907ANC

Also adding that all of my reserve assignments seem to end at 10om or later.

DenainaPilot

I don’t have any advice, only that I have felt your pain. It sucks. Hopefully with 7 ANC CA additions in the next bid you’ll get ANC, or at least start holding a line in SEA. It does get better. You got your bid in right?

9mikemike

We are unique in that we essentially have all of our pilot bases and our entire network contained inside of one time zone( ANC is essentially the western edge of west coast time from a circadian perspective.)
Our “Network” does not go east of GEG. Everything East is just out and back. It all requires either “red eyes” or 01:30 wake-up's (from a circadian perspective)on the east coast. Extremely limiting from a pairing construction perspective. Neither PBS nor contractual provisions can change the nature of a truly “regional” airline.
No other airline in the country has this unfixable problem….Best way to deal with it is to “get senior” enough to stay inside the network. Essentially north/south flying.

FreqFlyer

Idunno…I like the early starts/early finishes, but to each their own. Call it my heaven and your hell, but i’ll take it all. To each their own, of you want the Delta 5 day trips that start with a red-eye have at it…

clearandcold

This last year whenever I went to the East Coast it was late arrivals and late starts which paired well with my western edge west coast circadian rhythm. No 1:30 am circadian wake ups required.

9mikemike

A smattering of those do exist. Of course the scheduling committee data holds the real truth. And Alaskas own network planning which tells us that growth will only be in redeye transcons.

FL410

All I hear are problems. Let's hear some solutions.

Would a base in ORD, DFW, DEN really make a mid to late 20 year old come to AS other that UA, AA, DL? I don't think so, it would be the same issue as SFO (many more options of career advancement, planes ect.)

9mikemike

Not sure what problems we have….Alaska Airlines is executing their age old business plan and doing a good job of it. Attrition is not really a problem. Hiring the right kind of pilots for this airline may be the problem. We need to get back to regional hiring. Pilots that live in and around our bases and who are from those areas and whose families are from those areas. Target the older more stable pilots and avoid the young hot rods who have the drive and the pedigree to chase big airline dreams. Avoid competing for pilots that meet directed hiring goals. The hiring department and the pilots involved in it need to check their egos at the door….We are not, never have been and never will be the bigger national and international carriers. Hourly rates cannot overcome who we are. The “growth” mantra is silly. Seattle is as big as it can get. We dont have market at LAX, SFO or PDX to grow with. Making sure that everything we do makes money has always been Alaskas stock in trade. We need to refocus on that. Getting out of unprofitable markets is good business.
Worrying about losing pilots who were likely leaving anyway is silly.

GoodJet

A lot of us have made a lot of suggestions here on this thread and to our reps on how to make this airline a better place to work. The main issue is when we do we are shouted down and told if we don't like it leave.

rickair7777

I think there has been a lot of progress? Especially given that a straight majority of AS pilots are products of the old system (although many have adopted the reformation).