One of the benefits you're really going to enjoy Dan is a seniority based award system. If you're senior enough to hold a good schedule, you can hold it, if you're senior enough to upgrade, you can upgrade. There really aren't any questions asked on that, which can be a definite plus to "planning" your future. On the contrary, seniority also means that if you're junior, you get furloughed, and if you're junior as a captain you get downgraded.

I would never try to be the "rain" on someones parade, but as i stated in a different thread, i'm pretty sure i'm done with the industry. There were many factors involved, but my choice seems to work for me, and i wouldn't try to pass that on to someone else.

One of the negatives that really got to me, was while i was making good $$ as a regional captain i also found myself trying to stash most of it away for a rainy day. Knowing the general instability of the industry, the thought that hiring could slow down at any moment, that advancing in seniority could come to a stand still, and being on the verge of the Captain/First Officer cutoff made my spending rather thrifty. Thankfully, the somewhat thrifty spending habits allowed me to take the downgrade without toooo much suffering...but it's still tight.

I can remember having a conversation with an FO once, about how terrible it is for people who were leaving our airline and headed to their next job, where they were making 30k/yr. These were people with families, mortgages, cars, lifestyles, etc. Her response was to laugh, then say "it's all their fault for getting themselves in over their heads". As far as i've been concerned, while it might be ill advised to waste your money on five rolexes, and a diamond studded collar for your lab. We, as individuals should be working to live, not living to work. One of our biggest joys is the QOL we're fighting for, which is our time off. If you're living in a shanty for the sake of not taking a financial "hit" when you finally get the chance to move up to a major airline, then what type of QOL is it that we're trying to achieve...If a professional has a desire to drive a nice car, own a nice home, exercise, sight see, etc...then that individuals chosen profession should be on in which they can enjoy those desires...without the aspects we enjoy, all QOL is a moot point.