Originally Posted by UtahGetMe2

FWIW, I faced the same exact decision recently. After several months of talking to pilots at each company, I decided to go to AA. It was an agonizing decision, and I'll most likely have lingering doubts/uneasiness about it for a long time.

What it ultimately came down to is the bird-in-hand. Getting BOS is my top priority, so I eventually had to snap out of the allure of the mighty widget and choose the company that I know, ...today...., can actually get me there. 7 new hires at AA got BOS in May straight out of indoc. Not bad.

A surprising number of DL pilots actually helped solidify my decision. Numerous guys advised me that the DL BOS base rumor has been a rumor for many years and that although it might happen, it also might not, and to be prepared to commute to NYC for my career. And even if DL BOS does happen, there are many questions about how senior it will go, and how long it would take to get A-320 training (my SSAN is terrible -- starts with a 0. Based on recent drops, I would have got a 737, or possibly 220 or 717).

My kids are still young and my priority is to avoid a commute. Once they're older and/or off to college, I can assess if I want to commute to NYC for quicker upgrade, WB flying, or better relative seniority. ....Or possibly stay in BOS forever, who knows? It's currently senior on the CA side, but the CA list is OLD and the upgrade time will continue to drop drastically over the next 5 years.

I met AA's new BOS Chief Pilot a couple weeks ago. I asked about the future of the base and his overall comment was "stable and status quo for the foreseeable future." It sounds like there's so much hiring and movement right now that the training burden would be too high to open (or close) a category. **Which is the same reason (among a couple others) DL is citing for not opening a BOS base yet.

Also, I'll add that the only place I've read anything about BOS closing is on chat forums and/or social media. Seems like conjecture. The "BOS might close" rumor seems to be based solely on the fact that the 73 BOS base is small. But I haven't heard anything from the company along those lines. In fact, the only rumors I've heard through company channels regarding BOS are about growth/expansion (via 320's, XLRs, etc).

Good luck with your decision. It's a tough one. My only regret is not looking into B6. I was told by several peers that B6 is a "stepping-stone LCC" and not a "destination airline." So I didn't even apply. I think I still would have picked AA for several reasons, but I regret not at least looking into B6 and seeing what they had to offer. If BOS is truly a top priority for you, my advice is to apply to airlines with a BOS base -- i.e. AA and B6, .....and DL only if/when they open one.

Cheers