Love the company. Not the mangement - Senior Software Engineer Alaska Airlines Employee Review

2.0
Jul 12, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone loves working for Alaska Airlines. There is a lot of pride for the company. The flight benefit is amazing, however you should realize that most of the flights are full and utilizing (even the free confirmed seats they give you) is relatively hard.

Cons

For a software developer, I don't recommend Alaska as a place to work. They work in a style called "Mob programming" where a group of 3 to 5 to 8 people work together on a TV with a single keyboard\mouse. You end up spending most of your day watching other people code. I enjoy pair programming, but this is exactly as terrible as it sounds. As for the management, they are all great at a personal level. However, the survey results that have been taken over the last couple of years has been declining and when I left it was not in an upward trajectory. I left because of management. If you are a solid developer, you do not want to work here. It will likely be detrimental to your career and you will find most of the time you are frustrated. If you are a software developer that tends to struggle, you will probably find working here to be one of the best places to work. It's odd. But that is the environment the managers has created. Mobbing is not for developers who are good at what they do.

Explore other reviews about Alaska Airlines

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- learning culture - great people - career advancement opportunities - remote opportunities

Cons

- can be chaotic at times

3.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work environment and culture. Leadership is strong.

Cons

Terrible compensation practice. Outdated approach, especially with corporate back office roles. Leaders have zero say in salaries. The compensation team has an outdated approach to pay and are not open to stay with the current market trends and challenging to partner with. There needs to be a willingness to change and align with the local job market. There needs to be an openness to listen to leaders' input. Its hard to hire and hard to attract retain good employees when we are competing with local employers in the Seattle area that offer better pay. It is very challenging to work with a compensation leader and team that do not listen.

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