Do other airlines compare?

[Stevenarias96]

I really would love to work for Southwest. The last couple of times I applied for a position in LAX, I received an email months later saying that the position was filled and they never had a chance to look at my application. My question is, since Southwest is very competitive, would another airline such as Delta be good too? Specifically for ramp agent, and opportunities for OT and Double Shifts. 

[Jennie0395]

You should check out this link for reviews about working for Delta.

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Delta-Air-Lines-Reviews-E197.htm

Based on the first couple of reviews I saw, it looks like it's a good place to work for. You can also filter the results to see reviews from people who worked at LAX. Hope that helps you with your decision.

Quick question: You never gotten a phone interview or nothing from Southwest? Your application status stayed at "recieved submission" the whole time without moving forward?

[Stevenarias96]

No I never got any update until months later when the position was filled.  I have employee referal as well. I was hoping that helped.

[rtbarron]

The short answer to your question is "NO." As a place to work, the other airlines don't compare to Southwest.

However, there's nothing wrong with getting your foot in the door at another airline to gain some experience. Just remember, airline jobs are ruled by seniority so the longer you stay at another airline, the more seniority you have to give up if you leave and go to work for Southwest. If you stay at another airline too long, you may find that the seniority and pay you have to give up to join Southwest aren't worth the move.

As the other majors go, Delta is probably the best airline for pay and benefits. Delta rampers start out just under $15/hour and top out at over $30/hour in roughly ten years. Seasonal and part-time rampers don't get medical insurance but do get a matching 401(k) which is rare for a part-time job. Going from part-time to full-time status depends on which station you are at. Delta has a pretty large operation at LAX so it may not take long to get enough seniority for a full-time line. Also, Delta's ramp is non-union which may be a good or a bad thing depending on your personal views. I'm not certain, but I believe that you must complete a six-month probationary period with Delta before you are eligible for OT and doubles.

I would avoid working for a "regional" carrier at all costs. The pay is terrible and there tends to be a lot of friction and condescension from the employees at the mainline carrier that the regional is flying for.

[smsteph2011]

I worked for a regional airline and they pay very well.  Regional is a great way to get your foot in the door. I  would have continued on with the regional however I had some personal things going on in my life that caused me to leave training.  I had a great experience with regional and have nothing bad to say except I didn't like the city where training was conducted.

[rtbarron]

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@smsteph2011 wrote:

I worked for a regional airline and they pay very well.  Regional is a great way to get your foot in the door. I  would have continued on with the regional however I had some personal things going on in my life that caused me to leave training.  I had a great experience with regional and have nothing bad to say except I didn't like the city where training was conducted.

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I'm not sure which regional carrier you worked for or which job you had, but my experience at a regional was that the pay on the ramp was much lower than the mainline carrier for essentially the same workload. I eventually moved from the ramp to another position and found that my salary nearly doubled when I transferred to the mainline carrier. Mind you, this was a few years back and things may be different today. But based on my experience, I would not recommend a ramp job at a regional airline to anybody given that so many mainline carriers are hiring for the same position.