Whoa, thanks for the replies!

I didnt mean for this to turn in to a SW vs AA thread because Ive already done a bit of that myself in trying to balance the never-ending work / life equation. Its just that PHX has only so many contenders to consider for basing opportunities. My distilled version of things thus far (and feel free to critique) goes something like this:

-Live in the base for the airline for which you would like to work. In this case, SW and AA both fit the bill and if you omit the corporate politics and focus on maybe 3 tangibles (earnings, sked, and QOL) I think you can get ( dare I say) close to objective.

-If you cant live in base, then gun for the most commutable solution. In this case, perhaps cargo might be the most commutable option, however, the w/b pay breakdown previously mentioned and skeds currently available to the pax brands is not to be discounted.

And I do for sure appreciate the "long view" advice on things. Until the last few years, my long view was to remain in the military convincing myself 'its not that bad' for 20 yrs.

Maybe the grass is always greener and maybe there is no perfect job and all the advice given anywhere on this forum is just a coping mechanism for people justifying their choices.

Thats a bit dark though so Ill continue to thank the responders giving solid objective advice that includes aspects of a career choice that I (and others) may have not fully considered outside of a narrow X, Y, or Z comparison.

So, thanks. And keep it coming.