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SWA Res Consolidation Into New ATL Call Center

airliner371 From United States of America, joined Aug 2012, 878 posts, RR: 1
Posted (5 months 4 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 3377 times:

AirTran call centers in Savannah and Carrollton, GA will close on July 31, 2013. Southwest will open a new Atlanta call center in early May that will take all FL calls and eventually take SWA calls. This is the seventh SWA call center.

http://swamedia.com/releases/b74b32d7-ee78-46d7-a649-35e9eba0feb8

I can't say I'm surprised, in fact I guessed this would happen, this is much better.

[Edited 2012-11-28 14:38:38]

"The road to success is actually a runway"

12 replies: All unread, jump to last

bobloblaw From United States of America, joined Jan 2012, 1367 posts, RR: 0
Reply 1, posted (5 months 4 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 3180 times:

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The Carrollton call center was a great deal for everyone. FL used college kids and the kids got paid and got free flights.

ouboy79 From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 4009 posts, RR: 23
Reply 2, posted (5 months 4 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 3112 times:

Quoting airliner371 (Thread starter):
AirTran call centers in Savannah and Carrollton, GA will close on July 31, 2013. Southwest will open a new Atlanta call center in early May that will take all FL calls and eventually take SWA calls. This is the seventh SWA call center.

The Atlanta Center already exists as far as I know, just consolidating the positions up there. Savannah and Carrollton had been rumored to close for a year now. So this isn't unexpected at all. From what I've been told is they operated in a way that did not align with the IAM contract and were too flexible when it came to scheduling and such. There is also the issue of having a large number of WN employees in a city WN doesn't fly to (yes Carrollton is just an hour-ish drive from ATL). I know I know...it isn't a requirement, but for WN the general feeling is that it was.

This will be good overall for the company. It will also be great for WN employees that want to go East, though I would guess there will be a fence up until all former FL employees are accommodated.

Any opinion/comment posted is that of my own and not that of Southwest Airlines Co.

Dalmd88 From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 2366 posts, RR: 15
Reply 3, posted (5 months 4 weeks ago) and read 2989 times:

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 2):
There is also the issue of having a large number of WN employees in a city WN doesn't fly to (yes Carrollton is just an hour-ish drive from ATL). I know I know...it isn't a requirement, but for WN the general feeling is that it was.

Carrollton is really an Atlanta suburb. It is only about a 30 min drive to the airport. I know a few DL employees that live there. The college kids that might work there part time might not be willing to drive to where ever the ATL call center is will be the most impacted.

airliner371 From United States of America, joined Aug 2012, 878 posts, RR: 1
Reply 4, posted (5 months 4 weeks ago) and read 2905 times:

Quoting bobloblaw (Reply 1):
The Carrollton call center was a great deal for everyone. FL used college kids and the kids got paid and got free flights.

Every single employee is brig offered a job at the Atlanta center.

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 2):
The Atlanta Center already exists as far as I know, just consolidating the positions up there. Savannah and Carrollton had been rumored to close for a year now.

The address they are giving is the AirTran Training Center (called AirTran Corporate Center) and I do not believe the current ATL call center is located there so from what I can tell they are removing the training aspect and making it the new Southwest call center for FL calls and eventually Southwest calls. It is a rather new building and very nice.

Pic: http://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-co...nt/uploads/2011/04/AT2-300x168.jpg
Info about building: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15998734/5230-Clipper-Drive-Atlanta-GA/

[Edited 2012-11-28 17:17:46]

"The road to success is actually a runway"

ouboy79 From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 4009 posts, RR: 23
Reply 5, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2778 times:

Quoting airliner371 (Reply 4):
The address they are giving is the AirTran Training Center (called AirTran Corporate Center) and I do not believe the current ATL call center is located there so from what I can tell they are removing the training aspect and making it the new Southwest call center for FL calls and eventually Southwest calls. It is a rather new building and very nice.

Indeed you are right. I don't know why I was thinking it was the same building.

Any opinion/comment posted is that of my own and not that of Southwest Airlines Co.

Deltal1011man From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 8590 posts, RR: 8
Reply 6, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 2694 times:

Quoting airliner371 (Reply 4):
Every single employee is brig offered a job at the Atlanta center.

but will West Georgia students want to drive to ATL? I would say its fairly unlikely(for those that just have it as a job)

"Oh look at the sUGAr falling out of the sky! Look at the sUGAr falling out of the sky!" LM 1922-2011 Go Dawgs! G.A.T.A.

bobloblaw From United States of America, joined Jan 2012, 1367 posts, RR: 0
Reply 7, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2481 times:

I think the problem was the Air Tran call centers weren't employees but contracted college students. WN unions wouldn't go for such an arrangement. I might be wrong though

airliner371 From United States of America, joined Aug 2012, 878 posts, RR: 1
Reply 8, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 2243 times:

Staying on the topic of WN/FL facilities, does anyone know what is happening to the former FL HQ?

"The road to success is actually a runway"

bjorn14 From Norway, joined Feb 2010, 2776 posts, RR: 2
Reply 9, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 2196 times:

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 2):
and were too flexible when it came to scheduling

Not to turn this into union bashing but this statement says a lot about unions...hmmm

Most businesses can live with higher pay but its the work/productivity rules that kill them.

"An idea has to be incredibly absurd to have any reasonable chance of succeeding" --A. Einstein

PMUA787 From United States of America, joined Oct 2012, 48 posts, RR: 0
Reply 10, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 1975 times:

Quoting airliner371 (Reply 8):

Staying on the topic of WN/FL facilities, does anyone know what is happening to the former FL HQ?

The former FL SOC that was built after Hurricane Wilma would make a nice SOC for another airline, B6 perhaps?

airliner371 From United States of America, joined Aug 2012, 878 posts, RR: 1
Reply 11, posted (5 months 3 weeks 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 791 times:

Quoting PMUA787 (Reply 10):
B6 perhaps?

Thats what I was thinking. Where is the current SOC for B6? Is it in the new HQ because if so they probably wouldn't move again.

"The road to success is actually a runway"

ouboy79 From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 4009 posts, RR: 23
Reply 12, posted (5 months 3 weeks 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 693 times:

Quoting bjorn14 (Reply 9):
Not to turn this into union bashing but this statement says a lot about unions...hmmm

This makes no sense. Any call center can have a lot of flexibility with hours, but call flow forecasting is going to be what it is. I've been in that line of business before and you have to make sure people are there when the calls are coming in, not when people want to work. Don't blame a union for it, blame the call center operating model.

Any opinion/comment posted is that of my own and not that of Southwest Airlines Co.

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