DOJ will still approve one. There will be very specific conditions before they do, but they'll still approve it.

I'm an outsider here, but in this type of revenue environment, posting a loss should make one sit up VERY straight. If one cannot make money right now, what does the future hold when the downturn comes. AK being acquired would have been a real possibility, but the group has acquired massive debt now with VX, making it very unattractive. Lots of dance partners pre-VX....now?

Brandon Pederson referred to this in the q4 earnings call. He specifically says that because of "the timing of revenue recognition." the reported earnings will be lower but, that this will have nothing to do with cash flow or pricing....

Quarterly earnings | Alaska Air Group Inc

Can anybody say for certain if the current ALK poolies will still get class dates this summer?

our company doesn't even have the courtesy to let us know that they've decided to cease hiring for the year...we all find out information 2nd and 3rd hand. I don't think anyone could say for certain about the pools and if they tell you that they are certain, i would highly question their claim. I would focus your time and energyy on getting on elsewhere...not to disappoint you, but a majority of our first officers are looking to leave for greener pastures..that should tell you what you need to know about this place.

I just went through recurrent and was told that the poolies would be getting class dates. No more hiring after the pool is drained til the fall.

Not sure if that's totally accurate. There are definitely FOs looking to go elsewhere but to say it's a majority is a little far fetched. Speaking of pastures, the grass isn't always greener.

I can’t speak for the Boeing fos, but at least 8/10 of the Airbus guys have heir stuff out and will leave at the first opportunity presented.

You are FOS.....there is only one place you can pull that info from.
I dont know what percent of former VA FOs have their resumes out and will jump at first chance, but I know its not 8 out of 10.
Dont be so dramatic.

As a senior FO who has apps at the big 3, I talk to FOs as I come across and ask if they have their stuff out. My own experience, the majority of them don't have their stuff out - certainly not 8 in 10.

The problem with being 5th best is that it's only worth leaving for the 4 best above it. UAL has pulled down their hiring plans for this year, and last year they didn't even have any classes from ~March til December. AA is a simple game of military and flow math. If out of a 100 slots, 50 go military, then 35 are flows and guarantees from Envoy/PSA/Piedmont, and only about 15% true off the street hires. Chances are slim to nil for AA as a civilian OTS. That leaves Delta, which actually has hired like gangbusters, but getting a call there is still hard and a mystery. Going to their ATL job fair doesn't guarantee an interview, nor does any job fair for that matter. The 4th place is Southwest, and IMO I wouldn't leave AS/VX to go start over at SW. Same airplane, same domestic schedule with 2-5 legs/day, and a huge paycut for most people for the first several years. You'll be a FO at Southwest probably just as long as a newhire will be FO here at Alaska, and that's based on projected growth and retirement numbers (both of which are significantly less than at the 3 legacy carriers).

So that's the situation. Leaving isn't easy when you're at the 5th best. (The above doesn't include UPS/Fedex, as their flying wouldn't be my cup of tea).