What is all these rumors flying around about a meeting in SFO with company management and the Horizon Negotiating team regarding e-195 or C series aircraft?

 

Not a rumor. An email was sent to QX pilots from the union talking about the meeting.

 

What will it take for Alaska pilots to realize they need real scope?

That would set a terrible precedent for all the Legacies going forward...

 

If there is even a shred of truth to this rumor I hope the Alaska pilots in no uncertain terms let management know that this is a declaration of war!
Sadly what I see happening is management using the threat of outsourcing the aircraft to extract a B scale on a smaller aircraft for the mainline.

 

Wow! If true that demonstrates a real negotiations failure by the AS pilots. For those lifer Horizon pilots who care, the C-Series would be a better ride and offer more route flexibility (Stockton to Kahalui is a possibility with the C-Series from what I read). Plus, given the predominate Bombardier Q400 fleet, no doubt Bombardier is trying to upsell.

These planes should be flown by mainline pilots - but the AS guys will have dropped the ball in this case if the rumor is true.

 

The meeting did in fact occur...but meetings like this have happened at QX before in the past. This is an effort by new QX president to improve his airline. He, like many before at QX does not like the q400 or some of the other decisions that "previous" management made (like the 6 base plan). So with 15 Q400 leases about to expire, QX has an opportunity. Rather then replace them with 15 more Qs, they want to replace them with 15 jets.

Two giant problems! First they have to get that idea past the Airgroup Investment board (a historically conservative body, not apt to separate itself from it's cash supply). Second, they have to find the pilots to fly them, an increasingly difficult challenge.

The next time you run into a QX pilot ask them what there staffing situation is like. Their current scheduling coverage program relys on on paying 200% pay to cover trips (50% over and above the CBA), and running classes at the maximum that the schoolhouse will allow.

What the true problem is not that QX will be taking away Alaska and mainline routes, it is how will Alaska feed it's 900ERs to Hawaii, with PAX stuck in QX cities unable to get to Seattle.

 

Whether QX gets jets or AS pilots get jammed with the b-scale, one thing is for sure; the "I got mine" crowd, which is the majority, will all thump their chest at first but will fold over $2/hour and throw the rest of us under the bus. AS boys and gals have NEVER stood up to management. Oh the -900 pay.... that was just luck! Not pessimism, just reality. Our guys tend to take a butter knife to a gun fight. Scope? What's Scope?

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

Penair? Alaska is excited to have us in Portland now. Supposedly they are wanting us to start feeding them on routes where the Q200 used to go.

 

Like the precedent hasn't already been set with Republic/Frontier and the A320/E190?