It is never a "negative" or calling it "miserable" when you are stating the FACTS! If you come to Alaska, you have a 100% chance of reducing your career potential and most of all quality of life, even living in-base. You cannot count on the current contract negotiation and say it will be better down the road. This contract is literally 15 years behind, there is no way at this point that every single area that needs to be improve will be rectify in 2 to 3 years after the NMB nonsense. You further cannot count on the possibility that after you come here (getting your free type on the Boeing or the Airbus) and say I will be more marketable and move on to a true airline? Unless, you are a super duper interviewer and are certain that you will be pick-up by the better airlines out there It is just wishful thinking. Plus, if you are that good? Why waste your time interviewing here? Wait, don't answer that... If you like the cool-aide colors here, your family has told you how great Alaska is, my whole life I dream of being at Alaska... etc. etc. Great! welcome abroad! Just make sure you vote the right way when you are off probation, or you are just another problem added to the endless problems that exist in Alaska.
And please, I do not want to here about all the excuses on the arbitration, the world situation at the time, and the economy situation, bla bla bla that resulted in this despicable contract at Alaska. This pilot group (L-AS) had at least 2 other chances (2009 -2013) to make the improvements and nothing was done to make that happen. These same pilots told ex-Virgin pilots that (at the time of the merger) B6 will never get a decent contract. Guess what? JetBlue's FIRST ever pilot contract out shine and lead by a good margin compare to AS's pilot contract! There FIRST contract! And Alaska has been around for 89 years compare to 23 years for JetBlue, just an example to share.
So, basically if you come here, again, 100% you will be stuck here or 50/50 that you might move on? Or, I want to be here and I do not care.
Pilot Shortage (skilled and experienced pilots) is truly here! You couldn't be in a better time to get hire!!! Use your potential and skills to shoot for an airline that has a good industry standard contract. Do not hop your way to the top! Get your great experience at the regional, freight, and corporate and prepare for the better airlines out there. No airline is perfect, not one! But there is a big... huge difference in an airline that has a good solid contract compare to a one that does not (like Alaska). Remember, in our industry, time is our #1 enemy. It takes years to bring a contract to a good standard and then there is always room for improvement. It takes even more time to improve a bad contract to an industry standard contract. Second, seniority is our #2 enemy. Once you get here and find out that what most of the pilots have warned you about are true... You will loose seniority and time to start all over again if you try to move on, that is, if you can move on?
Many pilots on this forum are telling you to stay away for your benefit and for a very good reason! They are not miserable and angry *******s sharing their hate on this forum. No no no. You may not like the way they present the information but the information is true.
I am certain, many if not most, of these pilots that has been finger pointed as being rude, angry, miserable, hateful, etc. are actually good pilots and are fun to fly with. They are just more upfront and realistic when they talk about not coming here.
I try to have fun when I go to work and try to leave it all behind when I go home. I will NEVER say I am happy here or find being here. I am hoping for another merger or buyout but it is a pipe dream, and I am too old to give up what I have at this point. And no, I did not hit the jack pot when AS bought VX. My career went backwards and I had an earful of pilots telling me how lucky I am.