Tell me about Alaska Airlines

CFmike

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, I just got offered an internship with alaska airlines this fall and I am def. going to take it. Im really excited to get out to seattle!

I was just wondering if there are any pilots that fly for them on this forum here. If so how do you like it? What are the ups and downs of it. Also if anyone has interned with them before, got any tips or advice? I'm just a bit curious because I read a slightly negative review on aviationinterviews.com about the atmosphere there. I don't have a subscription to that site and I didn't want to make any assumptions based on one review. Either way I can't wait to go up!
 
Congratulations on your internship. I'd say don't worry too much about someone else's opinion of the place. It's an internship; you're only going to be there a relatively short time. Don't allow someone else's opinion to taint your's. Form you're own.
 
From a pax standpoint, I'm a big fan of Alaska. I'm an MVPGold, the highest tier of their frequent flyer program, and I'm a long time paid member for their lounge system.

I find the employees to be more down to earth and less arrogant then your average legacy gate agent/FA/lounge attendant. In short, you get better service for the same money. They are not without their problems, I think the Menzies deal was a terrible call, as well as forcing a sub par arbitrated contract on the pilot group. But I find the overall experience flying on AS/QH to be much better than anyone else, on average. I think Alaska is a great company and you'll enjoy your time there.
 
nice work on the internship. howd you score a deal like that? im still finishing up school and would love to be able to intern for an airline for a semester.
 
Thanks, ya I've heard many great things about the airline. Im a senior over at ERAU prescott campus. Our career services guy Michael Gregory hooked it up for me. They were really looking for one more intern and I guess I was at the right place right time. I just faxed my cover letter, resume, transcripts with a recommendation from the career services guy, and did a phone interview a few hours later. Alaska has interns every fall, spring, and summer. Thanks for replying, Im excited and Alaska sounds like a great place to be!
 
The bad things you hear are because of a current lack of respect for the pilot group from management. A few years ago the contract negotiations went to a third party arbitrator who basically slashed every pilot's pay by 30%. Pilots had to sell houses, pull their kids out of schools, and really cut back while management sat on their nest egg in the bank. It was a big blow for the pilots.

That aside- the flying is great! Now that the MD-80s are gone, we're all trained on the 737. We all fly the 400, 700, 800, and 900. Sometimes different variants on the same day. Being based in Anchorage I'm qualified to fly the arctic and to Hawaii. 24 hour layovers in Lihue, Maui or Honolulu is a nice break from the 30-below winters! I like the variety of flying. I can fly day trips to the arctic- short hops to Bethel, Kodiak, Nome, Kotz, and Barrow or Deadhorse on the north slope- or I can do longer trips down to Seattle and out to Hawaii. Flying the freighter is great- no uniform, no pax, no flight attendants. Just make the coffee and go! Our RNP approaches in SE Alaska are a blast to fly- I'm a techno-geek so I really get into that stuff- it's fun watching the airplane bring it in on speed, on glideslope, on the profile, 90-degree course changes at 400' in a mountain valley! Fun stuff! I'm not a huge fan of the all-nighter schedules (although I'm doing Denver all-nighters this month). They offer plenty of days off (22 this month for me), but it's killer on the system! I'm definately staying in state next month.

I've been here almost 2 years and really enjoy my job- a lot of it is because I'm based where I want to live.
 
Ya man it is tough times out there right now. Hang in there! Thanks for responding Cheechako. Its good to you hear you enjoy your job there at alaska. Is it ture that alaska were the first to develop RNP? Thats really cool.

I love the new tails with the leis on them. Im from hawaii and am stoked about the flights going home.

I am gonna be working in the Technical publications office next month. Maybe I'll see some of you around!
 
Probably not for a while. With the last of the MD-80s being parked this week the training center is backed up with pilots transitioning to the 737. That and they're saying 9% reduction in the winter schedule. We'll be overstaffed. They're talking to ALPA about some early retirement options and some leaves of absence being offered to anyone wanting to do something else for a while.
 
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