Am I the only one who likes to hear about Alaska Airlines?! They are outperforming the pants off the rest of the industry but you never hear about us. Why is that? :huh:
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I'm Glad you enjoyed your trip. Thanks for flying with us. Hope to see you again!! 
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Because you are outperforming the pants off the rest of the industry. Also, you evidently do not have ongoing labor-management strife. Like Southwest, you seem to all work together to make a good airline that is profitable. Where's the fun in that?Eskimo said:
Sorry. That was my post. I didn't realize until after I hit send that I had not signed in. Which brings up the point....Guest said:Because you are outperforming the pants off the rest of the industry. Also, you evidently do not have ongoing labor-management strife. Like Southwest, you seem to all work together to make a good airline that is profitable. Where's the fun in that?
I thought only members who were signed in could post replies????
IMHO...
This is an interesting time for AS. Under relatively new leadership (Bill Ayer), he's now had time to "plot the course" for the airline, and as the history of AS reveals, they are in their (painful) cycle of recreating themselves.
It has always amazed me how this carrier (having watched them from the outside, then spent 7 yrs. there, then left) continues to perpetuate this image of a smooth operating, little labor struggle, happy family. For the most part, with 71 yrs. of history under their belt, operationally things run relatively smoothly. But this is a heavily unionized carrier, and in this current cycle of "recreating itself" we are going to see some labor unrest. Labor relations at AS have been as contentious as any other major carrier. Being a "hybrid" carrier [AS' own term (?) for somewhere between a LCC and a full-service carrier] is an uncomfortable grey area to be in...as it creates constant pressure to reduce costs yet pushes employess to edge of their envelope in performance...a difficult place for an employee to be when you look at how other carriers are doing things.
Negotiations with AFA are starting to hit snags as they tackle the key parts of the Agreement...and having been in that work group my gut tells me this could be an ugly negotiation. I'm not sure where the pilots are at right now.
So all is not peaches and cream at Alaska Airlines. They just fly under the radar because of their size and route structure.
Best of luck to all of you at AS in what promises to be a turbulent flight.
This is an interesting time for AS. Under relatively new leadership (Bill Ayer), he's now had time to "plot the course" for the airline, and as the history of AS reveals, they are in their (painful) cycle of recreating themselves.
It has always amazed me how this carrier (having watched them from the outside, then spent 7 yrs. there, then left) continues to perpetuate this image of a smooth operating, little labor struggle, happy family. For the most part, with 71 yrs. of history under their belt, operationally things run relatively smoothly. But this is a heavily unionized carrier, and in this current cycle of "recreating itself" we are going to see some labor unrest. Labor relations at AS have been as contentious as any other major carrier. Being a "hybrid" carrier [AS' own term (?) for somewhere between a LCC and a full-service carrier] is an uncomfortable grey area to be in...as it creates constant pressure to reduce costs yet pushes employess to edge of their envelope in performance...a difficult place for an employee to be when you look at how other carriers are doing things.
Negotiations with AFA are starting to hit snags as they tackle the key parts of the Agreement...and having been in that work group my gut tells me this could be an ugly negotiation. I'm not sure where the pilots are at right now.
So all is not peaches and cream at Alaska Airlines. They just fly under the radar because of their size and route structure.
Best of luck to all of you at AS in what promises to be a turbulent flight.
Look for more city announcements this spring. And, rumor has it pilot hiring will start up again soon. 
Frankly, I think that Blue Crew is right. I work at Alaska now and I agree 100% with his/her observations. We seem like a company with no direction currently.
Valid question...I left on my own accord. I lost a lot of faith in the company after the AS261 accident. Also, I've always believed that complaining about something never fixes anything unless you can offer some suggestions for fixing things. To that end, I got involved...I worked in inflight training for awhile. I offered suggestions. I was thanked for my participation, but when it came down to brass tacks, they really were not interested in what I (or anyone else) thought. I decided I was tired of beating my head against a brick wall. I liked what I saw happening at JetBlue and decided to investigate. Though I miss working with some wonderful people at Alaska, I have no regrets coming to JetBlue. I feel valued here and proud to be part of the building of this airline.mach none said:
I wouldn't consider myself jaded at all, rather by leaving I kept myself from becoming jaded.
You probably felt much better in a non-union environment. Since you chose to work in one...
Good riddance.
Check six.
Good riddance.
Check six.
Sorry, read your post a little closer...you're a F/A whose input wasn't respected by Alaska management.
I get it.
You're right where you need to be.
I get it.
You're right where you need to be.
As a matter of fact, I left Alaska quite well respected by my peers and management. What surprises me, based upon the flame bait you seem to be hell bent on here, that Alaska would find you a valuable employee. Flying a commercial aircraft (particularly at AS) requires people skills that as well as technical prowess. Perhaps brushing up on your CRM might not be a bad idea...
