SWA was THE place to be when the US econ was in the dump. Steady pay and growth....never mind that the rest of their contract had serious thin spots. Think of the BUCKS and quick upgrade!!!!

All the majors were laying off pilots and hacking away at the gonads of those who remained on the property. But back then there were airlines called USAirways, Northwest Airlines and Continental. Not to mention the second-tier carriers. The mofo's on the top floor had all the leverage. That dynamic has changed and changed for the better for ATP rated pilots in the US. Today a young buck has the option of flying domestically for life or flying domestically and / or seeing the world. Right seat wages are way up and should only improve with the next contract. Eggs are great, but they're not everything. Astonishingly, I have SWA buds who would love to have other opportunities.

And just for reference, "Golden boy" is in his 33rd year of airline flying and has friends working at just about every airline. He completely lucked into his job at UA and ate the big feces sandwich for 15 years after those Delta Hotels flew Boeings into buildings. "Golden Boy's" work-life for a long time wasn't so golden. He fully understands that there are many places to work offering many different career paths. I could be happy just about anywhere. All I am saying is that flying for Southwest, Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, etc would be my second choice were I job shopping today. My first choice would be to a global, US-based airline. Apply wherever you like. 30 plus years is a LONG time and there are other planes than the 737. If you're taller than 6 feet, most of them are more comfortable. You're going to sit in it 1000 hours per year for a long time. Your back will thank you.