AA guy here. I’ll throw in my .02 cents.

Of course the retirements here are great, and the wide body international prospects are as well. The work rules here are definitely lagging, in fact they may be the worst of all the majors, but I certainly wouldn’t call this place a glorified regional. Compare that to probably the best of all the majors at SWA. Will that change at AA? Very possible but it’ll take a different management team. The guys in charge now have a long and proven track record of battle with labor.

As far as company stability, AA is still quite profitable even though the margins are down. Much of that has to do with the constant battle with labor and of course the MAX grounding. The debt is huge this is true. Parker has spent as if the good times will never end. Will it pay off? Maybe, but he’s been very cavalier with the spending in my view. Oil spikes, an economic downturn and the party could come to an abrupt end.

If you can deal with these realities, welcome aboard and never look back. If you need company stability, the work rules, the soft pay that comes with said work rules, profit sharing and management that engages in meaningful, good faith contract negotiations on amendable date......well I think you know the answer.

Best of luck to you. You’re doing the right thing by asking around and collecting input, but in the end you may just need to go with your gut.