Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines resumed pilot hiring on Friday, reopening the application process for new first officers following a slowdown during their ongoing merger process.
According to the airlines, the new pilot hiring process will be combined across both airlines. The move is seen as an early step toward integrating pilot seniority lists across the two carriers, which are in the process of merging under a single operating certificate.
Interviews are slated to begin in September, and new hire classes will kick off after the airlines obtain their single operating certificate.
The two pilot groups, both represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are working through a Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) to establish the terms of seniority list integration. The final combined seniority list will be implemented once a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) is negotiated and ratified.
The airlines aim to complete the merger process, including operating under a single certificate, by late 2025.
So far this year, Alaska has not onboarded any new pilots, according to data from FAPA. Hawaiian has hired 48 new aviators. Last year, Alaska hired 18 first officers, while Hawaiian brought on 52.
