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Life at Alaska !

Old 10-21-2021, 04:12 PM
  #101  
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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.
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Old 10-21-2021, 07:56 PM
  #102  
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Shyguy in multiple messages in numerous threads: Repeatedly acknowledges our contract is subpar. This airline isn't worth the longterm commute until we get a new contract. Realistically it might take at 12 more months until negotiations are concluded. Here are loopholes you can take advantage of until we get a better contract....

APC: You company stool. Everyone hates you. Those aren't gems (he never said it was. Actually quite the opposite). How dare you try to make the best out of your situation.

Gonna be honest fellas. If between Shy's schedule manipulation tactics or crewacesss constant denials. I'm going with Shy. I for one is going try to game the system until a new contract comes. Or you know... just continuing to complain about the ghetto that is our schedule software.
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Old 10-21-2021, 08:13 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by proprunnner View Post
Shyguy in multiple messages in numerous threads: Repeatedly acknowledges our contract is subpar. This airline isn't worth the longterm commute until we get a new contract. Realistically it might take at 12 more months until negotiations are concluded. Here are loopholes you can take advantage of until we get a better contract....

APC: You company stool. Everyone hates you. Those aren't gems (he never said it was. Actually quite the opposite). How dare you try to make the best out of your situation.

Gonna be honest fellas. If between Shy's schedule manipulation tactics or crewacesss constant denials. I'm going with Shy. I for one is going try to game the system until a new contract comes. Or you know... just continuing to complain about the ghetto that is our schedule software.
it’s going to be a lot longer than 12 more months.
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Old 10-21-2021, 09:11 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by proprunnner View Post
Shyguy in multiple messages in numerous threads: Repeatedly acknowledges our contract is subpar. This airline isn't worth the longterm commute until we get a new contract. Realistically it might take at 12 more months until negotiations are concluded. Here are loopholes you can take advantage of until we get a better contract....

APC: You company stool. Everyone hates you. Those aren't gems (he never said it was. Actually quite the opposite). How dare you try to make the best out of your situation.

Gonna be honest fellas. If between Shy's schedule manipulation tactics or crewacesss constant denials. I'm going with Shy. I for one is going try to game the system until a new contract comes. Or you know... just continuing to complain about the ghetto that is our schedule software.
Nobody here gets over on the company. This “gaming the system” crap that legacy AS pilots like to brag about is what any normal human can accomplish with PBS in about 1/10th the effort. The amount of MOUs and restrictions that make it darn near impossible to have any true flexibility, is what makes trying to carve out any kind of desirable schedule, a full time job.

Oh and you won’t see a TA to vote on in 12 months, no way.
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Old 10-21-2021, 11:46 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by MinRest View Post
Nobody here gets over on the company. This “gaming the system” crap that legacy AS pilots like to brag about is what any normal human can accomplish with PBS in about 1/10th the effort. The amount of MOUs and restrictions that make it darn near impossible to have any true flexibility, is what makes trying to carve out any kind of desirable schedule, a full time job.

Oh and you won’t see a TA to vote on in 12 months, no way.
That's literally my point. Adjusting our schedules are near impossible here. Step trades are useless unless you're relatively senior. Trip trades are always denied due to reserve coverage. We don't currently have PBS and seems like everyone agrees it's going to be more than a year to a new contract. So are we junior nubes going to better our schedule in the meantime? I'm not trying to be facetious. I'm genuinely asking.
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Old 10-22-2021, 07:18 AM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by proprunnner View Post
That's literally my point. Adjusting our schedules are near impossible here. Step trades are useless unless you're relatively senior. Trip trades are always denied due to reserve coverage. We don't currently have PBS and seems like everyone agrees it's going to be more than a year to a new contract. So are we junior nubes going to better our schedule in the meantime? I'm not trying to be facetious. I'm genuinely asking.
There isn’t a way to better your schedule unless you call in sick.

There is only so much polish you can add to a turd. Even the senior dinosaurs who live in Gig Harbor and think their lives are incredible, have to work several more days a month than their airline peers but because management tells them they have it good, they believe it.
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Old 10-22-2021, 07:09 PM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by MinRest View Post
There isn’t a way to better your schedule unless you call in sick.

There is only so much polish you can add to a turd. Even the senior dinosaurs who live in Gig Harbor and think their lives are incredible, have to work several more days a month than their airline peers but because management tells them they have it good, they believe it.
Just to be clear. I agree with everything you're saying. There's a reason why sick calls shot up after the merger and we get those annual summer emails now. Your way around our scheduling deficiencies is calling sick. Shy's way is P2P. And I gotta tell ya I tried his techniques for dropping trips below the 75hr credit with a few of my initial classmates. Took three of us 5 minutes to trade around things to go over or under the caps. Now if I chose I can pick up things that better meet my days.

We're saying the samething. We shouldn't need to be doing this silliness. No other pilot group uses sick time as a scheduling tool. No pilot group depends on P2P just to move days around. We're all just using these techniques until we have better scheduling language.

if anyone reads these messages and think we're somehow defending management or this pos contract. WE ARE NOT. But on the other hand I'm going to use anything at my disposal to better my schedule in the interim. Besides what's my alternative? Do nothing and stick my crappy schedule?
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Old 10-23-2021, 08:21 AM
  #108  
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Another one I forgot to add. After giving away and taking back a trip, then select each trip individually and see if drop could be approved by clicking “check legality.”

For November I saw all denied except one 3-day trip the first week of November. If I dropped that, it would take me to about 72 hrs and 18 days off for the month, and make 8 days off in a row. Obviously it all depends on rsv coverage but you never know, and I figure it can’t hurt to try. Checking your entire month trips for legality to drop takes 2 minutes tops.


Again I fully recognize this whole thing isn’t ideal but until we get a new CBA, may as well take advantage of what we can do/loopholes/rules, etc.
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Old 10-25-2021, 09:30 AM
  #109  
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Originally Posted by SkyFlyer View Post
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 improved will be rectified 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 interviewee and are certain that you will be picked 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 shines and lead by a good margin compared 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 hired!!! 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.
I totally agree with you, but it just bugs me that this is all I see after flying a redeye….
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Old 10-26-2021, 04:55 PM
  #110  
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There’s a reason every AS thread turns into the same discussion.

AS is a great consumer product, but a subpar MAJOR career. Yes it’s a good stepping stone. Therr are pros and cons everywhere. But with AS, and in comparison to career airlines, just understand what you’re giving up.
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