Southwest Airlines Ramp Agent

Hello to everyone who's reading this.. I'm very interested in becoming a Ramp Agent.. I recently applied for the position with Southwest Airlines and I will be attending a Group Information Session in a couple of weeks.. If applicable, can anyone tell me how it is working as a Ramp Agent.. I've read the duties/qualifications on the SWA website and I know what I'm applying for, but I would just like to know what it's like coming from an actual Ramp Agent.. And how was the interview process? What kinds of questions were asked? I'd like as much information as possible concerning the interview.. So I get an idea and can prepare myself for it.. I've never worked in the Airline Indsutry, but I do have a passion for airplanes and travelling.. I think this job seems very rewarding and I do hope to pursue a career in this industry.. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this!

Being a ramp agent for Southwest Airlines is a fantastic job. The job itself can be quite challenging as you'll be working outdoors in poor weather at times, and often with a great deal of adversity. You'll need to be fit and able to keep up.

The pay is just so-so. You'll begin making probably less per hour than you'd like, but there are lots of opportunities for overtime and the pay scale is the best in the industry for ramp agents. Once atop the pay scale you'll be at or around $25 per hour and the collective bargaining agreement is renegotiated every 4 years or so, and the rate is likely to improve each time.

Where the job really shines though, is the benefits. The job carries top notch medical, dental, vision, coverage and it's free. To add family members is dirt cheap as well. You also get 401k with an unheard of company match dollar for dollar up to 7.5%. There is also generous profit sharing as well. You get free flight on Southwest as well. Unlimited, as much as you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, for you and your spouse and children. Another great perk is the schedule flexibility. You bid on your work schedule hours and days off every 2 months or so. You're never locked down to a certain time and day of the week. You can work your job schedule around your life.

There's plenty of other misc benefits to being a Southwest Employee as well such as great discounted rates on hotels, rental cars, and other various things as well such as Dell computers, Circuit City, Apple, Sprint, and about a hundred other things as well. I'm always surprised at how many times flashing my Southwest ID get's me discounts at various places. The best discounts are the travel industry ones though like cars and hotels. I frequently stay at $250 per night hotels for less then $99. The reason why is because the airline negotiates low rates with these companies in order to be able to facilitate flight crews on trips. The best perk of all is the work environment.

Hi Sam!
I am actually doing a compensation research project in regards to SouthWest Airlines Ramp Agents for my school and was wondering if you can help me out here??
Can you please let me know the exact hourly wage (What you start with & end), Part-time, full time (wages & benefits), benefits, working conditions??
Thank you soo much. I have been going crazy trying to locate an exact answer to my questions.

Also I don't if you'll be able to help me out with finding a copy of the union collective agreement between the airlines and the ramp agents?!?!??!?!