Pilot perspectives on Alaska Airlines’ route changes

A little more than a year ago, Alaska Airlines announced that it was going to bring Horizon Air, a separate corporate affiliate, to our state to operate some flights. Shortly afterward, I wrote in these pages that we hoped Horizon Air would be utilized in a manner that was positive for both Alaska Airlines pilots, our passengers and the economy. That isn’t happening. While some of the flying Horizon has been doing the past six months has created new access for passengers to the Alaska Airlines network, other Horizon Air flying is replacing work previously performed by Alaska Airlines pilots with lower-paying jobs and smaller airplanes.

Now Alaska Airlines has begun selling tickets on Horizon Air to Kodiak and Portland. To be clear, this flying was performed by Alaska Airlines pilots, and soon it will be performed by Horizon Air. This is simply Alaska Airlines using a subsidiary to replace current flying and use lower-paid outsiders instead of local workers. While there are some changes that might provide Alaska Airlines pilots a modest amount of additional flying to the Lower 48 for a limited couple of months this summer, they look with deep-seated concern for their future here in the state. Most of the Anchorage-based pilots of Alaska Airlines live and work in our community, and have for many years. More importantly, most Anchorage-based Alaska Airlines pilots have vast amounts of experience flying in the state. Horizon pilots, with few exceptions, live and have spent their careers flying outside of Alaska. They are here, in most cases, performing work previously performed by Alaska Airlines pilots.

These changes have potential for long-term negative effects in our economy, as local well-established jobs are replaced by Outside, lower-paying jobs. This would be true even if Alaska Airlines allows Horizon Air to eventually open a base here in Anchorage, accelerating the outsourcing. Alaska Airlines touts the special ties that our pilots have to the community every chance they get, and it’s right that they do. Alaska Airlines pilots are proud to connect our community to the broader Alaska Airlines and now oneworld network. Our pilots are your coaches, neighbors, friends and hunting partners, and we spend our wages in Southcentral Alaska.

The Horizon Air experiment in the state could be a positive instead of a negative for all involved, particularly consumers, if Alaska Airlines uses them to expand access to new markets, as they did with wintertime service to King Salmon and Dillingham. The Air Line Pilots Association remains willing and able to discuss this and other issues at the bargaining table. Instead, it appears Alaska Airlines is intent on unilaterally replacing many of the jobs of your highly-qualified friends and neighbors.

Capt. Jeff Schroeder is Anchorage Council 64 Chairman for the Airline Pilots Association.

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