Originally Posted by rickair7777

To the OP:

Yours is a common theme, and you'd probably be a good fit.

Your timing is quite fortunate, as the airline pilot demographics dictate massive turnover and hiring over the next 10-15 years. Many folks have made the jump when conditions were nowhere near as favorable (and some regretted it).

That said, the industry is cyclical with the economy(and vulnerable to random events like 9/11) and few people complete a career without any speedbumps or detours. If you go down this road, be prepared for that. Although the pilot shortage will likely get so bad that furloughs may well be mitigated or rare even in a modest economic downturn. Once you get above 80% seniority at most major airlines you should be relatively "furlough proof", and bankruptcy liquidations will likely be rare or unheard of among the top carriers for the forseeable future (they're too big to fail now).