Alaska Airlines Pilots Elect New Leadership Team

SEATTLE—Alaska Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have elected four officers, each by acclamation, to represent the airline’s 3,400 pilots. These officers will lead pilot efforts during this critical time for the airline as it continues to work through the logistical challenges of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 return to service and a potential Hawaiian Airlines merger on the horizon. The officers will serve two-year terms that begin March 1, 2024.

Capt. Will McQuillen was reelected chair of the Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC). Capt. McQuillen, a Seattle-based B-737 pilot hired by Alaska in 2006, has served as chair since 2018. “It is an honor to represent my fellow pilots as we continue to protect and improve the collective bargaining agreement, which includes work rules and job security for all Alaska Airlines pilots. We look forward to working with our colleagues at Hawaiian Airlines as we move together toward a productive future should this merger be approved.”

Capt. Will McQuillen: Chair

Capt. Will McQuillen is a Seattle-based B-737 pilot and the current MEC chair. Previously, he has served as the Alaska MEC vice chair and as MEC secretary-treasurer. In 2009, McQuillen became the Membership Committee chair and served in that position until being elected to the MEC. He was hired by Alaska in 2006, having previously flown for Horizon Air and United Airlines. After being furloughed from United Airlines following 9/11, he flew for regional carrier SkyWest. He lives in Maple Valley, Wash., with his wife, who is also an Alaska pilot. He has two children, one at home and one in college.

Capt. Garin Tentschert: Vice Chair

Capt. Garin Tentschert is a Seattle-based pilot. He is a retired colonel for the United States Air Force of 30 years. He has flown the C-17 Globemaster III and C-141 Starlifter, as well as commanded operational reserve squadrons. He became an Alaska pilot in 2000, serving as a technical pilot, flight operations duty officer, Seattle base chief pilot, and interim system chief pilot. He has served as secretary with the Alaska MEC since 2020. Capt. Tentschert lives in Black Diamond, Wash., with his wife and two of his four children.

Capt. Dan Richards: Treasurer

Capt. Dan Richards is a Portland-based pilot and was hired by Alaska Airlines in 2007 after working for seven years at Horizon. Capt. Richards has served five years on the PDX Scheduling Committee, has been a Pilot Peer Support volunteer, and served two terms as a PDX rep. Early in his tenure at Alaska, he became one of the 106 furloughees. Most recently, Capt. Richards filled the remainder of the MEC vice chair term vacated by Capt. Joe Youngerman when he entered Boeing 737 transition training in November 2023.

Capt. Scott Rubin: Secretary

Capt. Scott Rubin is a Seattle-based B-737 pilot and has served as the Scheduling Committee chair for the last several years and previously as the Block 4 Rep in Council 67. He was hired by Alaska Airlines in 1997 and previously flew for Continental Express and Skagway Air. He lives in Enumclaw with his wife and has two daughters currently in college.

-###-

CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org