As an aside, SWA pilots don't have a defined benefit retirement plan and they seem happy with their situation.

I second that statement.
 

Give me a class list and some time and I can sleuth out the connection that got most every new hire his/her job at Alaska. Almost every time there is a family, military buddy or political connection of some kind.

During my time at Horizon Air 4 pilots were hires at Alaska from Horizon Air and 80 were hired from Skywest.

SKyhigh

Daddy says
 

I will never forget the time I met a young commuter airline FO in Alaska. He told me that has "Daddy" got hime his job at the commuter airline. He want on to say that "Daddy wants me to stay here until he thinks I am ready for Alaska Airlines". I thought he was joking until I saw him in the Anchorage airport two years later in an Alaskan Airlines uniform.

Skyhigh

Just thought I'd throw this out there.....If Alaska (Air Group) hires a Horizon pilot doesn't that just double the training cost for the Air Group because now the new Horizon pilot needs to be trained too? It's all about the benjamin's!!!:D

No. Alaska would be hiring someone anyway. The pilot is obviously not going to stay at Horizon, so they would have to train someone anyway. And, it has the effect of lowering the overall seniority at Horizon, thus lowering overall pilot costs in the long run. The study was done several years ago by Alaska ALPA and Horizon IBT and was found to actually save the airgroup millions a year if they only hired Horizon guys.

I think Alaska puts ALOT of weight on internal recs. It's their right and I don't begrudge that. I know some great guys there. I can't say that's why they were hired but they did have a friend or two there. Still, great pilots and would let my family fly with them anytime!

My suspicion on the importance of the recs come from the recent CVR transcript where one of the pilots wanted to only work for Alaska. The pilot was not in a hurry to upgrade for PIC time building because the pilot knew someone and wouldn't need the normal 1000 PIC, 'just some'.

I'm not trying to debate the CVR, incident, etc,. Just pointing to a recent source of internal rec, implied, importance. I concede the fact that the pilot was not under oath, the truth in the statement is based on the pilots point of view, etc. I'm just saying it has been said.

Hiring practices
 

Their hiring practices over the last ten years suggest otherwise.

Skyhigh

Breif Window
 

Between 2000 and 2002 there was a brief window of real opportunity at Alaska Airlines. They were loosing pilots to other airlines like Delta, UAL and SWA. At the time they seemed like a better deal. Alaska had hired up everyone who was on the friends and family plan and had to reach out to actual applicants.

If I recall they hired between 200 and 300 pilots per year during those years. Now that most other airlines have decomposed to parity with Alaska I am sure that pilots will stay put. The attrition rate will reduce back to its average of 50 pilots per year. Good luck to anyone who has hopes of working there and is a total outsider.

SKyhigh

Dude, you really need to move on in your life. We don't always get what we want. You need to realize that it's over. Move on!!!!!!

During my 2007 class there were more than 4 of us from Horizon. Actually, looking at the seniority list there are a lot of former Horizon pilots. I do however see your point, there have certainly been some periods of time where they seem to not prefer Horizon pilots. At the time I was hired they seemed less interested in internal rec's and more interested in where you were from (i.e. the Pacific Northwest and Alaska).