SW buddy last week - "so, what are you doing? I'm still on the 737." That's his standard line for the last....15 yrs.
SW is a great company. No doubt about it. Massive growth phase is over. Competitive advantage has shrunk or disappeared. Slow advancement. The decision to go to SW is different today than it was in days past.
AA/US has a lot of retirements coming up. Upgrade probably 10 yrs. Or skip the upgrade and continue to fly FO n/b domestic, or Caribbean, or w/b's to Asia, or Europe, of visit your second family in S. America. Having the choices is huge. For many domestic flying is a huge PITA compared to international flying.
Among the Big 3 the career expectations are probably close enough(no one knows the future) that I'd put the airline that has a MAJOR crew base in my home town as my first choice. Not commuting, and living close to the airport, is a huge QWL improvement.
There's reason w/b intl flying goes senior to n/b domestic flying. It's not just the pay. It's different. Different airplane. Different type of flying. Different cities. Different cultures. Fewer departures(majority of the work B.S. comes during preflight/loading). Bigger cockpit. Quieter cockpit. Longer trips = longer days off breaks. Overwater(HF good, CPDLC heaven) = no VHF radio noise.
There's a reason the majority of guys that go international stick with it. Some guys hate it. But the key issue they had the choice, stuck their toe in the water, and didn't like it. That's not an option at a primarily domestic or n/b airline.
Turn SW down? No. But if a Big 3 called I'd be gone.