In response to a new deal between Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, pilots for Alaska said that they want to share in the new agreement's success.

On Nov. 17, Alaska, the Seattle-based subsidiary of Alaska Air Group Inc., announced a new alliance that will allow Alaska fliers to take advantage of more of the Atlanta-based airline's routes, airline lounges and international connections.

Alaska Airline pilots are trying to hammer out a new contract with the airline's management; negotiations that are now in the hands of a federal mediator. If those negotiations fail, the pilots say that there will be a 30-day cooling off period, which could be followed by a strike.

"This expanded relationship with Delta Air Lines shows our management is aware of the benefits that can be reaped from a collaborative relationship. It's too bad management is not relating with its own employees, particularly its pilots, in the same way," said Capt. Bill Shivers, chairman of the Alaska Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association Intl., in a statement.

Alaska Airlines is the third largest commercial-passenger airline at Portland International Airport, according to the Portland Business Journal's 2008 Book of Lists.