07-05-2022
11:56 AM
3 Loves
Wear super comfortable and supportive black footwear. I would also recommend getting yourself to a Walmart or other retailer that supplies Dr Scholls insoles and use the measurement system they have there to see which Dr Scholls is right for you.
You will NEVER not be standing. Literally, ever. You will always be standing and if you're at the Ticket Counter or BSO, you'll be standing AND throwing bags.
Whenever your start date for Federal Week is, if you're buying a new pair, buy them the week before and start breaking them in. Make sure they're comfortable, supportive, and black. That's it. Your feet, legs, and back will thank you!
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07-05-2022
11:48 AM
I just clicked on the SWA login link from your post and was able to log in immediately. It may be an issue with your internet/server??? There may be a bug of some sort, idk, wish I had better counsel for you.
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Bumping this up due to seeing so many posts regarding information you may find helpful here.
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Not sure if your station provides the same, but at MCO, in the Crew Lounge there are uniforms for sale. Each piece is either $5 or $10, depending on the item. Our station allows our first visit there without charge. I was able to get several different outfits (dresses, skirts, shorts, slacks, blouses, polo shirts, jackets) in my size.
Ask your trainer/station if they have something similar.
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Spend the entire 300- while there. Some folks were able to use their cards at the airport on the last day, others were not. There's two schools of thought: 1. The card deactivates once you've swiped your badge the last time at TOPS 2. The card deactivates at a certain time of day. I had about 40- left on my card at the airport but it didn't authorize when I got a coffee there.
Regarding the rental -
Those of us who got one were happy we did, even though it's an out of pocket expense. Those who didn't were happy for a ride from us. Don't use the SW link in SWAlife for your car rental. Instead, click on the rental company logos beneath that link and use the SW corp discount code. I went with Enterprise, and got a 7 pax caravan (the most expensive rental) for less than 380- for 6 days (Sun - Fri), which included the airport fees, et c.
You can also use your card to purchase meals at surrounding restaurants, and for uber eats/ door dash. Be mindful that there is a 70- limit per purchase. Also, if you do purchase alcohol with your card, it has to be with a meal, not a stand alone purchase. Accounting scans the purchases made after you return to your station and you will be required to reimburse any charges that aren't food, or that are stand alone alcohol purchases.
Don't forget to visit the "grassy knoll (JFK)"! There are a bunch of cool museums within walking distance of the hotel, but many close by 5. Make sure to check the operation times before going. Street parking was bountiful, and their public transportation system is very cool. Hop on a trolley right behind the hotel for a ride! Getting to WINGS cafeteria is quirky from TOPS, you take the elevator to the third floor, walk across an 1/8th mile catwalk, then take the elevator down to the first floor.
***If your trainer doesn't give you the hour lunch ours gave to us, you won't be able to make it to WINGS, eat, and return.***
Do NOT take the highway route from the hotel to TOPS. Dallas highway congestion is horrifying!
Join the credit union. It's awesome. (Day 1).
There's lots of fun swag. The SW store is pricey, and it was only open Mon and Tues while we were there. If you see a room in TOPS with a white board on the outside saying: "SWA U", those are trainers from all different stations. Say hello ... you never know when you'll meet again, and you want your face remembered.
You will actually learn a lot of helpful information and useful tools while there. I promise it's not just a "drink the koolaid" visit.
There's a cool rooftop pool on the fourth floor of the hotel. Have a visit.
Do NOT bring anyone with you or plan to have someone meet you at the hotel. A solid 50% of the guests are SW, and only 50% of those people are there for training. Think of something unique/interesting to say about yourself/ your experience thus far for your introduction to everyone.
Which ever station your trainer came from ... ask them about it, along with your cohearts. I was shocked to learn that Albany only has like three flights a day ... what a difference from my Mega station (MCO) - AND Albany trains in Boston for a week to get a feel for a larger station. I was able to give my Albany cohearts a lot of useful info for their visit there since I'm a native born and raised Bostonian. Otherwise, they would have just stayed in their hotel room all week.
Check out some of the meals we had while there ...
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"Can you update us on how Dallas is going, and what your doing, kind of like you did your first part of “training so far”. It was awesome info, very informative & helpful!!! Thanks"
Oh, wow, okay. Dallas was amazing! We were there for SW 51st bday, and I have the pink happy birthday crown to prove it! 🤣
What's funny is that by the time we were set to head to TOPS, I had had so much OJT, that I felt like it might be a wasted trip. Was I ever wrong!
