Alaska Makes 87.3 million and is still the F word

[waveflyer]

If there are furloughs anywhere-- remember- the schedule mgt feels they need- will still be the schedule they'll create--- Don't concede a thing - make sure the job they come back to will be worth the wait....

and don't pick up time... i've heard captains say 'It's the FO's who were furloughed - i'm picking up captain time' .... ..... .... "?" how you can be a captain and be that stupid is beyond me

 

[AZFr8tPilot]

Kind of hard to do on $32/hr

*sigh*

Well said!!

 

[Baze]

Sounds familiar. 10-15% must be an industry average. I remember flying with a captain who was picking up all the flying he could. Bottom line, the air whore was making $180k/yr+ while we had guys on the street.

The 10-15% is my own unscientific number.
It's based on the % of pilots who are still drinking the Kool-Aid and think everything is just GREAT around here. ALK had an employee survey late last year and I couldn't believe that there were 10% of the pilot group were happy with things.

When the union puts something up for a vote, it usually passes by about 90%. Again, 10% either don't care or think that we don't need any changes around here.

 

[Baze]

Baze...

quit worrying. Planning is talking 40-50 furloughs read the contract and you will see there are several steps to further minimize a furlough. A 10% reduction could actually equal ZERO furlough.

Any furlough is unacceptable. I may be safe from it for the time being, but I DO care about the bottom 40-50 guys & gals.

I realize a lot of this is posturing by the Anglers, but I wouldn't be surprised if they actually furloughed to make a point. Yes, furloughing is expensive, but they'll step over a dollar to pick up a dime on the short-term. In the long-run, they are thinking that they can get some great gains from us, especially now that the NMB is involved with our negotiations.

 

[SRMairlines]

Baze,

If furloughs are unavoidable the flying pilots should be prepared to donate to a fund to pay health insurance for the furloughed guys.

I have seen this all before. My third airline, My third negotiation(3rd airline also using Ford/Harrison), and my soon to be third airline that furloughs/or attempts to for negotiation leverage.

 

[becket]

The 10-15% is my own unscientific number.
It's based on the % of pilots who are still drinking the Kool-Aid and think everything is just GREAT around here. ALK had an employee survey late last year and I couldn't believe that there were 10% of the pilot group were happy with things.

When the union puts something up for a vote, it usually passes by about 90%. Again, 10% either don't care or think that we don't need any changes around here.

All you have to do is add up the management pilots, the Arctic Eagles, and the chronic pansies...10% easy.

 

[mittro]

With most of the junior folks based in ANC and ANC being "special qual" for ETOPS (Hawaii) and ARCTIC (North Slope) flying it looks like AS would have to chop them and put out a new bid for junior F/O's and CAPT's and force to ANC. With that a paid move and bid block holders by contract down to 76 hours the training center is packed and behind now with simple transitition and CQ seems it would almost be impossible to re-qual MD80 pilots and backfill for a furlough. Well.............we'll see.
Also, checking in for a trip on FRI our lovely "den mother" in the SEA base who really runs the show said she just recieved a call from our CP Tom Kemp who wanted her to tell everyone "there would be NO furloughs"!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Green Banana]

just recieved a call from our CP Tom Kemp who wanted her to tell everyone "there would be NO furloughs"!!!!!!!!!!

How do you know when Management is Lying?

You see their lips moving.

 

[av8instyle]

All you have to do is add up the management pilots, the Arctic Eagles, and the chronic pansies...10% easy.

Well, this arctic eagle just accepted a 5 yr AGR tour starting in August. One less FO to furlough.

 

[sf340flyer]

Hey Mach, where did you get the info that the company and union must work out a plan to mitigate furloughs??

The only reference in the CBA is to work to reduce the block hours to help prevent a furlough (23.A.1), which is different than changing CBA language under mitigation.

BTY; ER, TK, GB, all think that we have a short term problem not a long term problem, and that a short furlough isn't going to help the bottom line. So upper level managment is saying something different than everyone else.

