Originally Posted by
HGWT
If this is truly the case then every Alaska Airlines pilot should be updating their resume. It’s clear that Alaska’s management (and to a large extent, workforce) abide a different reality than the rest of the airline industry but to be so short sighted and naive to stake the future of the airline and with it their futures, and the futures of their employees, on the Ford Pinto of commercial airliners is reckless. With the exception of the cowboys at SW taking their quarterly jaunt through a gas station, the next 737 of any variant that has an accident will be the last 737 to fly, period.
If Alaska management is arrogant enough to continue to maintain status quo simply for the sake of nostalgia or “proudly all Boeing” they’ll get what they deserve when the aforementioned comes to fruition. But what about everyone who’s future is riding on these decisions?
Alaska pilots should be advocating for as diversified a fleet as possible regardless of where your fleet “affinity” lies...
A 737 could crash just as any other airplane could, but this time around MCAS should not (and will not) be the reason why. Just like the 2 rudder hardover issues were successfully overcome, so too can this MCAS debacle. The 737 has done well for low cost carriers like RyanAir and Southwest. The MAX will come out and be successful for years to come.
Originally Posted by
Mea25000
Max recertification should be inked by no later then mid December by the FAA. Training and maintenance completed by mid February. Max flying passengers March 1st. I am 99% sure we will be a single fleet by 2024. Very few will know the actual numbers but I keep hearing whispers of around 4.6 billion for 100. If numbers any where near that are true then this is absolutely a home run for all of our careers.
I keep hearing this homerun term be used. I also heard it when they closed NY and people here said we at VX still hit a homerun with AS. Here's something else to consider. No Virgin guy shows up in the first ~415 pilots at AS. If we switch to all Boeing, they will all take a seniority hit as they are forced off the Airbus and come slotted into the Boeing. The reason the seniority differences haven't really been seen is that the Airbus fleet still hasn't had any downgrades or displacements yet. This is why with the exception of the Airbus guys who live in SEA and PDX, you are not seeing any exodus of senior Airbus guys to the Boeing. Most of the CA movement from the Bus side to the Boeing has been upgrades. No one wants to give up their insulated seniority on the Airbus. But if we move to a single fleet, they will feel that seniority cut.