Definitely going junior. The last bid went very junior. We aren’t getting all the info.. that’s for sure.

 

If you saw what this bid looks like on paper, it would make a tone of sense. It’s honestly brilliant!

 

“10 leased A319s in the fleet; 9 A320s which have not completed cabin modification. Will not return to scheduled service. Will replace the flying these 19 planes were doing with the 737 MAX’s on order.”
Pretty cut and dried.
Permanent reduction of a fleet requires a reduction bid. 12 pilots per airplane sounds about right. Normally we build a training bubble to reduce a fleet. This is a freebie for Alaska Airlines.

 

They will have to downgrade 400-500 if this is the theory. The 120 airbus captains aren’t the most Jr.

Downgrades would be deep into 07’ hires....

Sadly though, if they decide to park more AC with no MAX’s to replace, this may be reality.

 

ah 400-500 downgrades for 19 planes is really bad public math. I keep hearing if things don’t turnaround another 12 320’s gone.

Some of the 120 displaced off the 320 are most certainly in the bottom 120 CA’s at the company

 

I did significant mil leave at another airline. Their AQP training system allowed an absence of at least two years (in my case) and think it can be up to three without requiring a full training event on return. It was a very minimal refresher, one day ground, couple sims and a checkride (LOE), and a little OE.

That might be your answer. If they're already paying the pilots and instructors anyway, and own or are otherwise obligated to the sim capacity, might as well use it now. When they get furloughed, they're a full-up 737 round, just need to wipe off the dust before sticking 'em in the breech when they return.

Otherwise they (well Uncle Sugar) pays bus pilots to sit around all summer, and then when they get recalled they'd have to pay them for months of training.

Obviously this only works well if the bid goes junior (bus vs. 73 at most airlines, that is how it works).

 

Darn, thought I was gonna have paid time off during the summer for once. Guess I’ll be joining the other delinquent kids for Guppy 101 in summer school this June. 🤦Is summer in Seattle as nice as they say it is?

 

It's awful. June gloom. Summer doesn't start until after the 4th of july. Actually it's pretty amazing. Start practicing boeing
yoga to shoe horn yourself into the seat. It ain't like the bus. I miss my tray table.

 

The training costs are artificially low due to the lack of line flying. Pilots and instructors are on the payroll until Sept 30 anyway whether they are training or home on reserve doing nothing so no extra labor cost. Alaska 737 sims not an extra cost whether they sit idle or are being used. So the cost of training would be hotel rooms (which are cheap right now) and per diem. There are some other costs like moving costs maybe for pilots that chose to move. If they see a future of moving more pilots to the 737 from an economic standpoint it seems pretty smart actually. Hopefully things pick up and there are no furloughs. If a furlough happened a downgrade is basically one ride in the right seat. So the company is in good shape for a pickup in flying which they said would be on the Max or a slowdown.

 

Haha!! Spot on! I’m 5’10 and 175 pounds and cramp up every time I have to squirm into or out of the seat. I ask my FO’s how the heck those 300 pounders do it(?!)

I miss the room and the tray table of the Bus. I like the way the 737 flies though, comparatively speaking.