I personally think that 75CA vs 77FO is not about money, because if the guy or gal with the higher hourly rate chooses to make more money he or she will. All of that has been presented regarding the extra pay involved with international wide body flying is absolutely accurate, but it also neglects to highlight the value of the higher rate. As an example none of those extras apply for sick time, vacation, or training. Additionally, when working on a day off the higher hourly rate x 1.5 is a significant difference (ie $8 int'l override doesn't get a multiplier for working on a day off only the hourly rate does).


So making the choice based on which pays more $$$$ is a lot more subjective than it seems. That said, there ain't no question that the lifestyle differences are STARK!! (BBQ is good, cake is good, and I assure you I've never left anything in Laredo, Shreveport, or Southbend that I am terribly concerned about returning for) And that can bring us back to the original theme of considering jumping ship.


For those who are I would advise you to just give some heavy thought on what you value most professionally and lifestyle wise and do a quick comparison (ON PAPER) between Fedex and the other potential employers. Trying to time seniority or choosing the most "stable" carrier is fool hearty.


Likewise it is best to ignore all the breathless nonsense about the potential demise of Fedex at the hands of Amazon. Basic economics can show that an additional entrant into a market, doesn't mean other market players must/will exit. in fact additional entrants can in fact cause markets to grow. Is anyone seriously putting forth that what basically existed as a duopoly prior to Amazon becoming a "logistics" company has now become a mature overly saturated market?! Seriously?!! We aren't anywhere close to "Perfect Competition"

E-commerce is an "additional market" for players like Fedex and UPS. Amazon is growing the market not stealing market share and if you think that there's no room for PREMIUM products once the low cost entrant deploys you've clearly not bought a business class ticket on Delta Airlines recently.


So the stay or go decision should be based upon what you want out of your job. The need for what we do isn't going away anytime soon. That's my $.02 YMMV