USN88
Well-Known Member
I gotcha. Thanks! I read on the other boards that DL's vacation is a sore subject amongst their pilots as well. Are you saying it's lacking because of the credit or just overall?
Alaska Air?
- Thread starter USN88
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SmoothLanderJ
Well-Known Member
USN88 said:
I just think overall. Im not 100% about other airlines but I belive they have a system in place that whatever trip vacation touches gets dropped. .plus you get credit for those trips...and vacation is paid at 5hr a day
Dan208B
Well-Known Member
Very easy for lineholders. The way it works here is that you are awarded a line and then we go through 2 phases of trading with a pot of open time trips. I would say it works better for senior people but most people end up trading some stuff around. You can also do simple trip trading after final line awards are made and we have a nice system to do it with. Usually lots of things listed on the board from 4 day trips through a turn worth only a few hours. Reservists cannot trade a trip once awarded but you can "trade with self" which is essentially trading your reserve days for days off. This is provided that it won't cause an issue putting them below minimum reserve coverage levels, so about half the time. Wouldn't worry too much about that at the moment as most people aren't on reserve very long. Reserve is easy an nice here with a lot of flexibility however.
SmoothLanderJ
Well-Known Member
Dan208B said:
In my opinion if you dont get something during 1st 2nd step trading you're pretty much stuck with what you got. Ive had marginal success trip trading, but I cant help but find the process of trading trips more like pulling teeth.
RMCBear08
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the great info guys! As someone who grew up in AK, flew up there and would eventually like to get back, AS is the "prettiest girl in the bar" for me as far as airlines go. Just gotta knock a few back and get my courage up now... 
What do you guys forsee becoming of the ANC base/AK flying in general? I know QX basically does all of the ANC-FAI routes these days, and while we don't have to get deep into scope right now (I've read all about it on APC), would smaller jets eventually replace the 73s up there you think?
What do you guys forsee becoming of the ANC base/AK flying in general? I know QX basically does all of the ANC-FAI routes these days, and while we don't have to get deep into scope right now (I've read all about it on APC), would smaller jets eventually replace the 73s up there you think?
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Cheechako
Well-Known Member
I just passed my 9 year mark here at Alaska and am still totally enjoying the job (especially now that I just passed my upgrade systems test!). I've been Anchorage based the entire time, live here, and love it. It's been the junior base during my tenure, but I think that's going to change soon on the captain side. ANC has tripled in size in the last 8 years causing it to be the junior base. FO's hired up here are starting to fill in the captain list and we're not going anywhere. The FO list has been a revolving door of commuters for the bottom third which will probably continue for the foreseeable future- that said, there have been new hire slots in just about every base in each bid. I haven't looked at retirements system-wide, but there's not going to be much movement in ANC until the mid-2020's. We're a fairly young base. Personally, I'll never see the top 5 on the list- too many youngsters above me.
Alaska has a long tradition of a loyal customer base and the company has really zeroed in on expanding that base. They are very customer-focused and that has trickled down into Flight Ops. I'm in upgrade training now and every "in charge" person that addressed our class emphasized that flight ops/dispatch/scheduling/training/chief pilot office is in the customer service business. We, the pilots, are their customers. It replaces the "you do what we say, when we say, and ask no questions or else..." attitude. From the top down, this is a company striving for excellence and success. We have a team of execs who are very smart and can think outside the box- and it shows with record profits, growth, and top customer service ratings.... more Cool-ade? Yes, please.
As with any job, there are aspects that don't meet expectations, but no place is perfect and you're kidding yourself if think you'll find it. Vacation bidding is one of those areas that was formulated in some long-gone contract (although they just added the ability to trade vacation days- HUGE improvement). Trips are still built with the bottom line in mind and sometimes that doesn't mesh with QOL or even safety (we have pilots who pour over the pairings and very often flag outright unsafe ones). Our fatigue policy is very empowering and really helps us pilots when things get downright ugly. Pay is in the top end of average. I'm not quite convinced the migration to 401(k) retirement was the best option- the burden is now on me to manage the fund- scary if you're not at all investment savvy. On the other hand, that money is mine and can't be bargained, merged, or raped in bankruptcy 15 years from now.
I still haven't figured out the magic formula for getting hired. It's highly competitive and I think the resume stack is big- can't help here! Go to every job fair you can to get face time.
ok... I've rambled on enough....
Alaska has a long tradition of a loyal customer base and the company has really zeroed in on expanding that base. They are very customer-focused and that has trickled down into Flight Ops. I'm in upgrade training now and every "in charge" person that addressed our class emphasized that flight ops/dispatch/scheduling/training/chief pilot office is in the customer service business. We, the pilots, are their customers. It replaces the "you do what we say, when we say, and ask no questions or else..." attitude. From the top down, this is a company striving for excellence and success. We have a team of execs who are very smart and can think outside the box- and it shows with record profits, growth, and top customer service ratings.... more Cool-ade? Yes, please.
As with any job, there are aspects that don't meet expectations, but no place is perfect and you're kidding yourself if think you'll find it. Vacation bidding is one of those areas that was formulated in some long-gone contract (although they just added the ability to trade vacation days- HUGE improvement). Trips are still built with the bottom line in mind and sometimes that doesn't mesh with QOL or even safety (we have pilots who pour over the pairings and very often flag outright unsafe ones). Our fatigue policy is very empowering and really helps us pilots when things get downright ugly. Pay is in the top end of average. I'm not quite convinced the migration to 401(k) retirement was the best option- the burden is now on me to manage the fund- scary if you're not at all investment savvy. On the other hand, that money is mine and can't be bargained, merged, or raped in bankruptcy 15 years from now.
