Originally Posted by
Varsity
I know how regionals work.
Horizon is a certificated 121 flag carrier. There is no 'holding out.' They are authorized to sell tickets just like everyone else, AAG does it for them. AAG owns the reservations systems, ticket sales, Magee, Horizon, everything. Alaska Air Inc, the airline is also a subsidiary of AAG.
If AAG decides to flip the script one day and award flying 737's, airbuses, 747's, you name it at Horizon, there is nothing the Alaska pilots could legally do about it except whine on APC. This isn't the old days where mainline pilots had ATP's and type ratings while the regionals had commercial pilots certificates, there is no difference.
There's a grain of truth here. I think most folks at mainline realize this and are prioritizing scope... a few years behind the big three but better late than never.
Scope would obviously be good for AS ALPA, but it would also be good for management because they will basically get to "sell" scope insurance to the pilots. That will re-direct negotiating capital away from other areas... in exchange for something management probably wasn't going to do in the first place.
Kind of like paying "protection money" to the mob. Guido doesn't really want to break your legs in the first place, but the fact that he could makes you pay up.