I think that they are reducing the schedule to have assests in place to quickly advance into market share that is left open by another carrier, and are using the cost of oil as an excuse.

 

[Baze]

With most of the junior folks based in ANC and ANC being "special qual" for ETOPS (Hawaii) and ARCTIC (North Slope) flying it looks like AS would have to chop them and put out a new bid for junior F/O's and CAPT's and force to ANC. With that a paid move and bid block holders by contract down to 76 hours the training center is packed and behind now with simple transitition and CQ seems it would almost be impossible to re-qual MD80 pilots and backfill for a furlough. Well.............we'll see.
Also, checking in for a trip on FRI our lovely "den mother" in the SEA base who really runs the show said she just recieved a call from our CP Tom Kemp who wanted her to tell everyone "there would be NO furloughs"!!!!!!!!!!

mittro,

I talked to the mother hen yesterday and she confirmed what Tom Kemp had told her. However, he had mentioned the no furlough thing to her in the morning and Saretsky's memo came out in the afternoon.

The Anglers are playing an interesting game indeed.

 

[mach none]

Hey Mach, where did you get the info that the company and union must work out a plan to mitigate furloughs??

The only reference in the CBA is to work to reduce the block hours to help prevent a furlough (23.A.1), which is different than changing CBA language under mitigation.

BTY; ER, TK, GB, all think that we have a short term problem not a long term problem, and that a short furlough isn't going to help the bottom line. So upper level managment is saying something different than everyone else.

I think that they are reducing the schedule to have assests in place to quickly advance into market share that is left open by another carrier, and are using the cost of oil as an excuse.

The MEC, LEC, Negotiating and Grievance committees.

 

[Rhino]

...here's where.

Section 23
A.​

​

Process of Furlough​

1.​

​

Reduce Bid Blocks: In the event the Company furloughs pilots,
the Company and the MEC shall meet and establish a program for reducing the number of hours in the bid blocks to prevent the furlough.

I've read 5-10% reduction. 85hr max, subtract 4-8 hrs equals 78-82hrs as the new monthly max, and zero furloughs. ​

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

Uh Oh! Nobody read this article. It makes it sound like the sky isn't falling (which, of course, it is. Bill told me so!)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/444856.html

Alaska Airlines gets high marks for financial soundness
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: August 14th, 2008 01:00 AM
Posted online by John Gillie at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday Alaska Air Group’s financial viability is ranked first among U.S. legacy airlines in a new study by aerospace publication Aviation Week.
The SeaTac-based airline holding company, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, is ranked 15th among 32 legacy carriers worldwide in Aviation Week’s financial evaluation. That ranking puts it ahead of every other U.S. legacy carrier and above low-cost and regional U.S. carriers ranked by somewhat different standards.
The publication’s council of advisers gave Alaska a total score of 55.9. That’s an aggregate of scores it earned on an evaluations of the airline holding company’s liquidity, fuel cost management, financial health, earnings performance and asset utilization.
After falling to a low of $10.10 a share five weeks ago, Alaska shares closed Wednesday at $21.53.
Airline stocks have been buoyed in recent weeks by falling oil prices.
Tops on the Aviation Week list was Singapore Airlines with a total score of 93.3. Second was Malaysian Airlines System, and third was Spain’s Iberia Airlines.
Among U.S. legacy carriers, Alaska was followed by Continental, American, Northwest, US Airways, United, Delta and Hawaiian.
In a separate ranking for low-cost and regional carriers, Allegiant was best among U.S. airlines, followed by Southwest. Allegiant’s score was 55.5, while Southwest earned a 53.6 score.
Among 21 aerospace companies, Aviation ranked The Boeing Co. third after Lockheed Martin and Portland’s Precision Castparts Corp.

 

[DawgPilot]

Doubt that article will find it's way to the frontpage of Alaskasworld...