The first day "red carpet welcome" was awesome! I'm glad I ended up getting a rental for the week (and with SW corporate code, I ended up getting close to 50% off, plus SW covers the hotel parking fee). We didn't get into Love Field until after 12:30 at night, so there was no shuttle service (it stops at 10:00 pm from the airport), and our lift codes weren't working for some odd reason. It was a quick 15 minute drive to TOPS from the hotel, so no waiting for the shuttle before or after class. ***Especially on your last day when you're released right after your final test (around 1:00 pm), but the shuttles don't pick up until 3:30 pm.*** Plus no lugging around your luggage from the hotel on your last day to the TOPS building.
We stayed at the downtown Sheraton and it was the most fun ever. Make sure you ask them to apply your 50% discount at the hotel store and at the restaurants. A lot of great things are in walking distance, but in that Texas heat (this from a person who lives in FL) is a killer! On my second day, it was 115, and the sole of my shoe legit melted off! 🤣🤣🤣 Me and my team had the biggest laugh!!!
The class is no where near as stressful as you may be imagining. The trainers are phenomenal!!! They've all been with SW for forever, and have probably worked in most of the above and below wing positions. Explore Wings, but don't believe the hype when they tell you that this is the place to eat. The TOPS cafeteria is AWESOME! Oh, and grab your coffee at the hotel - you get a discount there. Full price at TOPS. Speaking of eating ... your first morning, you will be paying for your breakfast, because your meal card is at TOPS waiting for you. We got $300- for 5 days. Me and one of my cohearts budgeted so well, that on our last two days we still had almost $200-. It was steak dinner on our last night and breakfast and lunch at TOPS, and about $50- worth of snacks to take with us to the airport! 😋
We met and exchanged phone numbers with soooooo many people. Shout out to Denver (largest group in our class), Phoenix, Austin, San Antonio, and Baltimore (the BEAST!)!!!
I genuinely met friends I will have for a lifetime. We text / talk nearly daily!
Dress was super casual --- and there I was in business dress every day! 🤣
All in all, it was an experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to go back in the future!
Have a look at day 1:
https://www.facebook.com/100010881549213/videos/699416417800535/
Pro tip: Don't get drunk. Seriously, don't. All those horror stories you've most likely been told by your trainers at this point about getting drunk in Dallas are true. I personally witnessed four incidents. So, just don't do it. I want to see all of your faces when I'm traveling to your stations!
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Hey cohearts! MCO is sending 6 of us (CSA's) to Dallas tonight. If you're going to be attending, please shout out here with your station and position (and possibly a photo so we'll recognize one another).
with LUV from MCO
***Look for the lady with long dark and and a wicked Boston accent*** ***far left, thumbs up***
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Just look for the lady with the long dark hair, and wicked bad Boston accent! 😋
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06-01-2022
06:59 AM
06-01-2022
06:59 AM
Two things to consider when doing this -
1. Is your luggage at or under 50 lbs? I've seen so many travelers have the worst time ripping through the clear wrap, because they have one bag weigh 51 lbs, and the other weigh 47 lbs, so rather than pay the $75- overage fee, they'll transfer items to the lighter bag. All that does it take up precious time you may need getting through the TSA security check, or getting to your gate on time.
2. Is there an item TSA may even suspect shouldn't be in your luggage? A 10 oz container of liquid, what LOOKS like a lithium battery/device, et c? This will cause them not only to remove the wrap, but may delay your bag and arrive in destination on a later flight.
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Some folks will tell you that it's called Federal week, because you're filling out your payroll information, et c. In my opinion, it's called Federal week, because you're watching/studying/being tested on all the mandatory FAA/Fed information. Also, when I say "test", what I mean is you're immediately given a review to complete directly after the information is provided to you, AND the trainers are very helpful, so don't stress it.
Regarding your trainers schedule when you reach your station -
Your trainers are your senior fellow cohearts, they are CSA's who've been with SW for some time AND have proven that they know their position inside and out. My trainers schedule is 5 am - 130 pm, Thur - Mon, with Tues and Weds off. One of my fellow trainees trainer works 12 pm - 830 pm Sat - Wed with Thur and Fri off. Fed week is typically Mon - Fri, 8 am - 430 pm, and Dallas (for me) will be Tues - Fri 730 am - 400 pm, then I return to MCO that Friday and work my Sat 5 am - 130 pm.
