Originally Posted by
SkyGodKing
Discounting pay and benefits, let's be serious, a narrowbody captain is essentially just a regional jet captain on a larger aircraft. Nobody enters this industry wanting to fly 4-day trips with 3-4 legs every day for their entire career. Which is why I never understood why anyone would want to go to SWA for anything other than money or bases.
Widebody captain is the cream of the crop in this industry. You fly the best equipment to the best locations, get the best pay, and have the best trips and schedules. How often do you hear about a widebody crew sitting around an airport for hours waiting on a mechanical issue or an inbound aircraft? It's simply the best parts of the job without the worst, while narrowbody is the opposite.
...
Your claim that NB captains are 'essentially' flying 4-day trips with 12-16 legs, for an entire career is just false. I'm a middle third NB captain, and I fly almost exclusively 2-day trips with at most 4 legs. I rarely fly a 3-day trip, and if I do, it's rarely more than 6 legs, and never
ever 4-leg days, or 4-day trips. But I live in domicile. Commuters often prefer longer trips.
Sure, WB captain is the pinnacle for some. But not for everyone. Frankly, until someone has done it, they can't even know if they will actually even like it. Or, more specifically, if they will like it at the 90-99% seniority level.
Originally Posted by
ImSoSuss
They are not guaranteed at AA either. wtf are you even talking about? In fact if what you say is true it is much better at Delta as we only get it if the seat is available 45 min before departure then the gate agent if they chose will move you up to the front, some "forget" to do that. Until then our booking is in coach. Tell that to your boy Larry
Stop being so defensive. I was specifically responding
your claim that DL already DH's in FC. And what I said IS true. I was making zero comment on AA.
Originally Posted by
SkyGodKing
True, but how many people can consistently achieve two-leg day trips month after month for a significant part of their careers? While I'm not familiar with Delta's system, at AA, securing those day turns typically requires being in the top 10-15% at each base, which generally correlates with wide-body captain seniority. Everyone else on the narrowbody side is stuck with 3 or 4-day trips with multiple legs per day to satisfy the "optimizer" that came about because of the Average Calendar Day LOA.
Well, be fair. If you are going to compare WB Captain to NB captain, you have to be consistent. WB 3-day trips are the minimum comparison (albeit with 2 legs. 2 long legs). A good percentage are 4-day, 6-day, or more. I've done WB, and dozing for dollars is awesome. 1-leg days are awesome. 30+ hour layovers are (mostly) awesome. But so is the QOL that comes with more nights in my own bed, circadian stability, etc. WB is great, but so is NB for a TON of people. So maybe don't pigeon hole everyone into
your preference.
Originally Posted by
ImSoSuss
I agree, 34 is not young at all for Delta. It is for the other airlines.
So what? Sure, what ballpark seniority number you will retire at is
a factor, but it's certainly not
the only factor. Much less, the end-all-be-all. A 30-year old hired at DL today will hit 999. 34, probably not. Living in domicile is, for the vast majority, the number one discriminator.
The truth is, if you have a CJO at DL, UA, and AA, you really can't go wrong. All are solid companies, and all have thier advantages. Pay rates are, and will probably remain, identical (Soft pays will vary). If you really, really just have to fly WB, UA is probably the better choice anyway.