Sky, I hate to break it to you, but any 121 gig will be a pay cut for a while. DAL, SWA, and FDX are the best of the breed but even they are probably half of what you make now.

Not meaning to make an example of your situation, but the time to prepare for an airline job is 3 years out, not when choosing door number 1 or number 2 six months out. (Search "Timing your Exit") I made a ridiculous amount of money the last few years at my job...but I was year 8-11. The first year anywhere sucks. Its certainly way worse at a regional that a solid major, but if you are comparing month to month, or year to year for the first couple years you are way better off taking a GS position, staying on active duty, working as a contractor, etc etc.

However, when you look 3, 5, or 10 years down the road, those jobs hit a cap. 3-5 years at a major, and you are back in six figure territory with a good quality of ife. The last 10 years have been bad for airline contracts, but the pattern bargaining currently taking place shows a more positive trend. Delta's latest is nothing to sneeze at, and by 2015 their top rates will eclipse ours at FDX. UAL is in the middle of a battle, but whatever they get should be way better than their current book. Is is 1998? Not by a long shot, but it is a good life and a better paycheck down the road if you can gut through the humps.

Again--for the readers out there--the airline transition is expensive, exasperating, scary, and full of pitfalls. It is absolutely not for pussies. Plenty of guys have gotten chewed up and spit out, and there are plenty of bitter examples out there. There are also some guys like me--who planned ahead, and with some luck and the grace of God cannot believe how lucky they are to fly around the world for a living able to support their families pretty well and have much, much less work stress than in any previous job. But to make the leap--you have to plan carefully. You are going to be 40, 50, 80 thousand dollars down per year for a year or two from what you made as an O-4 or O-5. Are you financially prepared to make that leap? I would suggest that you need to plan well ahead, and not only be able to acquire the savings to make the leap, but also be willing to SPEND that savings to make it happen. For some folks--that last step is just a bridge they will not cross. I get it, and I understand. That is partly why I bailed at the 14 year point, because I knew I had a Guard/Reserve income offset plan. If you don't have a second job, you better be ready to spend your savings, put your wife to work, or a little of all of the above.

Is it worth it? Your call. For me--absolutely. I can't tell anyone they will have my good fortune if they bail. But I can say with absolute certainty they will not get to do what I do if they stay in. Looking back, I guess I pretty much knew I was always getting out, so I didn't over-analyze the decision when I had the chance.

Again--good luck in your chase. For the rest of you--don't get sticker shock 6 months out--lead turn the financial stuff 2 to 3 years out.