Originally Posted by
FettyWap
Some of this talk is eerily like the same talk when I was fresh out of pilot training. New to my first flying squadron and guys would say “take the job at SWA and then leave when United hires you.” I had friends leave SWA for UAL in 2000-2001. It’s a mistake that probably cost them millions. They had a chance to fly international...when they got back on active duty after being furloughed. Some even got furloughed again during the Great Recession and had to fly at regional carriers. Now they are narrow body FOs in Denver. The guy who we all thought was a fool for staying at Southwest is a senior 737 Capt in Denver making $400k.
Full disclosure, I have a CJO from United and am waiting to hear back from SWA. I go back and forth on what I want to do. But some of the hubris from the United guys gives me the willies. It’s almost verbatim of what I was hearing this time in 2001. In the end, it might come down to when I can start soonest.
In all seriousness....
All things being equal, I would only recommend United from the stand point of variety and upgrade times. Comparing pay is a fools errand, there are sluts and sloths everywhere. How much you make is going to be entirely up to you, which is the beauty of this job. No one cares if you want to do a bare min month, or kill it the next.
If it meant living in a place you love and driving to work, or commuting in order to live where you want, I’d take the one that I can drive to all day long.
Take the first one that calls, take the one that fits your QOL if they both call. If you’ve got more than ten years, any airline is a gamble for longevity.