Might not be long at Virgin
heypyro pointed out in a comment on my last post: "Steve might be merging into a pool of agents senior to him. ... The plus side would be an expanded network to be able to travel on, and an Alaska/Virgin merger may create an interesting route map. I guess the big concern is that the corporate culture that is "Virgin" doesn't change too much."
That's exactly my concern ... I'm senior enough at Virgin that I can work every other week (a 40-hour week, or two part-time 20-hour weeks) and then have the next week off to relax at home in Palm Springs with Jack. If I'm suddenly a very junior employee again, I may not have the clout to get a shift that allows that sort of schedule ... and the purchasing airline may not allow that sort of flexibility, either. And if they don't allow that flexibility, the corporate culture has already changed, for the worse.
What I see as a likely scenario: JetBlue or Alaska buys us. They now have too many employees. They offer senior employees (ones whose ages and length of service add up to 55 or 60) a buyout: flight benefits for life (the usual airline retirement perk), plus a cash settlement payout.
Advantages: Larger pool of routes to travel on, as Pyro said. No more need to commute every other week. A cash buyout.
Disadvantages: No job. And I'll miss all my friends at work. I work with some of the best people I have ever met. (Virgin really has done a great job of hiring.)
That's exactly my concern ... I'm senior enough at Virgin that I can work every other week (a 40-hour week, or two part-time 20-hour weeks) and then have the next week off to relax at home in Palm Springs with Jack. If I'm suddenly a very junior employee again, I may not have the clout to get a shift that allows that sort of schedule ... and the purchasing airline may not allow that sort of flexibility, either. And if they don't allow that flexibility, the corporate culture has already changed, for the worse.
What I see as a likely scenario: JetBlue or Alaska buys us. They now have too many employees. They offer senior employees (ones whose ages and length of service add up to 55 or 60) a buyout: flight benefits for life (the usual airline retirement perk), plus a cash settlement payout.
Advantages: Larger pool of routes to travel on, as Pyro said. No more need to commute every other week. A cash buyout.
Disadvantages: No job. And I'll miss all my friends at work. I work with some of the best people I have ever met. (Virgin really has done a great job of hiring.)