I was riding the hotel van, the other day, on the way to the airport. I struck up a conversation with a Spirit captain. I asked about their negotiations. He told me that Spirit recently offered their pilots:

~$264 AND PBS.

Of course, I do not know if this is true and even if so it is an over-simplification of their negotiations. But, if the pay number is correct and comes to fruition, Alaska could soon be number 6.

If Spirit gets $264, what does JetBlue get? Who's next?

I believe the Alaska Mechanics have a clause that keeps them at, I believe, the third highest in their peer group. If someone else gets a raise, knocking them down from 3rd, there's some kind of adjustment. The rub is in who is included in that peer group.

When Doug Parker addressed the American pilot's initial request to re-open pay negotiations in light of gains at Delta and United, he responded that the American pilots were among the first in the negotiation cycle and that they raised the bar for everyone who followed and that they would lead the way again with their next negotiations. The point being, even Doug Parker, Mr. East vs. West, knows that successive negotiations are going to raise the bar, unless of course you are someplace like Alaska where you start off at 5th, only to finish lower.

You guys keep talking only hourly pay. What a pilot makes is not his hourly pay. What a pilot makes is what his W-2 says at the end of the year. That W-2 is a more valid comparison. That W-2 is a function of hourly pay AND work rules.

Bottom, line even if you Alaska guys were paid Delta wages, you'd still be cheaper because of your inferior work rules. You are more productive and Alaska gets by with fewer pilots, working more for straight time. Every new-hire or upgrade you prevent by working so productively, saves Alaska hundreds of thousands of dollar$ each.

While you guys work more for less, WN can still drop to 0, pick up all Premium, or take the month off, still has trips touching, and the best scope in the industry. Delta has Green slips and profit sharing out the wazoo, All the while, Alaska can't drop below 75 and is working on their days off and vacation for straight time to make less with little or no quality of life, and BM & BT continue buy back billion$ in stock, offer themselves others countless $tock option$, pay dividend$ and spend billion$ on another airline, all on the back of your front-line employees.

So, my question is this. Since you are seemingly happy with no. 5. what happens if and when you guys and gals become number 6 or number 7?

just curious-

Will the on-time and completions still be in the 90's?

My Magic 8 Ball says yes.

Speaking of no. 8, that can't be far behind. It comes after 7, which comes after 6, which comes after 5.....

good luck and be safe out there. take care of one another; because, if you don't no one else will. the cooch is not on your side.


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