There are a few very senior folks at RAH who are under the age of 35 that agree with you, but that begs the question - Why??? You are looking at the question from a myopic here-and-now perspective, instead of 10, 20, 30+ years down the road. There isn't anybody currently on property at US Airways that was hired after 1988.

I am 23 years old. My hope is to be at the "job of my dreams" by the time I am 30, and I think that's a very realistic, conservative estimate. So lets say I get hired at Age 30 and have a 30 year career in front of me (assuming Age 60 won't change, which I'm sure it will). Even if furloughed, time is on my side and I stand to gain MUCH more in compensation across my career from making the jump, compared to if I had stayed at my current employer.

The bottom line is you have to take a risk in order to achieve a reward...and working for any contract carrier is not a guaranteed safe bet until retirement these days. Witness ACA/FlyI, Comair, Mesaba, AWAC, etc.

I for one would MUCH rather be at the bottom of a mainline seniority list as furlough fodder than in the top 15% at any regional. In my opinion and at my age, the potential reward far outweighs the potential risk.