Originally Posted by coolyokeluke

I'm sorry but I have to call out this fallacy that I see again and again from pilots at the majors. I've been trying to get on at Alaska for ten years. Yes, I started applying and networking in 2007. I wasn't super competitive back then, but I have worked my butt off in order to strengthen my resume at every turn. It took until this spring to finally get an interview.

The fallacy is that it's such a great job market out there that all you have to do is apply and you'll get a job. False. Unequivocally so. Unless you have military flight time.

I have 21 years of military service as a combination of active and reserve time. I've held positions of leadership during national crisis handling a $200 million dollar budget. But if you're not a military pilot, being in the military isn't any more important to the airlines than if you volunteered at 4H.

I've held volunteer and leadership positions at my regional airline, in my union, in my community. Class valedictorian, engineering degree, owned my own business.

Not that flight time counts for much anymore, but I have 8400 with 3700 121 PIC.

I have networked extensively and done the job fair circuit for the past seven years.

It was all crickets until this year. I still know many very well qualified pilots at my regional who can't get the time of day from the majors or LCC's. The LCC's consider you a flight risk if you're too well qualified (as they likely should since their contracts are so lacking).

So no, many of us don't have this choice that you're speaking of. We realize that there are chinks in the armor at Alaska, but we are still thrilled to be here. We're going to make the best of it. We're going to hope that we get a good result out of the arbitrator. Who knows.

Rant over.