Because of where I should be completing training, I won't be able to schedule bid until July (bids are the first week of the month, every month ... yes you bid every month, according to the flight schedule), so I'll be plugged into a temp schedule for the remainder of June and all of July, but will bid for August (hope that makes sense). Don't let this overwhelm you. It's a lot of information that you can't connect because you're not here yet, but I promise it makes perfect sense.
Also, welcome aboard coheart!
From MCO with LUV
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Just re-read your question -
So training at SWA U (Federal week) is super casual. Just be presentable, sneakers are a-okay! Good news, regarding your toe(s) ... Federal week is spent sitting, in it's entirety.
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The flight itinerary for Dallas actually tells you to wear comfortable shoes specifically for Monday. I know tennis sneakers are allowed as part of our uniform, so I'm going to say yes to fashionable sneakers for Dallas, since you're not required to be in uniform while there. My trainer told me she wore sneakers, nice jeans and a cute top for her time in Dallas (just don't show midriffs or décolletage, or have any rips in your jeans.
Welcome aboard, coheart!
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Started Federal Week: 5/16/22
Completed: 5/20/22
Hours: 8 - 430
Passed airport code test: 100%
Things I wish I had known:
-You're going to meet a LOT of people on your first day 🙂 and get a LOT of swag 🙂
-You can't move freely if you don't yet have your SW badge, or (like in my case) you get it with your welcome folder, but it doesn't work for the first day.
-You probably won't be able to access anything in SWAlife for a few days, and that's okay.
-Your trainers are there to set you up for success. Breathe. It'll be okay. Those codes will be tattooed on your brain by Friday.
-You'll get Saturday off and will have your first official day at the station on that Sunday. But, it's a super cool tour of E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!
- !!! Do NOT waste your money buying business/business casual clothing for training. Buy charcoal grey slacks that fit well, a black belt, and red or blue polo shirts/dress shirts that fit well (not too loose, not too tight), black socks and all black (COMFORTABLE) shoes/sneakers !!!
Station training week one 5/23 - 5/29: Ticket counter
- You are on your trainers schedule. Be flexible and open to this.
- The employee parking lot / transit system is not the burning hellscape you heard it would be ... it's actually super convenient and very reliable. You'll be okay. Do NOT pay for parking at some random park and fly. By your second day at your station, you'll be an employee parking lot/transit pro!
- Enjoy those two days off in a row each week, don't stress upcoming training. Look how quickly you caught on to ticket counter!
- Introduce yourself to everyone and greet everyone, every day ... it makes the day better for everyone and will come in handy when you want to schedule trade or buddy bid!
- Stop worrying about when you'll go to Dallas. Be present in the moment!
- Get to know your supervisors (but especially their names, there's just so many of them 🙂 )
- Never mind any travel / airline experience you've had elsewhere, this is SW and boy oh boy do they do things differently (AND IT'S AMAZING!).
- Check your email! No, seriously, check your email! There are so many emails!
Week two 5/30 - present: Gate
- Whoah! This is how SW does gates? Have I died and gone to heaven?
- You know so many cohearts now.
- Everyone hugs each other, and means it!
- Everyone, apparently, also met their spouses here :).
- Everyone actually socializes with their cohearts here, wow, this is so amazing!
- You have now exchanged phone numbers with so many people. Put SW in front of their names and their positions in your phone, so you know who is who!
- You can grab a drink from the planes, and they also make for a great team photo op!
- You checked your email today, and WHAM! There's your flight itinerary for Dallas.
- You fly out Sunday (6/12/22). Orientation/welcome on Monday, all day, wear sneakers there's a lot of walking.
- Training Tues - Fri, fly back on Friday night.
Y'all, I am 51 years old. I can say with confidence, that I have never been more happy with my career than I am now. My station is MCO (the retirement station). Every CSA here has 30+ years seniority, so I'll never be senior in the shift bids and that doesn't bother me one bit. It's just such an amazing work environment and the cohearts make all the difference. It really does feel like family already!
Bonus info:
You'll earn one day off per month from January to October for a total of 10 days off per year. These are granted in recognition of holidays through the year, as the only holidays paid at time and a half are thanksgiving and xmas. You can use them or cash them out at the end of the year.
You'll get 20 hours pto for your first 60 days, and will earn an additional 10 hours of pto every month following after your 61st day.
Mandatory overtime is double time, automatically, regardless of hours worked.
