Originally Posted by
DrunkIrishman
This is the tale of two Deltas: if you’re on narrowbodies, it was the best of times; if you’re on widebodies, it was the worst of times.
Yes you can upgrade sooner at Delta, on narrowbody fleets. Widebody flying continues to be very senior. If you want to be able to upgrade on a Delta widebody, you better be younger than 35 when you get hired due to all the people hired in the past four years. Also plan on it taking 3-5 years to be the plug as an FO on a widebody.
Having said all that, there is a reason people choose to be an FO on a widebody even though they are able to hold Captain on a narrowbody. That should tell you something.
And some will upgrade to narrowbody captain as soon as they can. What should it tell you other than there are options?
Some pilots cannot handle time zone changes. Strange as it is, I would rather do South America or Asia than Europe because of the way the time works.... for me. Some people just HATE being tired all the time. Widebody flying isn't for everybody so there ARE pilots that will upgrade for that reason. Some pilots actually like to fly airplanes so they will upgrade for that reason. I actually like the occasional domestic trip, and I don't mind going thru ATL. Some guys like transcons. I personally hate them. Turns? Not for me because I commute. Reserve? See previous answer. (Reserve on a narrowbody in base can be very lucrative).
Sorry for the diatribe, but focusing on the senior part of any category and using that to draw a conclusion about the majority of the pilot group is folly. I think the bottom line is that what we have at DAL that they do NOT have at SWA is options, and I think that is what the OP should look at.