Originally Posted by
JamesBond
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.
Well said and please bear in mind I’m not casting aspersions on narrow boby pilots. The fact remains that when looking at the plug on the widebodies, they are fairly senior in both seats in all bases. When deciding on leaving SWA for Delta to fly international, one needs to realize it may take a while.
Many narrowbody Captains are coming from the 2014-2015 ranks. Those pilots can hold widebodies, but many choose narrowbody Captain. However, many of those senior to them seem to be staying put on the widebodies.
It’s about $40/hr more to work 4 legs a day for 4 days to make that Captain pay vs 2 legs total in the same 4 day period while sleeping a third of the time and having beers in Germany. For some that works, for others it doesn’t work. YMMV