If you're an airline pilot with a guard or reserve gig and 17+ tafms then you're crazy not to try to get an active retirement. The only guys I've seen salty about long term mil leave were the ones unable to pull it off themselves.

It's just business. If the airline had to furlough we'd be the first ones to get the boot and the company wouldn't lose a second of sleep. If a real war started we'd be sent to fight and the military wouldn't skip a beat if you died fighting it. So if you can take care of yourself and your family by finishing 20 years of service then you should try to make it happen.

And as to the anectdote of guys with 17-20 years of service having a hard time getting hired...I haven't seen anyone who's really trying be unable to get hired at a major unless they have some serious skeletons or something. But even then I know people hired this year with lost IP quals, multiple Q-3s, even Article 15s.