Originally Posted by tigger1011

Here's my experience: I got out in 1997 for the airline paycheck and looking for a better quality of life. After 5 years of work slowages, contract issues, company infighting, and being gone from home more than I ever was in the military (18 days a month every month), I wound up with a furlough. Luckily, the AF took me back in 2003 and I won't go back until I get my retirement from the AF. I worked with pilots who had been through 2 company disentegrations (PanAm/Eastern) and had started over as many times only to wind up with nothing in the bank for retirement. My recommendation: get your retirement from the military first. The grass is definitely not greener, and as much as people gripe about the BS in the military, it's a heck of a lot more stable for your family, and there is just as much BS in the airlines, it's just different.