RUMOR: Alaska to Buy Frontier!!

[dogg]

Alaska could use some of Frontiers -300's for the 737-300QC program and the tail art could be Bob Marley hunting rabbits and foxes, hmmm.....

AK, what in the world is a mud hen?

flx757, Ther must be a good story behind why you would leave a good flying position at a Major airline to go be a desk jockey at another one. Just curious because ATA seems like a great job

 

[mach none]

Since some have asked on here, I have gone to the "Managers" and the "Managing Director" in the training department, and asked about classes for next year (under the guise of asking for my own benefit, training, etc., and what my timetable looks like for getting completely signed off), and I get the same answer from all of them. Only CQ (continuting qualification, or recurrent) and possibly transition classes. No new hires until 2005. However, I get the feeling that this is the "official" company line, and new hire classes will be talked about only when they are announced and become a reality.

Of course they are going to say no new classes. We are in negotiations! Some of my friends in the school house have said the rumor is going around.

 

[flx757]

flx757, Ther must be a good story behind why you would leave a good flying position at a Major airline to go be a desk jockey at another one. Just curious because ATA seems like a great job

First of all, I was not at ATA. Second, IMO Alaska is the best airline company around and this is where I have always wanted to work. Third, the "circumstances" have been discussed here at length in the past. It has to do with losing my medical. However, I would have left any job for the opportunity to come to Alaska and move back to Seattle. I enjoy doing training very much. It is what I prefer to do. And being with my family every single day is BY FAR the most important thing to me at this point in my life. I'm doing what everyone else is doing (I would hope), and that is what I think is best for myself and my family.

None of this will change when I get my medical back in a few months.


mach none...

I agree. I'm just telling you what I was told. That is the only talk I have heard around the school house over the past two months. So for now, I'm off to school. If and when I hear anything different, I'll post it.

 

[AK737FO]

Mud Hen

Dogg,
Mud Hen is a nickname for the 200's. 6 of the 9 airplanes have gravel kits and can go "play in the mud". Right now the only gravel runway we go to is the Red Dog mine.

I have found out that some of the rumors around work are true. I don't want to post it all here just yet, as most employees don't know about the changes that are on the horizon (I'm only talking about changes in ANC, not something silly like buying F9). Pretty soon it will be out, and after everyone at work knows what is going on, I'll gladly chat about it here.

 

[dogg]

First of all, I was not at ATA. Second, IMO Alaska is the best airline company around and this is where I have always wanted to work. Third, the "circumstances" have been discussed here at length in the past. It has to do with losing my medical.

flx757, my apologies. ATA (American Trans Air) and ATA(Air Tran Airways)I confuse the 2 on a regular basis.

A friend of a friend was telling me that Alaska is replacing all of it's line pilot instructors with salaried staff instructors who will not be on the pilot seniority list or working under the pilot contract. He was saying that under the old system, instructors were given line numbers after a couple years. Curious if these changes are real......

 

[flx757]

Dogg,

Those changes are real. They did away with the FOSI program (the one where they gave you a seniority number) a couple of years ago. At least they haven't hired into that program for a couple of years.

I don't think "all" the line pilots are being replaced. At least right away. That process will take some time. There are still many line pilots working in the training dept.

 

[Big Air]

flx757,
It seems to me that with 60-70 retirements in 2004, that they have to do some initial training just to maintain the current sked.

 

[av8instyle]

It seems to me that with 60-70 retirements in 2004, that they have to do some initial training just to maintain the current sked

There's only 20+ retirements in '04. It goes to the 40's in 05, and 60's in '06.