Making a decision on a career based on speculating what it will look like 15 years down the road is a fool’s errand, no offense. It would be better to look back 15 years and look at real events in a case like this.

You will get many varying opinions here, and the opinions of a 47 year old who started in 121 back in 2000 is going to have a much different viewpoint.

It wasn’t that long ago that the average class experience was 6000 hours, degree, type ratings, PIC turbine, check airman and multiple interviews at many carriers. Most had experience with poverty wages, mergers, bankruptcies, furloughs, flowbacks, etc. Many had applications out everywhere for years on end.

I will upgrade this year (less than 200 away) and am not seeking to go anywhere else. I used COVID and the 1221 WARN notices as my impetus to get out of debt (finally). I have a reasonable furlough fund, make a good income, and live an FO lifestyle which I intend to keep.

I get my widebody flying fix by using my vacations to nonrev around the world.

Plusses about WN:

—PM/AM schedules
—Vacation drops because no PBS/line bidding
—Domicile choice
—In over seven years never had to speak to a chief for a sick call
—in an emergency I don’t have to try to get home from another continent
—Regular Plan insurance
—Excellent people up front

The negatives are all the same from other posts and mostly revolve around the contract and amount of block time we fly every year (I think I average about 680/year).

The choices you make in how you live your lifestyle outside of work will have a very large impact on your quality of life at any carrier.

You have a good problem to have. You have to go with what you know today.