First, the big 3 have at least one pilot base bigger than all of Alaska Airlines. If one of the Big 3 is overmanned by 10%, that's 1,400 pilots. If Alaska is overmanned 10%, that's what, 300? That's the pros/breaks of being big. When things are good, it's great, when not, it's not. All industry hiccups are magnified.

All the big 3 had to go through BK to rid themselves of those pesky pilot pensions, no way the large unions at any of the big 3 would freely give away their pension benefit.

How did Alaska Airlines get rid of their pilot pensions?

SWA never had one to get rid of in the first place.

Not sure I'd be so proud about how little ole Alaska avoiding BK court to avoid reseting their pilot contracts, somehow mgmt was able to drag the AK pilots along freely.

I am thankful though for AK's hubris in telling DAL no deal on a more exclusive codeshare agreement back in the mid-2010's, and stay dance partners with the multitude international airlines of the world (ME airlines included), that forced Delta to grow and build it's own hub out of SEA to serve their own international hub.

I know every ULCC pilot that posts on here somehow think they are holders of the secret sauce, never to experience a downturn. Many of them haven't been alive long enough to see how revenue can drop a 1/3 in one quarter. Even the AA CEO Parker was quoted years back about how AA would never lose money again. Well never is a looooong time.

I hope that no airline/pilot group has to shrink, or that we go into a prolonged period of retraction/stagnation (as an industry) because in the end we all benefit from a good aviation industry and suffer in a crappy one.