Upgrade is lengthy and the pilot group is young. No doubt. The good news for you as a west coaster, is that those are the most junior captain bases too. So while many from the middle and eastern parts of the country are bypassing upgrade due to the challenging commute, it may work in your favor.

Scheduling flexibility isn't bad once you are a line holder. There are a variety of mechanisms to move and trade trips to make your schedule work for you. The things that WN is lacking compared with their legacy counterparts are the ability to drop trips - you can't do it. (You can try to give away a trip in the hopes that another pilot will want it) and long call reserve. It doesn't exist here.

The CBA is also a little lacking with regard to reroutes and junior manning, but SWAPA acknowledges it and is trying to work on it. The good news is that chaos pays, with most schedule disruptions resulting in premium pay or double time.

Not sure it would be my first choice if I were in your shoes, but it's a good safety school!