Alaska Air Hiring
#7601
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You'd have to get that info from SWA people. Preferably junior-ish people in the base you want.
Their contract will happen. How long it takes depends on mgt philosophy...
If they want to grow and compete they'll need to attract and retain pilots, and should have already done a deal, just like everybody else.
If they're praying for a good recession so they can enjoy below-industry labor costs for some years to come that would explain their current behavior.
"assume..."
Again IMO it depends on age. If you're older, how long do you want to suck it up in case that assumption doesn't pan out. Also they do have some structural issues, they haven't fixed their software yet and another big holiday meltdown might require hey park some planes until they can
If the base is a wash (If Bay Area, both are junior) then the schedules matter, and the type of flying.
For pure days off SWA would have a historical leg up but AS has PBS around the corner with strong associated rules.
I guess I would say that SWA carries some uncertainty. You are of course free to incur some risk in hopes of greater reward, but I do some risk.
Their contract will happen. How long it takes depends on mgt philosophy...
If they want to grow and compete they'll need to attract and retain pilots, and should have already done a deal, just like everybody else.
If they're praying for a good recession so they can enjoy below-industry labor costs for some years to come that would explain their current behavior.
"assume..."
Again IMO it depends on age. If you're older, how long do you want to suck it up in case that assumption doesn't pan out. Also they do have some structural issues, they haven't fixed their software yet and another big holiday meltdown might require hey park some planes until they can
If the base is a wash (If Bay Area, both are junior) then the schedules matter, and the type of flying.
For pure days off SWA would have a historical leg up but AS has PBS around the corner with strong associated rules.
I guess I would say that SWA carries some uncertainty. You are of course free to incur some risk in hopes of greater reward, but I do some risk.
I suppose I should start another thread that's essentially "AK or WN: where would you go?" The two airlines are very different in terms of culture, but they do share the same airframe, the same upgrade time, two major metro area bases, and fairly similar route network west of Denver. As far as I can tell, junior line holders at both airlines get approx 16-17 days of. So for West Coast based pilots with opportunities to go to either carrier, it's probably not an easy decision to make.
Of course, this is all moot if WN actually strikes and the pay scales remain where they are; you've got to hand it to AK for doing right by their pilots, with the new contract and pay. But the odds of WN management letting it get to the point of a strike (over the holiday travel season?) seem vanishingly low. Right? Or no?
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#7602
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I suppose I should start another thread that's essentially "AK or WN: where would you go?" The two airlines are very different in terms of culture, but they do share the same airframe, the same upgrade time, two major metro area bases, and fairly similar route network west of Denver. As far as I can tell, junior line holders at both airlines get approx 16-17 days of. So for West Coast based pilots with opportunities to go to either carrier, it's probably not an easy decision to make.
AS is a pretty known quantity for the next few years. Improvements have been made, more to come, and some of the old attitudes towards pilots have also improved.
SWA will get a contract, but their long-term culture is questionable. Personally I don't give a rip about kool-aid culture either way, but rather a culture of win-win cooperation with their most critical labor group. AS seems to be doing better at that, while SWA might have decided that they want to revert to LCC model wrt to the pilots. They were the best place to work (pax) for many years, but they kind of fell into that by accident. So maybe they don't really want to be there.
If SWA has specific features which you really like, such as you're a morning person and never want to stay up late, then SWA seems pretty predictable in that sense.
As I said, I would have made a different call 5 years ago, but things change.
Of course, this is all moot if WN actually strikes and the pay scales remain where they are; you've got to hand it to AK for doing right by their pilots, with the new contract and pay. But the odds of WN management letting it get to the point of a strike (over the holiday travel season?) seem vanishingly low. Right? Or no?
So if released, and strike looming, the company would come to the table with something good. The trick is getting released, and management knows it.
#7603
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,107
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Rick, I've always really valued the wisdom you've shared on these forums over the years. I'm quite curious: what do you perceive as the risk of going to SWA? Sorry to derail an Alaska thread, but I imagine there are many pilots who are facing a similar choice (especially If you're West Coast, as AK
I suppose I should start another thread that's essentially "AK or WN: where would you go?" The two airlines are very different in terms of culture, but they do share the same airframe, the same upgrade time, two major metro area bases, and fairly similar route network west of Denver.
I suppose I should start another thread that's essentially "AK or WN: where would you go?" The two airlines are very different in terms of culture, but they do share the same airframe, the same upgrade time, two major metro area bases, and fairly similar route network west of Denver.
Alaska under 5 years.
SWA close to 10.
#7604
Living The Dream
Joined APC: Jan 2023
Posts: 103
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I'm in good shape, just want others to have the full picture.
#7605
#7606
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,107
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Doesn’t look like our new Contract didn’t hurt the company’s bottom line.
Not a bad Q3. Especially, when the APC financial geniuses were predicting doom and gloom. Well, they were parroting entertainment articles disguised as financial news. AA should also be going bankrupt soon according to them.
Not a bad Q3. Especially, when the APC financial geniuses were predicting doom and gloom. Well, they were parroting entertainment articles disguised as financial news. AA should also be going bankrupt soon according to them.
#7607
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,107
#7608
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Question though -- with all the ex-Bus guys transitioning to the 73, might that not change the equation? I imagine a bunch of senior Bus FOs would be upgrading to SFO 737 CA, and thereby pushing the upgrade time up quite a bit. No? Without access to the standing bid list I have no clue, alas...
#7609
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Position: Precarious
Posts: 386
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Thank you! As I live in SFO, that is quite a significant data point to consider.
Question though -- with all the ex-Bus guys transitioning to the 73, might that not change the equation? I imagine a bunch of senior Bus FOs would be upgrading to SFO 737 CA, and thereby pushing the upgrade time up quite a bit. No? Without access to the standing bid list I have no clue, alas...
Question though -- with all the ex-Bus guys transitioning to the 73, might that not change the equation? I imagine a bunch of senior Bus FOs would be upgrading to SFO 737 CA, and thereby pushing the upgrade time up quite a bit. No? Without access to the standing bid list I have no clue, alas...
#7610
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Thank you! Another question: I assume AK is pretty committed to SFO as a base? I get that the closure of all Bus bases and the retirement of the entire Bus fleet was a one-time thing that everyone kinda saw coming for quite some time, but it's not often that a major carrier fully retires a fleet type and closes multiple bases. Given AK's apparently more cautious growth pace than other carriers (UA, SWA all have very aggressive plans) — is it safe to say that SFO/737 will likely be a thing at AK for years to come? I realize this is the airline industry and plans can change in a heartbeat, but just curious as to the level of confidence that SFO will remain a growing base (or just a base at all) for the foreseeable future....
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