Don't be late. Don't be late. Don't be late. Give yourself enough travel buffer to arrive a half hour early for your shift. Not required, but I suggest doing so.
Communicate!!! A closed mouth doesn't get fed.
Ask your trainer to take you to the crew lounge. Once there, let the person know you're new and waiting on uniforms. They always have uniforms/jackets/sweaters for sale there donated by employees and sold for $5 - $10, the money is used for all the cool extra things SW does for their employees - but if you're new, you can pick things out for free the first time - including lanyards, id protectors, belts, et c. From MCO with LUV
Finally ... welcome to the best and last job you'll ever have! This place is phenomenal! I'm so glad I took the leap of faith, changing my career path at this age. The reward has been worth the risk a million times over!
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With my background check, someone at some point input my social incorrectly which made my check all wonky. SWA contacted me directly to ask if the information was correct. I'm going to assume if there are slight inconsistencies with yours someone would reach out. But I agree that you should reach out to Sterling to make any corrections needed. Good luck!
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Hey y'all!
So, federal week has been phenomenal! Everyone has been so open to questions and getting down to the nitty gritty of it! We've been asking (small group of 6 CSAs) the hard questions and they've been super upfront about how trying the first year can be. I appreciate that so much! We're training one classroom over from CSA's attending ongoing training/updates. In a class of 15, the shortest tenure is 20 years. This speaks volumes!
We've also learned that our time at TOPS has gone from 10 days to 5. Thankful for this as well, since I'd hate to be away from my family any longer than I need to. When I asked why it had been halved, our trainer explained that the old schedule depended on very little OJT, and since we now average between 2 and 3 weeks OJT prior to TOPS, the additional time was no longer needed. YAAY!
p.s.
Hope to see everyone in Nashville this year (August)! If you haven't checked your SWA email yet, please do. Nashville looks like it's going to be extra amazing!
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RE: vax card/status
When I rec'd my onboarding email, it stated that I had to be fully vaccinated, and needed to supply proof (uploading vax card) before scheduled start date. So I'm going to assume that you must be fully vax'd before your first day. Also, as an aside, the site can be finicky with what it allows you to upload. I wasn't able to upload my card directly, and my recruiter ended up attaching it to my employee file for me. So, if you're unable to upload it, no worries. Your recruiter will do it for you!
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"KLaMonique , wow your background came back in 24 hours? Or am I miss understanding lol"
I completed my background check on 4/16/22, and (I am assuming) it came back on 5/1/22 when I rec'd an email stating so, along with the official offer. Hope that helps. 😊
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TYSM for pointing out that sometimes it can be something as simple as a change of flight number that equals a cancelled flight. Everything remains the same, except the flight number.
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05-12-2022
05:35 PM
05-12-2022
05:35 PM
I also find it more than coincidental that another person posted the following in the discussion forum:
https://community.southwest.com/t5/Check-In-Boarding/Person-of-Size/m-p/141783#M10243
who just so happen to fit the criteria of your imagined Person of Size traveling to Vegas and stating they have difficulty walking.
If I were in the FBI, I'd call that a clue. 🤣
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05-12-2022
05:26 PM
05-12-2022
05:26 PM
"Again....I'm entitled. Smh"
You DO understand that words have meanings, don't you?
So, you are either claiming:
verb
past tense: entitled; past participle: entitled
1.
give (someone) a legal right or a just claim to receive or do something.
* Just claim means a claim which in equity and justice the state should pay, provided the state has caused damage or injury or has received a benefit
___or___
en·ti·tled
adjective
believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
Which is it?
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Applied for CSA at MCO (Orlando FL) online: 3/20/22
Rec'd email from SWA informing that I should expect a wait due to number of applications (over 200 for MCO): 3/24/22
Rec'd email confirming I was still under consideration, but that it may take a while for telephone interview invite due to number of apps: 4/1/22
Rec'd email invite for zoom interview: 4/10/22
Zoom interview: 4/11/22 resulted in contingent offer, at end of interview, pending
pre employment checks
Drug test: 4/13/22
Finger printing/background check: 4/16/22
Rec'd email stating it could take 6-8 weeks for results to return: 4/17/22
Rec'd official offer: 5/1/22 with a proposed start date of 5/16/22
Accepted start date of 5/16/22
Between 5/2/22 and 5/10/22 rec'd a bazillion emails outlining the next steps 😊
Received email outlining time slot for federal week.
Completed initial paperwork and GOAA for SIDA badge: 5/12/22, rec'd temp. badge.
