I am by no means the final word on any of this, and in fact am in no better position than any one else at Alaska to answer these questions. I just try to pass along anything that I may hear. Some of it turns out to be good info, some not so good. Also, I am in no way, shape or form connected with the hiring or screening process. Having said all that (disclaimer properly discharged), I will try to answer the questions...
I believe the silver bullet is given the same weight as in the past. It is hard to get hired without one. About the "guaranteed" interview part...it may be that everyone would be interviewed eventually, but with the company hiring in relatively limited numbers, there wouldn't seem to be enough current interview positions to go around for "guaranteed" interviews right away. How they weight the recommendations (if at all) and what other factors are in play in deciding who gets the call, I wouldn't know.
I can't comment on "ties to the Alaska route system". That reference is too vague. If you mean having flown for Horizon or one of the code-share partners in Alaska, etc...then I would think that would be a plus. There have traditionally been several Horizon pilots in each new hire class. How any of the other "ties" are viewed, I couldn't say with any certainty.
It is my understanding that the roughly 75 applicants to be interviewed are for this current bid. There are other applications that have been identified and are awaiting additional screening by the pilots who have been active in that regard to be used for subsequent future interviews.
As to the "preference to military"...I can only say that historically there has been a fairly steady percentage of military guys here. This stands to reason due to previous guys recommending their squadron mates, etc. I don't see this changing at all, and especially don't see them "avoiding" these guys. One pilot that holds a significant position in Flt Standards told me that he and several other senior pilots were asked to give their input on "setting the bar" for current and future applicants. The main thing they focused on was the type and experience of pilots who had made successful employees here in the past. Based on this info, I do not see them "avoiding" reservists. At the same time, I don't see any special preference, either. Other than what I've already mentioned. It is what it is....and that is that there are a significant number of military pilots here who have been successful in training and on the line, and they have recommended those who they think would be a good fit with the company and so on. However, there have also been very successful civilian pilots. Pilots who have flown in the bush in Alaska, pilots from Horizon, etc. I would expect these trends to continue also.
Finally, it has been several years since Alaska has interviewed and hired pilots. There is no "current" data or stats on who they are interviewing and who they are hiring. Once some guys come through then it might be easier to predict who MIGHT come through. For now, I can only guess based on the past.
I pretty much have events scheduled every day in Oct (and beyond) due to the current training requirements, so I may be somewhat removed from the goings on around here, but if I get any additional info, I'lll pass it on.