I still haven't figured out the magic formula for getting hired. It's highly competitive and I think the resume stack is big- can't help here! Go to every job fair you can to get face time.
ok... I've rambled on enough....
RMCBear08
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting that Cheechako! Always great to get an insider's take on things.
Found this over on APC and enjoyed the listen; it's a podcast that AS pilot Mike Swanigan does and his guest this week was CP John Hornibrook. Most of what they talked about was his background and his rise to being the AS CP, but they also got into the hiring forecast for the next year and what they are looking for in a candidate. Give it a listen!
Found this over on APC and enjoyed the listen; it's a podcast that AS pilot Mike Swanigan does and his guest this week was CP John Hornibrook. Most of what they talked about was his background and his rise to being the AS CP, but they also got into the hiring forecast for the next year and what they are looking for in a candidate. Give it a listen!
alaskadrifter
Landing gear operator
I can't build time fast enough!
Rodger Wilco
Well-Known Member
Tons of great information. Thanks for sharing
RMCBear08
Well-Known Member
Got the TBNT email last week from the hiring team, which was a little odd considering I applied at the last opening which, if I remember correctly was like a year ago. Sounds like lots of others got the same email and seemed to think they were "purging" the system in anticipation of opening another window.
Then the next day got the email about joining the Alaska Airlines "talent community" via Smart Recruiters. Filled out a profile and submitted it. My question to anybody at AS is, are they replacing their old online hiring process in favor of this new "talent community", or is this just another way for them to get to know you during the process?
BTW, for anyone filling out a profile for AS on Smart Recruiters, double/triple check everything before you submit it as you cannot edit any of your info once it is sent off (or at least I haven't found a way). I goofed up on my first, so I did it all over again. There seems to be no limit on how many times you can submit a profile.
Then the next day got the email about joining the Alaska Airlines "talent community" via Smart Recruiters. Filled out a profile and submitted it. My question to anybody at AS is, are they replacing their old online hiring process in favor of this new "talent community", or is this just another way for them to get to know you during the process?
BTW, for anyone filling out a profile for AS on Smart Recruiters, double/triple check everything before you submit it as you cannot edit any of your info once it is sent off (or at least I haven't found a way). I goofed up on my first, so I did it all over again. There seems to be no limit on how many times you can submit a profile.
Dan208B
Well-Known Member
They don't tell us anything. I have never heard of anything like this, it's all new. I spoke with someone else that did this and was invited for a phone interview this week which has not been a part of the process. If I hear anything I'll post it.
Dan208B
Well-Known Member
To me if they call, you are qualified. I think that really means there was some other issue like a lack of maturity or something that they think time might fix.
RMCBear08
Well-Known Member
Spoke with the hiring team at NGPA over the weekend and they wanted to make sure that everybody had signed up and created a profile on their new Smart Recruiters site. It sounds like when the window does open, all their hiring from now on will be through SR (or at least that's the impression I was given).
Make sure you're volunteering and make sure you're attending job fairs. They're well aware they're backed up right now regarding training, so they said patience is key. Sounds like the hiring # for this year is gonna be fairly low, but next year they're predicting much more (as always, followed with the caveat, "but it all depends on what we need")
Make sure you're volunteering and make sure you're attending job fairs. They're well aware they're backed up right now regarding training, so they said patience is key. Sounds like the hiring # for this year is gonna be fairly low, but next year they're predicting much more (as always, followed with the caveat, "but it all depends on what we need")
RMCBear08
Well-Known Member
Keeping the thread alive for those that are interested...
Met with the hiring team last Friday morning at the Northwest Aviation Conference in WA and had a much better experience than at NGPA. Much more organized and got some more face time too. The presentations were really great as well. John Hornibrook was there talking to folks and spoke about the current climate at Alaska and what the future might hold. Really glad I went.
Nothing really new to report on the hiring front unfortunately. They wanted to make sure that you've done your profile on Smart Recruiters, that you're actively volunteering, taking on more responsibilities at your current place of employment and attending the meet and greets. That's really about it.
It sounds like they're looking to hire around 8/mo for the rest of the year starting in March/April on top of those already in the pool (60-70 new pilots for the year). The pool is currently around 80-90 right now, but slowly draining as people bail out, so they might hire a little more, but not much. They're adding something like 15 new planes next year, so they were a little more optimistic that the hiring number will go up then (probably double).
Hurry up and wait basically.
Met with the hiring team last Friday morning at the Northwest Aviation Conference in WA and had a much better experience than at NGPA. Much more organized and got some more face time too. The presentations were really great as well. John Hornibrook was there talking to folks and spoke about the current climate at Alaska and what the future might hold. Really glad I went.
Nothing really new to report on the hiring front unfortunately. They wanted to make sure that you've done your profile on Smart Recruiters, that you're actively volunteering, taking on more responsibilities at your current place of employment and attending the meet and greets. That's really about it.
It sounds like they're looking to hire around 8/mo for the rest of the year starting in March/April on top of those already in the pool (60-70 new pilots for the year). The pool is currently around 80-90 right now, but slowly draining as people bail out, so they might hire a little more, but not much. They're adding something like 15 new planes next year, so they were a little more optimistic that the hiring number will go up then (probably double).
Hurry up and wait basically.
Dan208B
Well-Known Member
Reserve depends on the base and time of year. You bid reserve lines. You can bid short or long call. There is long call available but the downside is long-calls fly first. So you end up flying a lot but you also have some more control over your life with the amount of time to show up and you can also pick up trips out of open time. Short call reserves fly less but it depends on the "zone" i.e. 5am to 2pm. You can in theory swap days off with yourself but I've had about 10% luck doing this because we are consistently short-staffed and that affects things like that. Short call is 2 hours, long call is 24-hour availability with 11 hour callout.