You can use them and it is worth a try to see if they are acceptable to you. Some like them, some don't. Using slicer cukes for pickles isn't a safety issue, assuming you use a safe recipe, it is a quality issue.

Slicing cucumbers make much softer, mushier pickles because of all the extra water they contain. The smaller the pieces you use the softer the pickles. So using them in chunks or spears may give you better results than slices. They can also be more bitter if they are large with a large seed cavity. So coring them may help too.

"Air pockets"? Not sure what you mean by that unless you are referring to air pockets in the jars?

Many of us prefer to use the abundance of slicing cukes we get to make relishes rather than pickles. That way there is no mushy issues.

Check out the many other pickle discussions here for more ideas and more details on why many of us feel slicing cukes don't make good pickles.

Dave