ATC question?

[SWAFO]

Sorry for not responding earlier. Yes Joel, you're right. That's at least how we do it here at SWA (as I've discussed in the past). Usually,
we'll be teamed up with a captain for quite some time (I was with one captain my whole 3 years as FO).

Now that I'm captain, I'm able to bid on the routes I want to fly (although I'm no where near the most senior pilot... probably closer to the
least senior pilot). I usually get the routes I want, since there are just so many. We also have a "auto-pick" system that will simply pick
the available routes for a certain day (since picking 4-8 flights a day can be time consuming... especially when picking a whole month).
I'll normally use the auto-pick, except when I want to fly somewhere on a certain day. This is usually when I'll stay overnight with
relatives/friends in other cities. Also, there are some routes that are more desireable than others. You'll have your Captains that like to fly
the long routes, and then those that like the short routes. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. With the long routes, you only
fly one (maybe two) per day. With the short routes, you'll fly up to 8 a day (sounds like a lot, but we can work a lot. 8 a day means you'll
have the same aircraft from the start of the day till the end of the day. Usually, you won't switch... some people love flying 8's. I don't! lol). I
like flying the short routes, and usually aim for 4-6 a day when I fly. Sometimes, I'll get stuck with the long routes (which I don't mind
either, they're just not preffered). I'm talking about the flights I'd do when I was FO... so far, I've only had a handful of flights as Captain
(about 10).

Also, as I understand it, some airlines simply assign routes. There is no picking and choosing, they just put you where they need you.
This is efficient (although doesn't give the employees that feeling of choice), so it's rarely employed anymore. The disadvantage of
picking routes (from the perspective of running an airline) is that you'll have some routes that no one likes to fly that will be open every
month. Now, you've got to go back and re-assign the routes so that every flight is covered. Kind of hectic. We've got a good mix of pilots
here at SWA (morning guys, afternoon guys, long route guys, short route guys, etc.). Usually, we'll get most of our routes covered.

Hope this helps.