Originally Posted by
Thrust Hold
You won't find a guy/gal on here that didn't have their personal progression timeline thrown off by this industry (9-11, Age 65, Recession and Mortgage Crisis, Furlough, or Airline Bankruptcy). The folks that persevere reap the rewards.
I second this. Persevere. I spent 6 years at the regionals, was furloughed in the 2008 recession and had no movement when retirement age went 60 -> 65. Considered career changes a little, glad I didn't.
Made it to a major, and upgraded after 7 years, now making $25k to $30k per month.
The key is living in base and not commuting. I sat wide body FO reserve and sometimes didn't fly for 2-3 weeks at a time and had enormous amounts of time at home with kids. This would be a completely different job if I was commuting to a Crashpad. No thanks.
So yes, things are worth it. $250k to $300k a year, company puts 16% into 401k ($57,000/annually into retirement). It's a great job
because of our union.
Quitting over a short term downturn is short sighted. Stick it out and apply to all 4 majors, don't just wait for a flow if that is what you are doing.