If they keep it in the 150/seat range I’d guess SAN would stay pretty senior in both seats. The problem with SFO is they were trying to grow it to an unsustainable size while we were losing pilots daily to other carriers. 300 pilots/seat was never gonna happen. Hell 200/seat is pretty unsustainable in my opinion. If we had something other than a 737 in SFO that would change things drastically but then we’d be going head to head with United and you know how management feels about that.

 

That’s just not true. Outside SAN is way more affordable than the Bay Area and the weather is way more worth the cost. I’d actually consider living in SAN if my grandkids weren’t in the PDX area. No way I’d choose to live in the Bay.

 

It isn't about choosing where to live. If that were the case, Alaska would just make everyone move to Gig Harbor. The argument is that it is another extremely expensive place to live. There are tons of more affordable areas in the Bay Area aside from San Francisco. The comparison doesn't hold water. If we are talking about somebody's willingness to move to a base, I could see the argument of SAN over SFO. I am simply talking about right now, and in the future, finding locals to fill those slots is going to be challenging. A new hire with no ties to any base we have, could move local to SFO just as easily as SAN. The premise here is that DM doesn't want commuters and we have to fill a base with locals. I already think this will be a problem. There are enough senior CAs who either live close enough or will commute. I think the FO side will be a problem. Or at the very least, will take FOs from LAX to SAN and create vacancies in LAX. Continuing to interview PNW residents and slapping them in other bases is not gonna solve staffing in SAN.

 

Yea a smaller base is fine. I actually think a co-domicile is the way to go if we want to grow SFO. That would give AS a competitive advantage in the Bay Area that no other airline has right now.

 

You can spend an entire career in Lemoore (eww lol) so you could easily plant roots there. Even if you don't, you're close enough to the Bay to consider airline basing there. There is a lot of military near San Diego, that is for sure but again it is going to cowm down to actually marketing and attracting those who are alraedy down there. That will take some time to staff that base with non-commuters.

 

You’re not wrong, but being the only major with a SAN base will help a little. Recruiting is going to have to change things up though if they want to staff the California bases with mostly locals. On that we definitely agree. Bigger issue is how much more can Seattle actually grow? I think we’ve gotten about as big as we can there and Seattle will get more senior.

 

A new hire with no skin in the game at any base, I could see the argument for choosing SAN. Hell, I kinda wanna move down there lol. Being the only airline with a base helps for sure. I am pretty confident that SWA will make that a base, though. They own that airport. Seattle is already overstuffed. I think its a constant boiling point in SEA so growing SAN makes lots of sense. The pain point is how much SEA is coveted by management and how obviously they can't afford any effort to any other base. They are justifying the reduction in SFO. There is literally no mention of why LAX is; they are simply just doing it.

 

Hate to interrupt the MinRest word302 bro fest, but the only way to attract pilots to an airline is by providing a stable place to work that is growing. This airline is only unpredictably shifting flying around while barely growing if at all. It’s gotten so bad that 8 year + pilots are going to be nervously checking this bid not to see if their career is making progress but to see if they will have to commute, disrupt their family life with a move or be forced to downgrade. Or a combination of the above.

If we want to attract pilots we need to establish a pittance of growth of the years and commit to bases with a long term plan. Not threaten the pilot group with taking away their new toy if they can’t make a severely constrained airport work at all times.

 

Ahh cheer up, you'll get a bro someday...

 

I just wish we had a laugh-react feature on this forum. That’s about all I can muster for his drivel anymore.