The reason you're getting flak is because you can glean all these answers, and more, by reading the relevant SKW threads. Which one is "best" is entirely dependent on you. Would you rather have quick seniority or longer flights? Would you rather have seniority on an airplane or move to LA as soon as possible? We can't answer these questions for you and you're going to need to learn to be more self sufficient if you want to survive in this industry. The reason a lot of airlines are able to fill classes (and thus justify not raising pay) is because people get lured in with very little research by recruiters. It's very frustrating to be on the other side, trying to convince your company they need to raise pay, when people who have done zero research are flooding classes.