That extra drive would probably kill me. Possibly quite literally if doing it after a red eye. However, it seems like you want to be at a legacy and fly the big metal and have the money that comes with it. I say go for it. No regrets! I would try to move closer to the AA base if possible. And while I do place pass travel pretty close to last when picking where I want to work, I do wish I had the ability to take my family to other parts of the world in first class. Flying in coach on a zed fare with a family of four sounds pretty miserable to me which is why we vacation closer to home. Spirit guy here