Originally Posted by
gloopy
Not throwing shade at SWA at all. Its a great airline to be at. And the 73 is a lot less bad than some flight deck fashionistas would have you believe. Just be careful with snapshot macro logic like that. You can "make a ton of money" at any legacy too at least these days. And if you live in base (and even if you don't) you can still not care what you fly, but at least have a choice.
I really enjoyed flying the 73 here at Delta until a forgotten standing AE bid dropped me into WB flying. All the way through training I was slightly miffed at myself for leaving an airplane I enjoyed at a seniority level that worked great. Then, a three and half hour nap in a lie flat seat on the way to Buenos Aires, followed by mid morning empanadas with the other pilots at an outdoor cafe in the sunshine, a solid nap, workout, then a spectacular dinner with the other pilots before a long night’s sleep and the return trip, with, you guessed it, a three hour nap in the lid flat seat (it really works for me). The naps, relaxed pace on the layover, and spending a pittance in BA to eat like a king can be real habit forming. As others have noted, being able to sleep on the plane can be a critical factor in how people do or don’t enjoy international. Count me amongst those that heard the, “it’s a totally different airline” talk for years, then had the epiphany of, “Holy Crap! It is a TOTALLY different airline.” YMMV BWYWWWYB