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Alaska Layovers...and other Q's

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GuppyPuppy

Living the Dream
Joined
Dec 2, 2001
Posts
803
Do Alaska pilots ever layover in RNO, TUS or LAS? What about Kodiak?

Also, what are the layover hotels for the new cities (DEN, DCA, BOS, Cancun, etc...)

What is the current and future per-diem?

Is there a "B Fund" retirement plan and/or a 401k plan? Looking for benefit equations.

Can an Alaska pilot drop trips? We have this benefit at UA that allows us to drop down to 50 or 55 hours per month. Curious if AS had a similar benefit.

What is the fate of the combi aircraft? Curious as to thoughts on what would happen to routes like Dillingham or Cordova if the combi's disappeared??? Would they go to Era with the freight flown by NAC or someone else???

Any new growth plans?

Trying to make an informed decision...

Cheers!

GP
 
As Requested...

Hello GuppyPuppy,
Have not seen you on the board much this summer. JNU keeping you busy?
I heard a 757 dropped in there last week with a problem. Know anything about it? I hope the weather was good for them, a crew unfamiliar with JNU trying to take a 757 through the cut could make for disappearing seat cushions.:eek:

Anyhow, on to your questions:

Layovers are - ANC, BOS, BUR, CUN, DCA, DEN, GEG, FAI, IAD, JNU, KTN, LAS, LAX, OAK, ONT, ORD, PDX, PHX, PSP, PVR, RNO, SAN, SEA, SFO, SJC, SJD, SNA, SIT, SMF, TUS, YYC, YVR, ZIH.

Specifically you asked about a few layovers. DEN = Radisson Stapleton Plaza, DCA = Double Tree Crystal City, BOS = Seaport Hotel, CUN = Melia.

If you are based in LAX or SEA you will probably see them all sooner or later (except MD guys don't do SouthEast or the new East Coast stuff). If you are ANC based you will see two places - your own bedroom 99% of the time or SEA. If a 200 ever goes south of SEA it is an emergency!

LAX and SEA crews do the normal 3 or 4 day trips. Lines are usually good for 14 to 16 days off. Hard lines are 85 hours, the company can choose to flex up or down 2 hours. Reserve lines are never less than 9 hours less than hard lines (usually 76 hours).

ANC based crews fly the 200 and only the 200. There are three types of flying out of ANC. Turns out of ANC in combi configuration (I can count on one hand the number of times I have flown in all Pax configuration), or night freighters (all pallets) direct to SEA and back or ANC-JNU-SEA with a layover or SouthEast (flight 64 or 66) with a SEA layover.

Per Diem is (I think but can't really remember) $1.30 for turns and $2.00 for overnight trips.

Line holders can drop to 75 hours or pick up to 85 hours. There is no program like at UAL where you can fly a reduced schedule.

8% growth planned for 02 and 03, and 9% (I think) planned for 04.

I believe we are expecting 2 new 900's this year. Four 900's and three 700's next year.

A-Plan: Monthly final average compensation x 1.9% x years of service = Benefit at normal retirement age.

B-Plan: 401K. About 20 different investment options. Pilot contributes 2% to 16%, company contributes 3%.

200's future? Schedules to go to AQP program in October. Scheduled to get EGPWS (installed in the radar screen) in the next 6 months. I don't see ERA ever taking over our routes if the 200's go away - they are owned by Rowan Drilling in TX and have pretty tight purse strings. ERA just isn't in a position to expand like that, but in this industry you never know. Granted, the 200's are over 20 years old now, the fuel burns on JT8D-17A's are frightening, I've been told that the avionics are very expensive to maintain. If the company were to choose to upgrade them to partial glass we still could not do RNP since the 200's have no IRS, so the upgrade would be of limited value.

The latest rumor is for 300's with a cargo door and a fixed 2 or 3 pallet configuration. This isn't a bad idea... With a partial glass 300's we could use our own 400 sim in SEA (we do not own a 200 sim) and we could do RNP. All Alaska 737 crews would then be able to fly all models. It would drastically change the ANC base. The days of turns and being home in your own bed every night would probably be gone - replaced with the standard 3 and 4 day trips around the country...

I have been told (and have no way of really knowing) that the nine 200's produce about one third of the companies revenue. Makes me wonder what the other 94 airplanes in the fleet are doing! Needless to say, if the MudHen's are still making that kind of money they will be around for a while.
Good flying to you!
 

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