I’m still in the process of figuring out where I ultimately want to end up in my career. My ultimate goal is to move out west. DEN would be first on my list, but SLC would work fine for me as well. Basically, I could accomplish this in one of two ways. Get on with United or Frontier in the next 4 or so years or attempt to get a job with SkyWest in the next few months. I posted a similar question about this a month or so and I think my decision ultimately comes down to this.

Do the majors really offer that much more than a good regional like SkyWest in this day and age. I realize that carriers like United and Frontier pay much more, but strictly from a quality of life perspective what would be the differences between the two. I’m looking for specific differences such as number of days off work rules, etc. If the majors are only marginally better these days, would this difference be enough to justify loosing you’re seniority.

Last time I posted about this, the general consensus was that I should stick with Mesaba, get my upgrade and move on. I agree and if I do plan to move on to a larger airline, then I will stick it out and get my PIC (Thanks to those who helped me make this decision). On the other hand, if I decide I want to make a career at SkyWest, then giving up my few months of seniority wouldn’t be that bad.