Call me persistent.

I will say this though, I have gotten every single pilot job I have ever wanted. Usually the offer comes six months after I don't really want the job anymore. If I have made a mistake in regards to Alaska Airlines it has been that I wanted the job too much. We don't always get what we want in life. It is a fact.

I poured nearly 20 years of effort into that dream. My disappointment will not go away overnight if ever. In addition; there are a lot of pilots out there who also dream of Alaska Airlines. They need to know what the odds are too. I wish that someone had filled me in long ago.

Skyhigh

 

I am glad. I hope that is the case.

Skyhigh

 

20 years!?! How old where you when you applied? 40? I am sure Alaska would rather hire someone in their late 20s and early 30s....at least that way they can get some more time out of them. 35+ years instead of only 25 years of service would seem to be a better investment to me.

 

I was 41 when I was hired, and I was only the 3rd oldest in my class in '06. The youngest guy was 29. Age might have been a problem years ago, but all the airlines are hiring (when they hire) pilots in their 40's and even 50's sometimes.

 

I wonder if that means that we will see a lot more "lifers" here at the regionals because I am sure being 41 or even in some cases close to 50 would be really hard to leave a nice $60,000-$70,000 a year job flying an RJ to go to $40,000 first year with a family. Even though second year pay or most definitely third year pay would surpass what you were making as a RJ captain.

 

I took my first flight lesson at 14 using paper route money and from day one my goal was Alaska Airlines. I graduated college just before the last big recession of the early 1990s. Most of my graduating class never even got their first job. I however held on and struggled for 6 years before things began to get better.

By the time I was able to get hired by my first regional I was nearly 30 and was the lowest time guy in class with nearly 4000 hours. There just wasn't an opportunity for me until then. Over the years I passed through what most people would consider to be a good jobs along the way, but my goal was elsewhere. I did not want to merely fly for a living. I wanted to fly for Alaska Airlines and every career decision I made was in consideration of those ends.

When I was laid off at 36 I knew it was over. I had been able to interview at Alaska a few times but now that I was bounded out of the industry and had to start over I knew that my dream was now out of reach. As you mentioned Alaska Airlines begins to pass experienced pilots by once they reach 40. My goal was to get on with them before reaching 35.

New pilots who are trying to break into the job market today will have the same problems as my generation did. Your careers will be stagnant for a considerable period of time. When things do finally begin to move again there will be a younger generation of pilots breathing down your neck.

Skyhigh

 

The problem for most is that once you reach a place where you are competitive enough to reach a major you are an older senior regional captain who has a family to consider. You can become trapped in the regional and when your dream comes calling have to let it go by. It is not easy to start over in a strange town at 24K and on reserve again.

Skyhigh

 

Point taken. The first 2 years of low pay almost cleared out my savings, but broke even with 3rd years pay. And the retirement benefit is something I knew I needed in a hurry. But the regional I was at was definately not someplace I could spend a career, even though it felt like I was with 9 years there!