Originally Posted by
MagicGoose
How long does it take to hold a line on 756 and 777 @UA? I got a CJO from UA and SWA. From the info I gathered, it takes years to hold a line on WB on a non coastal base. QOL in reserve looks limited. The few guys I know at UA who joined recently are happy but they all live in Base which makes a big difference. I also hear complains of guys on WB who do not break above monthly guarantee as they are on the low end of the seniority scale. That is just some information i gathered...
You are comparing apples and oranges.
Southwest is like a regional airline flying 737s. If you want to compare what they do to your QOL at UAL, look at what is going on in only our narrowbody fleets. I just flew with a new F/O who is already a lineholder after 6 months on the 73.
I am just past my third year and hold captain on the 73. I have buddies at Southwest who won't hold captain for a decade.
Now if you want to bring the widebodies into consideration, that's something that you will never have a chance to fly at Southwest. The one thing that United has an advantage over Southwest is the flexibility you have to go to different seats, different types of equipment, and see what works best for you. I don't know how long you have left in your aviation career but 20 or 30 years of just flying the Guppy doesn't sound like much fun, and I am a captain on it and enjoy it.
I don't plan on being a captain on it my whole career.
As an aside, I came over from the 756 fleet and was holding a line at about 1.5 years seniority. I know that has come down a bit recently, but our G line (guarantee of being a lineholder unless you bid reserve) does go up and down monthly depending on what flying is allocated month to month.