G4poor

This answer really highlights the dilemma. Several of the posts I’ve seen from pilots making this tough decision were senior captains in their mid to late 30’s. That falls right in between leave and stay. I think if you are in that category and you see yourself as a legacy NB captain for the bulk of your remaining career then don’t go. As some have pointed out F9 12 year is $270 with 15% DC with a 75 hour guarantee. UA is $283 and AA is $278. If things keep going up your pay will be right in line with the legacies but probably lagging by a few years as they get new contracts and the trend going forward seems to be ULCC contracts reach current legacy pay only once they have reached the amendable date. So if you leave only to fly NB’s then I think that’s going through a lot of pain for no gain. However, once you hit year 12 at F9 you have no where to grow. You’ve maxed out your aviation career. From what I’ve been told you can make F9 12 year CA pay as a WB FO at a legacy and you still have to ability to upgrade to WB CA and make even more. The easiest thing to do is to do nothing. Then you eventually move out of the grey area and the older you get the less sense it makes to leave. It’s a really tough decision. You will look back no matter what decision you make and wonder had you done the opposite. Good luck. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next 25-30 years. Who will be the lucky ones who chose to stay at a ULCC and who will be unlucky (bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions). The people I know who made the jump did it a few years ago when the decision was less tough. Getting on early at a ULCC has been a blessing and a curse. I have a lot to lose by leaving (initially pay, being home everyday, the time commitment, vacation). Many of my friends who didn’t make the first jump to a ULCC available to them either went straight to a legacy several years later or went to a ULCC several years later and then made the easy decision to leave a ULCC FO seat. This probably doesn’t help much.