Trainer called 5/12/22 to confirm that I rec'd the email outlining federal week and directions. Confirmed. Informed that my badge will be waiting for me on 5/16/22 start of federal week.
Contingent Tops date, two weeks after 5/16/22.
Also, I'm not sure how other locations schedule, but MCO schedules start date for either the 1st or 16th according to the 5th and 20th pay dates.
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Chase Ultimate Reward (Travel) points can take up to two statement cycles to reflect onto your account, and the Travel Specialist on their first day on the floor would have told you that if you called in. Jamie Dimon is a bit busy, and doesn't handle basic level customer concerns inside of one of the myriad of departments JP Morgan / Chase has.
And the above is IF you've met the criteria of the award offer. Seeing as this appears to be an offer via partnership between SWA and Chase, then you'd have to meet the criteria both organizations have set forth.
If you have met the criteria and at least two billing cycles have passed, then you would reach out to either companies escalations department, not the CEO's of the company.
I'm not questioning whether or not your concerns are legitimate, but I AM pointing out that you wouldn't drive east from Boston MA to get to Los Angeles CA. You're driving east and wondering how you ended up in the Boston Harbor. Take the correct route to resolve your issue, this is why routes exist.
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HOAH! I was in the Army for 12 years, so it's good to know my knowledge of the 24 hour clock and military phonetic alphabet can be put to use once again!
tip: for time, just add 12 to every hour after 12:59 pm (afternoon). So 1:00 pm would be 1300, 2:00 pm would be 1400, et c.
The alphabet:
A - Alpha
B - Bravo
C - Charlie
D - Delta
E - Echo
F - Foxtrot
G - Gulf/Golf
H - Hotel
I - India
J - Juliet
K - Kilo
L - Lima
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P - Papa
Q - Quebec
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whiskey
X - X-ray
Y - Yankee
Z - Zulu
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Sorry about that. I just realized that the link is the pdf that pulled up on my system, so of course it wouldn't work for anyone else. This is where I pulled it up as a PDF, hope it works for you!
Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) Study Guide
https://www.panynj.gov › dam › airports › pdfs
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05-11-2022
12:29 PM
05-11-2022
12:29 PM
"My opinion in which I'm entitled to last I checked."
This is the second time you've stated that you're ENTITLED to your opinion, in one mention, you believe you are entitled because you are American. Please cite the law which provides a legal right to you to have an opinion. Pro-tip: it doesn't exist.
So, I will assume when you say you are entitled to your opinion, you mean the primary definition of the word:
en-ti-tled
adj.
believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
... yet, you denied that you were entitled, when responding to MY comment, which didn't name you at all. Odd, how you took my comment about entitlement to be aimed at you, specifically.
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05-10-2022
07:09 AM
1 Love
I was under review for two months and had nearly given up hope (I wanted this job so bad it hurt!) when I got the "congratulations" email. I'm not saying it will also take this long for you, but as TPARamp said, don't give up hope! Good luck!
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Covid test results and vaccination statuses are not protected information. Why? Vaccination status is not a medical condition, therefor not protected under HIPAA 1996. Test results for a contagious virus, which is still ravaging the world, are also not protected because ... wait for it ... it's contagious. AND people who fly may be immunocompromised, may not be fully vaccinated (yet), or may be ineligible for vaccination due to age.
Disabilities, on the other hand, are NOT contagious. And the reason a disability IS protected information under HIPAA 1996, is because people are discriminated against, judged by, and treated poorly by many other people - as has been demonstrated in this thread.
So, even IF none of this were federally mandated, required, protected, et c - it's STILL the right thing to do. If anyone wants seat choice, they can certainly upgrade their ticket. If not, it seems that what you're really asking for is the undue/unearned entitlement you're accusing others of.
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I would suggest reaching out to your POC (recruiter). If that's who you meant when you said you reached out, I would give it a couple of days to hear back. They're super busy trying to get all of us sorted. My recruiter took about 3 days to reply when I asked about further info regarding my start date. I was overly anxious waiting for that reply, so I totally get how you're feeling (sort of, since your start date has already passed and mine is still up coming). But I would say to give it a couple of days before reaching out again, and keep an eye on your status as you have been. Good luck!
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I recall my recruiter telling me it could take up to 6-8 weeks after you get your finger printing completed for the background check to come back. Mine took about 2 weeks though. Throwing some positive energy your way so yours comes back earlier than expected as well!
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