Originally Posted by
The pilots wife
I appreciate all the advice...but you all know how difficult it is to go from relatively senior...to at the bottom of the list. It will be many years I bet before this job becomes as good as it sounds. I still can't believe this industry and that you can have 15 plus years experience and yet you start at the bottom every time you make a move to a different company. Everyone who has no experience with this industry is shocked to hear that!! I know my husband has paid his dues a hundred times over and now he has to do it all over again.
This might come across as harsh, but if he doesn't take the job, he gets what he deserves in this career. A regional isn't a destination or stand alone company... it's just a vendor dependent on whatever major(s) it attaches itself to by underbidding the other regionals. It's an ever downward cycle and when the majors don't need you, they'll throw you away and you'll be out on the street... ask the former Independence Air pilots. Seniority is nice and I'm sure your life right now is "comfortable" but that comfort isn't nearly as secure as you think... ask the former Comair pilots. I've never heard of a regional pilot who believed they made the right move by staying at a regional unless they were very old or had no other options.
Life at a major will be tough at first... if you've got kids (expensive) and you don't work (significantly reduced income) it'll be tough at first. There's no guarantee against furlough at UAL, though at this point in the cycle I find it highly unlikely. Notice how many have said stay at the regional? The reality is you have no choice.