Alaska Airlines plans to open a new west coast pilot base in San Diego next year as the carrier accelerates its growth in the region. The base will reportedly be home to as many as 250 captains and first officers at San Diego International Airport, supported by 90 new first officer hires in early 2026, according to reporting from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Alaska already maintains bases in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the addition of San Diego marks a new step in its West Coast expansion. Neil Thwaites, the airline’s regional vice president for California, told the Union-Tribune the move is designed to bolster operational reliability and support long-term plans for the market.
Pilots from Alaska’s bases in Seattle, Portland and Anchorage will be eligible to bid for new positions, with the first round of assignments expected to take effect June 1. A second phase is planned for October with additional slots coming online as the carrier continues to scale.
The expansion comes as other carriers adjust their staffing models. Spirit Airlines notably announced this week that it has canceled plans to furlough up to 365 pilots in early 2026. It also reduced the number of captain downgrades after revising its staffing projections. The pilots’ union told Reuters that the case behind earlier furlough announcements no longer matched current attrition data. Spirit continues to navigate restructuring under Chapter 11, though the furlough reversal offers a glimpse of hope for the carrier’s ranks.
0 replies