As everyone knows, the airline industry is very cyclical and affected by factors outside its control. Price of oil, new technological innovations, new business models, domestic and international economics, terrorist attacks, fickle flying public all conspire to produce an industry that is almost difficult to predict. People who choose a job in an airline are assuming no more or less a risk than those choosing to work anywhere else. We each do what is best at that point in time of our life, based on the facts that are known to us at that time. It is akin to buying one’s first house. Do some research, evaluate your own skills, abilities, education and training, look for the best possible job out there. If it happens to be at a major airline, and that is what you’d like to do, then by all means accept the job. However, no job is a fait accompli. As human beings, we try to better ourselves and look for validation.

The original question asked for the best times. I think the answer is necessarily subjective. And as I understand it, many people on the forums are in their 20s, so not alive to personally experience flying the great birds of the 70s. Of course I like the good old days of people dressing up before boarding an airplane, where one is served real food on real china by employees who seem happy to be there. Packing myself into an aluminum tin can (well, ok, composite now) with hundreds of people, many of whom wearing sandals and shorts, smell bad, talk loudly or carrying backpacks is not my idea of glamour. (I hope my CAL flight tomorrow won’t have these people!! ).