Originally Posted by
flyguy81
I was at a Super Bowl party with the DEN plug on the 737...CAL guy hired in '98. Was on the jumpseat of the DEN Bus Plug...had 21 yrs seniority. Has it changed in 4 months? Possibly but it didn't go from '98 to '05 in 4 months.
If there's a 2005/6 in DEN they were hired at CAL and got lucky they didn't get displaced. It's around 1-1.5 yrs to hold DEN as a NB FO at UAL, 4 months at SWA. SWA has a 10-15 yr upgrade....it'll probably take that long to hold DEN CA at UAL...plus UAL has a history of crappy management and pooping on labor. I think I'll stay at WN.
There are bottlenecks.
If you leave your house at 7am in rush hour traffic it might take you 2 hours to get to work. If you leave at 8am it might only take you 30 mins. To tell the guy who starts driving to work at 8am that it will take 2 hours is incorrect and anecdotal at best....
A guy at United getting hired today could reasonably expect 737 captain in 8 years. A guy getting hired at SWA today could reasonably expect 14 years.
With United buying a bunch of 737s and taking back regional flying, Coupled with the EIGHT THOUSAND PILOTS retiring (actually 8500) over the next 15 years, one could reasonably expect RAPID movement throughout the system.
Yes, SWA is buying a bunch of "MAXes" (SHH-THE MAX IS SILENT), but those are essentially replacements for the classics they are retiring.
I realize I was comparing UA and SWA, but to answer the OP question:
Between Delta and SWA in 2008? No brainer-SWA.
Between Delta and SWA in 2017? No brainer-Delta.