be lifting off into the air on the way to wherever. Thanks for allowing me to fantasize. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/01/uni...llion-expansion-of-pilot-training-center.html


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## Leann (Jun 16, 2022)

oldman said:


> Southwest has announced that they will be closing all of their reservation centers. In lieu of having reservation call-in centers, reservation agents will be working from home. This will save Southwest a lot of money. I wasn’t aware that Jet Blue has operated all of their reservation centers from home since their inception. So, if you ever call Jet Blue or Southwest to make a reservation, you will likely be talking to an agent that is working at home. I thought you should be made aware of that in case you call and you hear a cat meowing or a dog barking in the background.
> 
> OTOH, United is going to continue using their offices as reservation centers and United is also investing $100,000,000.00 into a new training facility in Denver, which is United’s main hub. You can probably tell that I miss my job. There’s no bigger thrill than to be lifting off into the air on the way to wherever. Thanks for allowing me to fantasize.
> 
> https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/01/uni...llion-expansion-of-pilot-training-center.html


I wasn't aware of that @oldman.  I typically fly on United Airlines. I loved it back when it was Continental Airlines and Gordon Bethune was the CEO.


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## terry123 (Jun 16, 2022)

I try to fly SW if I can but don't plan on flying anywhere for a long, long time.


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## HoneyNut (Jun 16, 2022)

I bet those employees are happy.  I wonder if they simply were resisting going back to the office and the company is trying to pretend it was their idea instead of admitting they couldn't get them to come back to the office.  It would feel so pointless to have to commute just to answer a phone that had been answered from home during the pandemic.  
Hoping the pilots don't do their job from home, maybe it would be possible but I'd feel better if their own life was depending on their flying skills.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

Leann said:


> I wasn't aware of that @oldman.  I typically fly on United Airlines. I loved it back when it was Continental Airlines and Gordon Bethune was the CEO.


Thank you for flying my friendly skies. Maybe you were on one of my flights and we never knew someday we would meet on a forum.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

terry123 said:


> I try to fly SW if I can but don't plan on flying anywhere for a long, long time.


SW really raised their fares. I was surprised to see their increases.


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## Leann (Jun 17, 2022)

oldman said:


> Thank you for flying my friendly skies. Maybe you were on one of my flights and we never knew someday we would meet on a forum.


Wow! Where were you based out of?


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

HoneyNut said:


> I bet those employees are happy.  I wonder if they simply were resisting going back to the office and the company is trying to pretend it was their idea instead of admitting they couldn't get them to come back to the office.  It would feel so pointless to have to commute just to answer a phone that had been answered from home during the pandemic.
> Hoping the pilots don't do their job from home, maybe it would be possible but I'd feel better if their own life was depending on their flying skills.


If I had to guess, I would say that the airlines like so many other customer based companies found that they could save a bundle by keeping their employees home and closing offices.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

Leann said:


> Wow! Where were you based out of?


Washington, D.C. Dulles International (IAD), but I flew to a lot of the larger cities because I flew the larger jets my last 15 years. I even flew a B-747 from Chicago (ORD) to Honolulu (HNL) for two years.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

oldman said:


> Washington, D.C. Dulles International (IAD), but I flew to a lot of the larger cities because I flew the larger jets my last 15 years. I even flew a B-747 from Chicago (ORD) to Honolulu (HNL) for two years.


Which was your home airport?


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## Leann (Jun 17, 2022)

I think it's very likely that I may have been on one of your flights. I flew out of IAD, EWR, PHL, ORD, and IAH primarily up until 2015 when I retired and moved out to the sticks. Now I'm 3-4 hours from a major airport so I usually have to take at least one puddle jumper (sometimes two) to get to a big airport. 

I like IAD, ORD and IAH. EWR and PHL need some serious upgrades.


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## Murrmurr (Jun 17, 2022)

Hey @oldman !

If you watch videos on YouTube, you might really enjoy watching this guy's videos - https://www.youtube.com/c/74gear

He's a 747 pilot, and his videos are really fun - entertaining, but also educational.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

I seldom flew Houston (IAH). Mostly Dallas (DFW). I did fly a lot out of Newark, but I preferred JFK. And I also liked Philadelphia and Chicago O’Hare. I also flew a lot out of LAX, SFO, SAN, LAS and DEN. LAX has a 10,000 ft. runway. My most favorite airport was SFO. It’s beautiful at night. My least favorite airport was San Diego. Too close to the buildings. Do you know that LAX is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the U.S. because of all the traffic. When they laid out their runways, they never figured on the prevailing winds back then. They could have added two more if they would have been a little smarter and that would have given them 6 runways. 


Murrmurr said:


> Hey @oldman !
> 
> If you watch videos on YouTube, you might really enjoy watching this guy's videos - https://www.youtube.com/c/74gear
> 
> He's a 747 pilot, and his videos are really fun - entertaining, but also educational.


There are a lot if plane spotters on YouTube. Some are more educational and some are entertaining. Thanks for sending. I will check out his vids.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> Hey @oldman !
> 
> If you watch videos on YouTube, you might really enjoy watching this guy's videos - https://www.youtube.com/c/74gear
> 
> He's a 747 pilot, and his videos are really fun - entertaining, but also educational.


Oh, I just opened up the link. I remember him. He flew 747’s back when I knew him. Kelsey is a funny guy. He won’t tell anyone who he flies for, but I know. He has asked everyone that knows him to honor his request to remain anonymous with his airline. I don’t know what plane he’s flying now. I know he was switching over to the 787-Dreamliner, but I doubt if he’s full time on it.

If you want to get a good laugh, see if you can find the video where  he played the trick on the flight attendant that we do now and then.


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

If she is right, I think my wife figured that I had flown just over 10,000,000 miles. I have to dispute that. My wife made a big deal out of keeping track of my miles. If she is right, I am a lucky man. Not too many pilots can say that.


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## Murrmurr (Jun 17, 2022)

oldman said:


> Oh, I just opened up the link. I remember him. He flew 747’s back when I knew him. Kelsey is a funny guy. He won’t tell anyone who he flies for, but I know. He has asked everyone that knows him to honor his request to remain anonymous with his airline. I don’t know what plane he’s flying now. I know he was switching over to the 787-Dreamliner, but I doubt if he’s full time on it.
> 
> If you want to get a good laugh, see if you can find the video where  he played the trick on the flight attendant that we do now and then.


He mostly flies a fat cargo plane that looks like a very pregnant 747. Might be a modified Airbus, I don't remember exactly.

Yeah, he's funny. I like when he talks about flight technology, too. Very interesting. I'll look for the trick on the flight attendant video. Thanks!


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## Nosy Bee-54 (Jun 17, 2022)

Since the pandemic, certain employees have been demanding to continue working from home. Thereby saving themselves lots of money on daycare, commuting, lunches and etc. May come a time when cost conscious CEO's may take it one step further. If the job can be done from home and no need for office space, why can't it be down remotely (overseas). They may end up relocating those jobs to India and similar countries, thereby paying substantially less and no benefits.

What's that saying: "be careful what you wish for!"


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## oldman (Jun 17, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> He mostly flies a fat cargo plane that looks like a very pregnant 747. Might be a modified Airbus, I don't remember exactly.
> 
> Yeah, he's funny. I like when he talks about flight technology, too. Very interesting. I'll look for the trick on the flight attendant video. Thanks!


Here is a list of jokes pilots pull on new F/A’s. It’s the last joke that is the funniest and the one that I liked when we would do it. Check it out.


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