A message from Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci: Getting back on track
 

Link sent in email. Didn't need to be a video, could have been text.

tl;dw

• "We had 63 fewer pilots than what we planned for when we built our schedule."
• "The month of May will continue to be choppy"
• "For June and beyond we've made significant changes, including hiring and training 150 new pilots, 200 additional reservation agents, and 1100 new flight attendants"

There. We're sorry, and everything will be all better very soon.

The end

I wonder which crisis PR firm they've retained. Too bad David Marriott is gone.

Seattle Times article: https://www.seattletimes.com/busines...ilize-in-june/

Yawn. Same ole we sorry excuse from beginning of year. They couldn’t get it together so far so don’t have much faith the summer will improve much.

One place where AS excels is damage control, especially when they majorly screw up. I lived through their Dog and Pony show after 261. While nothing can ever compare to that, they are masters of spin. 63 pilots isn't Ben's issue. The issue is they planned the schedule like they always do. They over built flying with the hopes that drivers would pick up the open time. When pilots got sick of the game playing with contract negotiations, they stopped snatching those trips. So AS burned up their reserves. Over building is something AS has always done, with the pilot MEC always telling them that producing a schedule like that has too many variables to be covered. However, it's nice to get another personal message from Ben. (Tongue planted in cheeck!)

In more direct words, they are master B.S. artists. Have witnessed this multiple times in earnings calls, investor presentations, etc. Luckily for them, a large segment of their fan base and the airline analysts regularly believe them even when glossing over things that need to be improved but are neglected by management.

Empty promises. AS is focused on cost and shareholder value; and, as a result is in the most sorry state of affairs I have ever seen. Last summer was a gong show: multi-hour delays for no reason, meltdowns in SEA with no workers to throw bags, and a workforce culture that seems to be disintegrating. This summer is going to be worse - I have zero confidence in this management team to figure this out.

It's the laziness of modern corporate communications. Your time is less valuable than theirs, and avoids needing to write succinctly or with substance.

One big difference between now and when 261 happened - DL looms large in SEA, and that's where AS has retreated to post-pandemic. AS has squandered a bunch of goodwill over the last few months and they will pay a price for that, videos like this won't make up for it. These issues seem systemic/cultural rather than the IRROPS headache that each major airline deals with at some point during the year.

In a situation where you really needed to be at a destination on a given date, would you rather be on AS/AA metal, or DL's? Anyone that's dealt with the situation over the last few months has an easy answer to that question. Seems like AS is "Going for GreAAt", which is unfortunate.

I accept the apology as long as it comes with a few warm chocolate chip cookies and around 10000 EQMs :) All will be forgiven.....

Nothing about possible strike or deal with pilots? I hope I don't have to regret buying my Hawaii tickets for family with Alaska for the Summer. We fly late June.

And when the pilots go on strike what’s the video going to be?

It pretty much ensures I won’t get the message. I don’t have time or desire to watch a video. Too many FT threads to keep up with while something else is playing in the background.