Sioux58Papa

Is a future QX Hub/Focus City in San Francisco likely?

I understand in (hopefully) 2019, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines will operate under a single operating certificate. Looking at how Alaska operates, they’re probably going to introduce feeder service at SFO in order to fill their mainline flights. Since Alaska has five 175s ordered through Skywest which operates heavily out of SFO, would there still be enough space for Horizon to operate Q-400s. Even if there were, would they add more Horizon air flights even though they’re cutting flights due to to pilot shortage? Even so, it seems like the Q-400 would be a great addition to SFO. Skywest or Horizon 175s can fly long distance small capacity routes, while the Q-400s fly into smaller cities (for example Monterrey, Arcata, and Redding) in California under 400 miles. These would directly compete with United, but increase load factor on mainline flights out of SFO. Personally, I have no clue what Alaska’s plan is regarding SFO and none of the other pilots here at UND have interest in anything of this sort...

Let the roasting begin

snackysmores

It's very likely PDX and SEA will be the only bases left in 2018. They might open a jet base somewhere in CA but who knows.

CurseURedBaron

There’s talk of closing all 4 other bases? Why? Aren’t they still attempting or claiming to be attempting to expand service?

OregonAviator

Why would we even be considering closing bases right now? Seriously if Boise and Spokane go away I'm just going to have to find somewhere else to work. That's just going to cause more people to leave in my opinion....

Btoflyer

I heard something similar from a Portland QX chief pilot a few weeks ago, but it was in the form of a best guess as well - PDX and SEA would be the only bases left in a few years.

The only thing that's not certain, especially in this industry, is the future.

snackysmores

Because staffing is a major issue for them and CS could control everyone's lives more efficiently if they were in PDX or SEA. That's why.

SIUav8er

ha! closing GEG and BOI would be a MAJOR blow to moral and recruiting. Although I doubt this place conciders these things. GEG and BOI bases are probably the largest reason anyone comes to this airline anymore. Closing those bases would be a mistake.

Ispeakjive

Don't worry, SkyWest already has a base in BOI and will likely do GEG soon.

Rangi

Yes. This is exactly the logic the Captain espoused on the webcam pulse meeting when asked about base closures. Paraphrasing, but something to the effect of “absolutely we are looking at closing bases. Reserve pilots are very expensive to begin with, and at the moment, we have to cancel flights because they are never where we need them. We now have the analytics in place to look at better methods of distributing our pilots and will be doing so over the coming weeks.”

Up here in Anc where most of us haven’t flown in AK in months and get deadheaded down south every week, one can more readily see that this is where they are going cause moving us around is a bit extreme for them, but they have been doing it for 8 months.

By constricting the crew bases, it is far easier to schedule us.

I’m in the not if but when camp.