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Alaska

PLOTTING A COURSE FOR

THE YEARS AHEAD

sense to the company.

By Jenn Sutton, ALPA Senior Communications “Our goal is to work with the company Photo: An Alaska B-737 sits on the
ramp in Kodiak, Alaska.
Specialist throughout the duration of the contract and
AT A GLANCE
A laska pilots enter 2016 at the halfway resolve as many issues as possible, as quickly
point of a five-year contract they ratified as possible, rather than allowing them to ac- Number of pilots: 1,730
in 2013. The past two-plus years have cumulate for years until Section 6 negotiations as of January 1—up
begin,” said Capt. Paul Stuart, the pilots’ MEC from 1,583 on Jan. 1,
2015, and 1,490 as of
seen growth in Alaska’s pilot ranks and ongoing Negotiating Committee chairman. “This allows Jan. 1, 2014

efforts to improve the pilots’ contract and qual- pilots to see continued improvements in a more Operations: Alaska
Airlines, together with its
ity of life. The year ahead will bring a continued timely manner and means that we should have partner regional airlines,
serves more than 111
emphasis on protecting and improving the fewer items to discuss after openers are ex- cities throughout the
United States, Canada,
pilots’ career interests and quality of life while changed. We then are able to start working on Mexico, and Costa Rica.
With hubs in Anchor-
preparing for Contract ’18 negotiations. our cornerstone issues—wages, work rules, job age, Alaska; Los Angeles,
Calif.; and Portland, Ore.;
Alaska’s pilots have seen their group grow security, and benefits—earlier in the process.” Alaska calls Seattle,
Wash., home. The carrier
from 1,472 pilots at the start of 2013 to 1,730 In addition to meeting with the company’s offers more nonstop
flights from Seattle than
on Jan. 1, 2016. Some of that growth was due negotiating team, the MEC and Alaska’s execu- any other carrier

to the airline adding destinations in 2015—in- tives also meet during the MEC’s quarterly Fleet: 147 B-737s, in-
cluding 20 -400s, 5 -400
cluding cities in the central and eastern U.S. as meetings. These meetings allow the MEC and combis, 1 -400 freighter,
14 -700s, 61 -800s, 12
well as two cities in Costa Rica. Growth and hir- Alaska management to have frank conversa- -900s, and 34 -900ERs

ing are expected to continue throughout 2016, tions, under nondisclosure agreements, about

although at a slower pace than 2015. the company’s strategic direction and issues

Knowing that the company was planning for important to improving and protecting the

growth throughout 2015, the pilots’ Master quality of life for Alaska pilots.

Executive Council (MEC) and its Membership Resolving issues between Alaska pilots and

Committee worked with the airline and ALPA’s management throughout the duration of the

Fee-for-Departure Committee to “We’ve been executing the plan we developed and
host a pilot open house for ALPA
pilots, which was held last April in are always working on ways to improve the lives of

Seattle, Wash. our pilots and their families.”

“That event was an overwhelm-

ing success,” said Capt. Chris Notaro, the pilots’ contract was a key strategy adopted in the

MEC chairman, who began working to create an MEC’s 2012 strategic plan and was reaffirmed

open house at the airline after hearing about when the plan was updated in 2014. Another

similar United MEC events that took place in comprehensive review and update of the stra-

2014. “Not only were 20 ALPA pilots offered tegic plan will take place this year.

formal job interviews—and ultimately job of- In the meantime, the MEC and its committees

fers—at the end of the open house, Alaska’s hir- will continue to introduce improved methods

ing team also has continued to call ALPA pilots for sharing information with the pilot group.

they met at that event to offer interviews, and This includes a communications app for the

some additional job offers as well.” pilots, working to update the MEC’s website,

The MEC and its committees continue to and increasing face-to-face interaction among

Photo: Capt. Mark Skibinski (Alaska) look for ways to improve pilot quality of life. MEC leaders, ALPA volunteers, pilots, and their

Just as they did throughout the previous families.

contract, the Negotiating Committee and the “We’ve been executing the plan we devel-

company have met on several occasions since oped and are always working on ways to im-

Contract ’13 was ratified. During these meet- prove the lives of our pilots and their families.

ings, they attempt to resolve issues as they Those efforts have not, and will not,

arise in ways that benefit the pilots and make end,” Notaro said.

January-February 2016 Air Line Pilot » 21