The Alaska Pilots Podcast

Hosted by Alaska MEC

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Jun 2026

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Alaska MEC Podcast. Discussions and interviews with ALPA leaders and committee chairs about issues effecting airline pilots.

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June 2, 2026Episode 9632 min

JCBA Update: Where We Are and What Remains

In this episode of the Alaska Pilots Podcast, MEC Chair Drew Coyle and NC Chair David Wilhelm provide a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) update. They discuss how we got here, how pilot feedback is shaping the work at the table, where progress has been made, and why the remaining issues are critical to getting this right. This episode is designed to give you a clear understanding of where we stand—and why continued engagement matters as negotiations move forward. ALPA Pilot Webpage

May 23, 2026Episode 9536 min

ALPA's Role Behind the KEF Launch

This Alaska Pilots Podcast episode takes us behind the scenes of what happens when Alaska Airlines announces a new destination. Using Keflavík as the example, we walk through the work that takes place beyond the route announcement itself, hotel and transportation planning, security considerations, scheduling issues, flight planning, training pay, and some contractual pieces that come with launching a new route. This episode is meant to give pilots a better look at the moving parts ALPA is engaged in early, often before the flying appears in a bid packet. ala.alpa.org

March 13, 2026Episode 9437 min

Where We Stand/Officer Update

In this episode of the Alaska Pilots Podcast, hear about a general overview of the state of the union, updates on the JCBA/merger, and associated timelines. Some other included topics will cover a recap of the previous months' work, updates from your newly elected officer group, and also touch on some points of progress and contention we are seeing overall. This episode is broken down into two distinct portions. In the first portion, you will hear MEC Chair Drew Coyle talk about the state of the union and where we stand, not only with the company on merger issues, but also with some day-to-day challenges the pilot group is facing. In the second portion, you will hear from MEC Vice Chair Scott Rubin as he breaks down the grievance process and provides a small update from the Hotel and Security committees. Secretary Will Swoveland discusses the importance of calling your rep, and Treasurer Dan Richards will give some insights into the budget as we start the new year. Alaska Pilots Webpage Joint Alaska-Hawaiian Webpage DART

December 16, 2025Episode 9338 min

San Diego Base & Bid

This episode goes into details about the San Diego base, how it came to be, and the contractual language that is associated with vacancy and displacement bids. Joining the discussion is the Alaska Chair – Will McQuillen, Membership Chair – Tom Samson, and Membership Committee Member – Will Swoveland. Not only will you hear about contractual language and concepts that will help you decide how to bid, but the committee will also share news about a new seniority tool coming out soon to assist pilots in planning and prepare for such changes. Ala.Alpa.Org AlaHal.Alpa.Org

November 7, 2025Episode 9226 min

ALA-HAL: State of the Merger After SOC

With Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines attaining Single Operating Certificate (SOC) status at the end of October, the two airlines are now a single carrier from the FAA’s perspective. To discuss how this marks an important transition for our pilot groups, Alaska MEC Chair Will McQuillen and Hawaiian MEC Chair Larry Payne sit down to offer their perspective on the state of the merger and what comes next with respect to our joint contract negotiations and the evolution of the airline. They also discuss recent hiring trends, route announcements, and important changes to our contract language that will come into effect later this year. Ala.Alpa.Org Alahal.Alpa.Org

August 26, 2025Episode 9130 min

Summer 2025 State of the Union

In this episode, Communication Chair Kyle Johnson sits down with MEC Chair Will McQuillen and Executive Admin Drew Coyle. This is a summer update highlighting important issues such as block in times, September ALV, hiring/growth, and jumpseat priority. Other merger related issues are also discussed; a brief negotiations update and a reiteration of the SLI process and timeline. Alahal.alpa.org Ala.alpa.org Textcaster Signup/Changes SFV hotline number: 833-303-5667

July 2, 2025Episode 9016 min

ALA-HAL: Aircraft Orders, New Base, and JCBA

In this episode, our Alaska and Hawaiian MEC Chairs, Will McQuillen and Larry Payne, sat down to provide their thoughts on the recent announcements about the Seattle 787 base and the future aircraft orders. The discussion also touched on the status of JCBA negotiations and what pilots can expect moving forward. https://ala.alpa.org/

June 3, 2025Episode 8934 min

2025 Mid Year Update

In this episode, Communication Chair Kyle Johnson sits down with MEC Chair Will McQuillen, Executive Admin Drew Coyle, and Negotiating Committee Chair David Wilhelm. A mid-year State of the Union is the focus for this podcast. There are discussions about the latest Joint/MEC meeting that took place on May 19-21, which leads into topics including JCBA updates, Seniority List Integration processes, hiring and future outlooks. The Surf to Summit tour just launched, which is also talked about in this episode, highlighting the importance of unity as this merger moves forward. https://ala.alpa.org/ https://alahal.alpa.org/

May 6, 2025Episode 8833 min

ALA-HAL Merger Status Update (May 2025)

In this episode, our Alaska and Hawaiian MEC Chairs, Will McQuillen and Larry Payne, as well as our Joint Negotiating Committee Co-Chairs, David Wilhelm and Doug Grant, all sat down to provide an update on the status of our Alaska-Hawaiian merger and the state of our Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) negotiations. Through the episode, we covered several topics, including the union’s actions during the last six months to prepare for negotiations, the importance of unity, current perspective on negotiations, and what happens once a Tentative Agreement is reached. Alaska Hawaiian Joint Website

February 7, 2025Episode 8724 min

Joint MEC Meeting, Merger Update, and OTRPB

In this episode, Communications Chair Kyle Johnson sits down with MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Executive Admin Drew Coyle, and Negotiation Chair David Wilhelm to discuss topics such as JCBA, SLI, and Company milestones. Also discussed, an overview of an agreement on premium pay reserve blocks (OTRPBs) and the timeline for their implementation. Alaska and Hawaiian Merger Website OTRPB Merger Committee Update