Originally Posted by
viper548
A friend of mine went to DL in 2008. He lives on the west coast. He is constantly getting bumped from bases and equipment. Right now he's based at JFK I think on the MD88. Sometimes he gets work blocks that are not commutable on either end and not able to go home between trips, commuting in the day before a 4 day, sitting in the crashpad for 2 days between trips, doing a 2 day then going home the next day. This has been going on for 5 years. Sure he makes more money than I do, but what's the point if he never has time to enjoy it? I'm sure sometime down the road he will have a great QOL and make more than twice what I make. I'd rather watch my kids grow up and make less money. If things go downhill at SkyWest, yes I will have missed the boat at the majors but I'd rather miss the boat with an airline than miss it with my family.
Your friend also got hired at the end of a hiring cycle with the age 65 rule going into effect. That meant 5 years of stagnation for everybody. I know that another economic downturn could stop things again. Barring another downturn, you will move up much quicker than he did.