Clutchcargo,

Thanks for the heads up. I could have been one of the lucky four to have gotten hired by Alaska Airlines from Horizon Air in the last decade or so. Most likely however I would be passed over like my peers who are still there.

I think it is important to take a step back and consider that Alaska Airlines has not hired many over the last decade. Four from Horizon is hardly a windfall. Nor does it offer much hope for the remaining 700 or so Horizon Airlines hopefuls.

My likely fate had I stayed at Horizon Air today would have been living in a small starter house on a captains salary and reeling from the news that I was being forcibly transferred to another base while also fearing a downgrade after 12 years with the company.

The reality is there there is not much room for most at the legacy airlines and life at a regional is not what I signed up for. Lastly I feel obligated to mention again that I did not quit but was laid off and could not find another job that would support my family as a pilot.

I understand that those of you who have made it can not understand what the problem is. Not every story in aviation has a happy ending. It is my position that most do not and the price of falling even an inch short is punishing.

Skyhigh