Originally Posted by
havick206
I hear what you’re saying and agree with all points.
The only difference in this case is that at Allegiant CA=money as there are no long haul widebody aircraft there. That’s why it factors heavily on a decision to jump to Allegiant, amongst a lot of other factors based on my own personal situation.
For me I could care less which seat I’m in. It all comes down to money earned over the next 10 years for me and location.
Yes, on straight comparison captains make more cheddar, but realize there are FOs that make more in their W2 on SAME equipment as the guy sitting to their left. Growth and retirements have made the typical 5 year FO these days fairly senior and can therefor access a lot more premium overtime than junior captains. Figure the typical 5 year FO making 70% of captains pay. Why upgrade to get a 30% increase when you can often snag 50% to 100% more hourly, with better flexibility than a junior captain? It's why so many FOs bypass upgrade for years, until they have the same flexibility and overtime opportunities. Food for thought. Granted, that argument goes away once said captain becomes senior, but that's decades away at legacies.
Allegiant is a
great airline for certain people, but if money is your primary goal, you may want to do some research. The money is in the work rules, so make sure to compare contracts. Ie, Assuming you upgrade to Captain at Allegiant in 5 years, you will be at $186/hour; figuring 90-95 hours per month you'll be in the $210 - $220K range per year. Not bad, but looking at the big 4, you'll find the hourly rate for 5 year FOs to be close to that, but they can easily make a LOT more because of contractual rigs. It only gets better from there.
Money being the driver, is there a reason you're not targeting the legacies? Flood gates are opening everywhere so you can be choosy. You mentioned lack of wide bodies at Allegiant, why not go elsewhere? FO's are getting WB right out of initial training at FedEx, within 2-3 years at UAL, quick NB upgrades at DAL, and second year SWA FOs doing 130-150 trips per month. There's a thread on here on W-2s that is (mostly) an interesting and enlightening read.
Apologies if I'm telling you what you already know, it just seems you might be overlooking some important details. Hope the helps.