MikeF16

I have no idea why this thread caught my eye since I don't even read the fractional section, must've been a current post or something. I have 0 part 91 experience, just mil and 121 but hopefully I can add.

You need to know yourself. Commuting isn't for everybody, it can be stressful and time consuming. If you're very type A and like control of your life then commuting will feel like a stick in your eye. That 12 day per month schedule with (potential) double uncommutable trips is now 16-20 days. Certainly not all airlines, not all fleet types, not all seniorities, but it does happen in a worst case scenario. Add in hotels or a crash pad plus restaurants and your costs go up considerably. You're a little older than me, when I was 1st hired I did the NYC crash pad and my #1 take was I'm too effing old to be in a GD crash pad, but crappy airport hotels can be $200 a night in NYC and LA, what can you do? Now, if you're the laid back type who just rolls with everything then this is a nonfactor. If you move into base also a nonfactor.

The majors have significantly higher earning potential, at DAL we've got guys who aren't even out of initial training holding NYC MD88 captain. Of course that category is going away but the point is if you are just looking for cash then there's a pile to be made at the majors. I've seen all the charts people have posted about previous furloughs, that's your gut check. Anybody who claims to know what the future holds is fooling themselves, past performance has zero bearing on what will happen in the next 10 years, maybe there will be another black swan and the industry will got to shlt, maybe the hiring boom coupled with the retirement wave will mean unprecedented pilot earnings. Very long term I think NJ has more viability than any major airline since (IMO) at some point the entire industry as we know it will be ruined by either the ME3, flag of convenience carriers, or technology that eliminates 1 or both pilots from the equation. I said very long term, probably not applicable to your personal decision.

Once you're at work, I'm pretty sure you guys work a lot harder than 121 guys. I sign in, fly the plane, have very little interaction with the customers, and take company arranged transpo to and from a company arranged hotel. Flying the plane could mean I'm on a NB and I'm doing a 14 hour day with 5 legs and changing planes every time I touch ATL, or it could be a single leg transcon or international leg that includes 2 meals and a sleep break. As mentioned previously I don't qualify for any perks, points, or loyalty bonuses. When the trip is done I go home and don't think about it again until the next trip begins.

Good luck with your decision.