Alaska joining Oneworld
 

What are the Alaska pilots’ thoughts on this news?

Scope scope scope, what else is there to say? Basically we will be the regional feeders to AA even more now.

I don't really see it as good thing. To me it spells out that they have just secured a feed contract for AA. Our growth will be marginal and really only in seat capacity and RJs. We will become the west coast feed and that is secure enough for our management. Back to being the PNW regional and all comfy and secure from the big bad airline world. Just shows that without scope that legacy AS pilots seemed not to want all these years. You get screwed.

I imagine more of the narrow body flying will be shifted to Alaska. Or were you talking about the Bangalore and LHR flights? AA has almost no north/south flying to Seattle.

I don’t see anyone’s domestic flying being shifted to one another, but rather growth for both. This creates connections for AA passengers in SEA, and connection for Alaska passengers in places like CLT PHL ORD and largely MIA. I see Alaska adding flights to MIA to connect into our large SA/Caribbean network.

Yeah I agree. Cautiously optimistic that it’s a win win.

Would that mean Alaska doing a split between MIA/FLL or pull out off FLL altogether and shift to MIA?

"But will I get credit for Alaska mileage on my AA account like I used to?" This is all that's important to most passengers.

Wasnt it just a few years ago Delta wanted Alaska to join the Skyteam alliance? Alaska did not want to join that, but now they want to be in One World?

That's an easy one. Delta has a hub in SEA now. American, only a few flights. The Anglers look at a OneWorld alliance as bringing passengers into the system. Dellta went for organic West Coast growth.

Did MIA for years. Full flights. When we pulled out we were told MIA was “just to expensive” to fly to. Landing Fees
Terminal Fees Jetway rent. I think they are just hoping to get the business travelers that have been lost to Delta to come back
We have been nearly here before with American...Seems more like an admission that Delta is having a significant impact in the PNW.
Not a growth move but a defensive move.

ouch, owned

Maybe Alaska pilots will get to flow to AA since we are now their PNW regional. :p

One can only hope...

With the recent court approval of the tmobile/sprint merger, it also opens the door for a major airline to follow suite. Do you think AS joining One World could be the first step for a possible implication of a future merger or acquisition?

I was thinking this as well...maybe AA is testing the waters and wanting to compete with Delta in the PNW?

Now AAG will be interchangeable. Simplicity.

Good analysis:

https://crankyflier.com/2020/02/13/t...ve-on-seattle/

Hopefully American has strong code share and scope language. The kind that would require
the removal of the non-compliant E-175’s from Horizon Air’s fleet.

IIRC they had at one point 80 seat 900’s being operated by Mesa.

I think they still have some 79 seaters...

I haven't seen it recently so maybe it has changed since the last contract or via MOU, but American's contract in clear language, has an Alaska Airlines carveout with zero restrictions.

The Awful Airline Group.

At least the line check airmen will stop telling me we are getting 787s when they are doing a line check.


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I’m guessing we swap our 30 A320NEO order for some of American’s MAX order and then sprinkle in some 319ceo’s and owned A320’s in a sweetheart deal for American.

Increased MAX delivery scheduled and expedited airbus draw down to the furthest extent the training dept can handle. Hiring will downshift to 1st gear, to accommodate this efficiency campaign. The C level will tout this necessary to get margins on the top end of their desired number, then lie to us again and again saying “growth” is right around the corner.

AA scope limits RJs to 76 seats. I believe we may still have some 80 seaters flying around that were grandfathered in with US Air.

I think the opposite. I would have put 787 at AS by 2028 at about 20% before this announcement, now I would say it’s a coin flip.

Much of this is very much the plan over the next few years. There is also the possibility of a significant increase in flying for us out of PHX... we shall see

We will train as much as the department can handle, it remains to be seen if that will significantly decrease growth. The economy will have the greatest affect on that.

That would be a sweetheart deal... 320 NEO positions (convertible to 321, XL) are gold. Max positions? Just go to the factory and pick out as many as you like.

This is really bad. This basically makes Alaska another regional for American and if I had to guess will likely halt any growth that B and B promised in the smoke and mirrors. likely that MEAs bronze plan just turned into the recycled aluminum plan.

Agreed, but I think any business based on commerce would contract or stay status quo during a downturn. So when you keep mentioning that I think that’s a pretty obvious statement. It would be nice if management thought outside of the cube a bit and had some cash to invest in a downturn (gates, slots, assets etc) foreseeing light at the end of the tunnel a bit.

I don’t foresee Alaska colors EVER hoping from continent to continent it’s just not marketable, so I do think that in the mean time this is a good move for AS pilots to continue to have a large market share of west coast flying. MAX 10’s will be flying between all the major cities with long enough runways feeding both AS and AA connections, and we will continue to fill a niche. I’m one of the few that actually thinks AS is doing an OK job with the product. Is it DAL, nope never will be, but is it competitive on the west coast? I think so. We ALL were hired by a narrow body operator, expecting anything more would be a fool’s errand. Fortunately every airline is hiring right now so if anything it’s a blessing that there are so many opportunities out there for pilots.

I didn’t really think about PHX I think that’s a good opportunity as well. Although I don’t always like what you say, I do appreciate you posting your insight.

What?!?!?!?! Alaska will never be anything but a narrowbody regionally limited operator. There is a zero percent chance Alaska could ever fill a 787 not to mention compete with real airlines on the same routes with a superior product with names that aren’t of a stupid state that no one ever goes to. Wake up

Or maybe they just swap slots and AS just kicks those A321NEOs down the road further? I dunno just kind of brainstorming I’m just line swine what do I know!

You need to let go of your anger. You’ve moved on and are happy now right? Embrace that. Namaste �

Right now from where I sit, I see 308 737 at AS by the end of 2025 and 787’s June 2028... 😱this is not a joke. Think about how many times I have been wrong, so laugh, laugh really hard.... Just check back. You ever wonder why NP is here? Just for a 737 order really? I wish I could stay and argue, but I am taking my wife to the Salish for dinner... happy Valentine’s Day my friend!

Honestly, all I care about at the moment is making sure we don’t fly American Airlines passengers on 737’s for less than an AA 737 pilot does.

What growth? The 200 airplanes JL just mentioned in his e-mail...100 replacement, 100 growth? Think about it, those 100 airplanes will ONLY generate about 550 CA’s (give or take a few) over 10years!
If you do the math it means that we already hired our most junior CA😉

Yeah, AS will get the 787 (it’s really called the 737 SuperMax) and will put them on daily service from SEA to PDX.

Right after they remove it from the ETOPS program.