Originally Posted by Skypilot11

Looking for some unfiltered, down to the brass tacks, from the school of hard knocks, career advice:

I’ve heard of a guy, who knows someone, who has a CJO from Southwest and American Airlines. The domiciles of BOTH companies line up with where he wants to live (so that is not a point of contention between the two). Things that have been identified as pros/cons are listed below:

-Pros of American: 1. SENIORITY like a boss (their pilots are old), and 2. a wide variety of airplanes to fly.

-Pros of Southwest: 1. Absolutely rock-solid company from a financial standpoint (NEVER furloughed and NEVER gone bankrupt), 2. very well run, and 3. the people are extremely nice.

-Cons of American: 1. Arguably -shaky- financials (high debt, low return on assets, and a CEO who claims that it is “impossible” to lose money), 2. a lot of merged airlines/pilots who a grumpy about old business, 3. a history of furloughs, 4. Poor customer service recently (ranked below SPIRIT for Christ sakes)

-Cons of Southwest: 1. First officer for life (or at least 8-10 years), 2. Boeing 737 for LIFE (literally).

Anyways, looking for input. It’s a no pressure decision that is only going to have implications for the next 30+ years…