Originally Posted by
flyprdu
I disagree. I'm going to introduce a word that most Alaska pilots have never seen before.
Incentives.
What sort of premiums could incentivize pilot retention? Airlines that can't compete on career progression will have to compensate elsewhere. Schedules with lots of time off. Fast vacation accruel. W2s 30% above the big 3 in comparable fleets.
Pilots are not monolithic. Some will choose a small company with great pay and QOL over widebody SJS. Think 90s Southwest.
Declaring that Alaska cannot compete is just an excuse to not even try for better.
Because incentives don’t exist at Delta, American, and United? Whatever incentives we get, the big 3 will more than 1-UP it.
Even in this desperation time, as of right now there are ZERO premium trips (150%) in opentime systemwide for CAs. Why offer 150% when people pick up at 100%. Meanwhile at the big 3 they offered up to 300-400% when the going got bad.
I did not say we cannot try to be better. But your answer is a one off contract bargain cycle to convince a newhire sub 35 that has 30+ years left? Seniority is still seniority, and movement is still movement. We have a young-ish pilot group with relatively low retirements in the next 10 years. The majors lose more than half their list in that same time. Widebody SJS? That’s a new one. But even if you don’t want it, more pay at AS doesn’t make up for moving ~700 numbers in 10 years and be 66% then (barely out of bottom third). Anyway, one contract cycle isn’t going to be enough to keep someone from leaving here because “incentives!”
You don’t make a 30+ yr career decision on a 3 yr contract we might be signing in 6 months.