rickair7777

They have no formal flow, AS has shifted much new flying to OO, upgrade has historically been long, and they have a lot a turboprops (although they are growing jets, that has not gone as well as planned).

QX is good if you're hell-bent on living in one of their bases, and not in a big hurry to upgrade and move (but SWA really likes TPIC).

Swingline78

Don't go near anything touching Alaska airlines group right now unless you are a die hard PNW guy (which I get it if you are). No one is happy there. Just check out the knife fight going on over on the Alaska boards. Horizon has a good people working there, like all places, but their management is not making stellar decisions for their employees. They are an all pain and no promises organization. Just go to Skywest, Envoy or whatever suck up the crappy location for like 5 years and then pick your major. It's going to be a seller's market

fenix1

Many thanks. I understand the fact that 5/6th’s of the QX fleet today is turboprops, although I get very mixed inputs on how much turboprop vs turbofan really matters toward getting picked up by a major or legacy (especially considering the challenging flying that QX does with the Q400’s). Does SWA only count turbofan (NOT turboprop) time toward the 1000 TPIC in their application process?

QX staffing was an issue in the recent past (cancelled a bunch of flights), but now resolved (actually a surplus of E175 crews as I understand it). Near as I can see, the E175 flying originally intended for QX but now being shifted to OO is fallout from the strategic decision by Alaska Air Group to delay E175 deliveries for financial reasons to pretty up the books post-merger with VX (with that flying done by OO-owned E175’s instead). Is there more to the story?

fenix1

Thanks a lot - I’m watching post-merger Alaska (AS) closely, but I’m so far from a major or legacy that they could well be right side up again by when I’d get the call.

We’d really like to make The Rockies home for the long haul, but may end up doing exactly as you suggested - taking a 5-ish year business trip to the Midwest or East for a regional in a great spot, only to work back west back for the destination job (SWA out of DEN would be phenomenal!).

ipdanno

You will note is says "TPIC", not TpPIC or TfPIC.

A new hire classmate (in 2008) had no straight jet time, just 1900s and SAABs. He was our junior bubba, at 27 yrs old.

SWA does not seem to prejudice turboprop time at all. I had 4000 hrs using the Allison T56A7 slinging around big Ham-Sandwich four-bladed barn doors. And 4000 hrs of the first gen high bypass turbofan, the GE TF39. Which was more fun? 😜