Originally Posted by Packrat

I always espoused that. Why? Because:

1. QX pilots are trained to the same standard as AS pilots. Sit on a jumpseat and the departure/approach briefings are mirror images.
2. You know the work ethic of the QX pilot. You have his personnel file.
3. You know how he/she fits in with the corporate culture of your airline group.

But every time I suggested it to someone on the 2nd floor it was scoffed at. "We want to be able to hire people from differing backgrounds." Answer: Then just flow a percentage of the pilots you need from QX. No sale.

Bring it up to QX managers like the Bagwan and his direct response: "I don't want to be the training center for Alaska pilots." In the mean time the QX pilots that wanted to work for AS and would have been perfect fits were bailing out for SWA, UAL, etc.

Angle Lake "thinking" can be very mysterious.