The SWAPA Number

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.

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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 Loss of License (LOL) taxable vs non-taxable selection. Check your company email for messages on October 16 and 23 for all the details on how to get started. 

 This edition also teases the big SWAPA Numbers coming up with the Contract Administration and Scheduling & Analytics Committees. If you have a question that you would like Contract Admin to address on the show, shoot them a note at [email protected]with “Podcast” in the subject line. Also make sure you have the latest version of the Scheduling Handbook – with all the scheduling related traffic of late, this is a great resource.  The Q&A this week focuses on vacation and month-to-month overlap questions, so listen in to be ready for vacation trading when it opens on November 1 at 1200CT.

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 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.

VIDEO LINK: 2025 Benefits Education

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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 select your preference to maximize pay or to protect a commute.  With the holidays coming up, this episode’s Q&A focuses on the C2020 vacation touches, ELITT restrictions, overrides and how to shift vacation to get a vacation overlap drop over a holiday.  As always, the show notes will point you to the applicable references in the contract.

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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 open enrollment period, and some recent experiences by our pilots out on loss of license.

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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 budget, which is up for our membership vote this fall.

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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 the changes.

 This edition also highlights key dates for the upcoming open enrollment, including education resources from the Benefits Committee that are on the horizon. This week’s Contract Admin questions cover cancelled flights scenarios, POT before reserve, and understanding month-to-month vacation pay.

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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 this week include what happens to a reserve assigned pairing if it becomes uncovered again, a request for a partial pairing Extra Fly, a pairing pull without pay for passport renewal, and a month to month overlap rig pay question.

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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 on in this fall's general election. While a CBA is the governing document that most of our pilots are familiar with, the constitution carries just as much importance with how SWAPA conducts its business. This is an important vote for the future, so let's explain what the proposed changes are and why.

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