New Alaska TA

Skåning said:
I think the company will have a SAN base in the next few years, but I wouldn't make big life choices until it actually happened.



Don't believe anything a chief pilot says, good or bad.
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Opening a SAN base has been asked in the last couple all pilot calls, sounds like there aren’t enough departures per day and not consistent enough for now. I agree, I don’t think I’d make career decisions based on a base maybe opening sometime in the future. It could be they are lying about the number of applicants in order to boost the number of applications, maybe it was just a snapshot from shortly after the window re-opened. Who knows, but I think the lowering of mins to 1,500hrs says a lot.
 
alaskadrifter said:
Opening a SAN base has been asked in the last couple all pilot calls, sounds like there aren’t enough departures per day and not consistent enough for now
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When the buses are all parked next year I think it will make sense. Single fleet will offer some flexibility. But since they can’t handle the operation of the bases they currently have, piling another on probably won’t be very smooth.
 
Maurus said:
A universe where regional pilots are paid more money.
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The rates paid for a regional have nothing to do with rates at a major. The increase in regional pay are designed to solve one very specific problem. They are not "value of a pilot" rates.
 
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alaskadrifter said:
Opening a SAN base has been asked in the last couple all pilot calls, sounds like there aren’t enough departures per day and not consistent enough for now. I agree, I don’t think I’d make career decisions based on a base maybe opening sometime in the future. It could be they are lying about the number of applicants in order to boost the number of applications, maybe it was just a snapshot from shortly after the window re-opened. Who knows, but I think the lowering of mins to 1,500hrs says a lot.
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At one point a management type threw out that 40 departures a day warranted the opening of a base. There was even a bid out before the pandemic for a SEA bus base for that reason. Who knows if that number still applies.
 
Even though @SlumTodd_Millionaire ignored the first two questions in my post and only chose to respond to the fact that I didn't see any reason why a CP would admit only 277 people applied to Eskimo....

Let's just assume for now its fact. Please don't argue about that.

I would be curious to see if anyone else had thoughts about:

- How we got to this point?
- How we fix it?
 
alaskadrifter said:
Opening a SAN base has been asked in the last couple all pilot calls, sounds like there aren’t enough departures per day and not consistent enough for now. I agree, I don’t think I’d make career decisions based on a base maybe opening sometime in the future. It could be they are lying about the number of applicants in order to boost the number of applications, maybe it was just a snapshot from shortly after the window re-opened. Who knows, but I think the lowering of mins to 1,500hrs says a lot.
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But are they actually going to be hiring people at 1500? Probably not. I think DL, UA and everyone else is advertising 1500 hrs. but to get a call you need at least 2000. Maybe up to and including 4000 hrs.
 
BEEF SUPREME said:
Even though @SlumTodd_Millionaire ignored the first two questions in my post and only chose to respond to the fact that I didn't see any reason why a CP would admit only 277 people applied to Eskimo....

Let's just assume for now its fact. Please don't argue about that.

I would be curious to see if anyone else had thoughts about:

- How we got to this point?
- How we fix it?
Click to expand...

I like how some 18% AS pilots like to pretend these are AS problems only. News flash, this pilot attrition and hiring issue is at EVERY major pax carrier outside the big 3. Literally every single one!

I’m gonna guess the CP misspoke. The app window opens usually for about 2 weeks and it’s hard to imagine “only” 277 people applying.

In the rare event that it wasn’t the case, your two questions posed are NOT for the pilot body to answer. That is a management role. They obviously feel going forward that $100/hr should be enough to get people. If this doesn’t work, it will be up to them increase the pay/QOL package. Even then, I don’t see it working.


The future is airline-sponsored AND paid for abinitio and flying Boeings and Airbuses at 300-500 hrs. It will be a shocker in America, but the world has been doing this for decades.
 
BobDDuck said:
The rates paid for a regional have nothing to do with rates at a major. The increase in regional pay are designed to solve one very specific problem. They are not "value of a pilot" rates.
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You aren't wrong. I was just giving the perspective of pilots that just look at pay when valuing a contract. Regional rates will matter in their brains.

That said, if I was still at PSA I would currently be paid more than my CA is getting paid on my current trip to Europe. Odd world we live in.
 
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BEEF SUPREME said:
Even though @SlumTodd_Millionaire ignored the first two questions in my post and only chose to respond to the fact that I didn't see any reason why a CP would admit only 277 people applied to Eskimo....

Let's just assume for now its fact. Please don't argue about that.

I would be curious to see if anyone else had thoughts about:

- How we got to this point?
- How we fix it?
Click to expand...

If it is actually fact then it could pressure them to make another pay increase. If Alaska has issues staffing they will have to do something to attract pilots. I wouldn't be worried yet. If that trend is true and continues I would expect some LOAs with pay/QOL changes.

That said, Alaska is a smaller airline with bases only in a specific part of the US. That can really limit their pool of pilots. Especially since the legacies have some pretty good overlap with Alaska bases. The flexibility other airlines can provide can be huge over a multi-decade career.

A lot to think about when choosing a destination to land at for 20+ years.
 
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SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
Doesn’t matter.



You don’t. It’s not your problem to fix.
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It’s amazing how the entire time we were voting on a contract the overwhelming fear based narrative was that we had to accept our contract and not ask for more because the economy was about to tank.

But any other simple supply and demand issue or more importantly one that gives pilots direct leverage in negotiation… well that just isn’t our problem.

The cognitive dissonance is deafening. When I start to wonder how we got here I just have to look at pilots.


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BEEF SUPREME said:
It’s amazing how the entire time we were voting on a contract the overwhelming fear based narrative was that we had to accept our contract and not ask for more because the economy was about to tank.

But any other simple supply and demand issue or more importantly one that gives pilots direct leverage in negotiation… well that just isn’t our problem.

The cognitive dissonance is deafening. When I start to wonder how we got here I just have to look at pilots.


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Your point doesn’t make any sense. An economic downturn is your problem, because it means that your leverage may soon disappear and you should get what you can get before you can’t. A hiring shortage (if it actually exists) isn’t your problem, though. If it becomes a big enough problem, management will come to you to resolve it. Until then, not your circus.
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
Your point doesn’t make any sense. An economic downturn is your problem, because it means that your leverage may soon disappear and you should get what you can get before you can’t. A hiring shortage (if it actually exists) isn’t your problem, though. If it becomes a big enough problem, management will come to you to resolve it. Until then, not your circus.
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So you’re saying that something that takes away my leverage is my problem and I should vote in fear based on that but something that gives me leverage isn’t something I should take advantage of?

OK


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BEEF SUPREME said:
So you’re saying that something that takes away my leverage is my problem and I should vote in fear based on that but something that gives me leverage isn’t something I should take advantage of?

OK


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No, I’m telling you that you don’t have any leverage until they come to ALPA looking for solutions to their problem.
 
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