Question for an Alaska Airlines pilot
 

Hey guys

I was wondering what the past hiring minimums were for Alaska Airlines? TT, PIC, etc...

That is it...no other questions or debate need be brought up! I know Alaska has pilots furloughed and I know no one is hiring and wont be hiring for a while. My long term goal is Alaska Airlines. Originally from Seattle area and have a couple of family members flying for them. (they just couldn't remember what the mins were since hired over 20 years ago)

Thanks guys and congrats on getting some of your much deserved money back!

I got this from FLTops.com. Alaska requires applicants to have flown 50 hours within the past 12 months, an ATP, a four year degree, First Class Medical, vision correctable to 20/20 and applicants must not be users of nicotine products.

If memory serves, as of 2 years ago, the total time requirement was 2000 hours. They had dropped the turbine PIC time down to 750. Also, if you were a Horizon pilot and had 2000 hours w/ Horizon (even in the right seat), you could apply. They couldn't get many Horizon captains to leave for ALK.

My advice for you would be to keep your options open when it comes to airline employment. When the airlines start hiring again, look around and do your homework before you choose an airline you want to fly for.

Don't put all your eggs in the Alaska basket because you're from Seattle. That's all.

Good luck.

-H

Thanks!!!! I totally agree with you regarding looking elsewhere too but it is definitely at the top of my list.

Thanks again!

Tell all your buddies that want to come here too that when you won't have access to the A plan that's on property to join up with all the other pilots that ALPA screwed.....

Management wants a divided pilot group, they've now got one.

Change starts now.....

Well Sir, I am sorry that Southwest interview hasn't worked out for you yet. Once again, this wasn't suppose to be a bashing thread. It was only to ask a simple question.

Ok, so you've always wanted to come here? Great. So, how do you feel that you won't have access to the A plan but the people above you will and they sold you out to keep it that way? Does that sit well with you? Let's get a potential new-hires opinion.....

Well sir, no, to be honest that does suck and I am sorry. I have certainly not been in this industry as long as you but it hasn't taken me very long to realize that not everyone gets what they want. Someone always gets screwed. And while I will always support you and the other pilots in your protest to this, I also am reminded that these older guys will not be in the industry forever. Eventually you will along with these other pilots who have gotten sold out will be on top and able to invoke a strong pull in getting that changed hopefully by the next contract negotiations. Until then, the little guy always gets stepped on. Is it fair? Hello no but it is the aviation industry. I don't approve of it or welcome it at all but I have accepted the fact that it happens.

I was a 17 year captain at Horizon and tried many times to go to Alaska.

It seams that if you are a pilot at Horizon but do not have a very close or relative at Alaska, your chances are nil.

That's funny. I was at Horizon and didn't have any relative at alaska, but got hired the first time. Plus I know several other guys that don't have relatives there and got hired the first time.

Time to look in the mirror.

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).

Persistant
 

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

That is great!
 

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.

Goals
 

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

Common Problem
 

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!