Originally Posted by TechTanker

If you always expect a furlough and have your ducks in a row before hand then you have nothing to worry about. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I think the bigger question would be, what if United never furloughed and I stayed at XYZ LCC because I was too scared? I’ve seen way too many people who got too comfortable in their current spot and stayed at a doomed airline because of various temporary reasons.

One guy I flew with at XJT said he couldn’t leave for Continental because he couldn’t take the pay cut for one year or go without insurance for 6 months. Where is XJT now? While a LCC is different animal than a regional, the odds of United going bankrupt and shuttering doors is slim compared to a place like Spirit or other LCC.

Again, if you prepare for the worst when times are good then the rough times, when they do come, aren’t so bad.