Why I hung on to the bottom of us air for so long. Between the number of APL guys that never returned* and the baby boomers set to retire from 2013 on ( there was a time when every capt I flew with was as old or older than my parents). If the sh1t doesn't hit the fan in this business and my head doesn't explode before I turn 65 I'll retire with a 2 digit seniority number.

10 years ago I almost stayed j4j at republic but I figured I was single, no kids, no debt and had some cash in the bank so the worst was us air went tits up for real and I had to start over at a commuter. But at least I'd be debt free with a cash cushion so starting over at the bottom of a list wouldn't hurt as much. For now it looks the the gamble paid off. I'll get back to you in 2040 with the full report.

* that comment was meant with the utmost respect for APL guys. I understand how difficult it was to make a decision back in 06-07 wrt to US Air/NIC. I hope those that didn't return have found green pastures.