Originally Posted by
Gone Flying
id say probably UAL right now. UAL seems to have better work rules in a lot of ways. (Like deadheading, Crew meals, layover hotels ect.) they do significantly more INTL already and seemed poised to expand mainline flying domestically, and they have hired fewer pilots in the past 10-15 years which means more upward movement as senior pilots retire. IDK how UA builds their trips but DLs NB trips now look pretty rough, especially in NYC. While this may come and go, we don’t have much to protect us from some pretty bad trips. No clue how it is there.
bases aside, the only areas I can think of that DL beats UA in contract terms is profit sharing formula ( I think), WB reserve, and premium pay (always 200% at DAL)
contracts come and go and things always change, but that’s where i see things today.
I’d say both are probably ok on financials.
EDIT: looks like you already have a class date at U. I’d go to Denver and not look back.
cheers
while I mostly agree with your outlook, I never take into account where the airline stands today and how there contracts are. All Legacies are in some sort of section 6 negotiation and it’s going to change a lot in the next year to two years. I’d also Advocate that Delta just shed almost 2000 pilots offering the early out package. Delta is in the process of replacing those pilots and getting the airline back to pre-Covid staffing levels which is great for anybody who gets hired in the next six months. Delta traditionally grows on average between 2 to 3% per year in their ranks. The forecast pre-Covid was to go to a 16,000 pilot airline, as fleet standardization continues and demand increases I think that number is quite possible in the next 3 to 5 years. I would be looking to get on the front side of that instead of worrying about minor differences in contracts. The other option I’d be looking at for potential employment is geographical location to current living situation. I believe that trumps all.
i’ll also add that as it stands today Delta Airlines market cap is $26 billion whereas United is 15.5 for roughly the same stock price. So to say that their financials are similar would not be necessarily true. Delta is a much better run airline from a financial perspective.