Originally Posted by Sliceback

Yeah, no one ever quits Major League baseball and chooses AAA instead.

Very, very few people who got trained at the same time in the past said "I'm choosing a regional instead of a major airline." Once you're 40, 50, 60 it might be different. But there's STILL guys quitting their regional job in their early 60's to go fly for a major airline for the last couple of years.

Part of better seniority means you got there sooner/quicker/younger. Add a year to the end of your career and your 401K should increase by an average of at least 5%. Your net worth will increase more like 9%. You'll be earning $350-400K+ as a n/b Captain and $450-500K+ as a w/b Captain. Get hired 3 years earlier and it's $1.0 to 1.5 million PLUS 3 years of 5-8% returns in your 401K for another $300-400K.

That's not counting if you get hired a year, 2, or 3 years younger you'll get summer vacations 1, 2, or 3 years sooner. Able to bid Christmas off at 32? Gues what if you got hired 3 years earlier you'd have held it off at 29. Get hired at 35 vs 38? That might mean the difference between ending your career as a w/b Captain vs never being a w/b Captain.

Seniority matters every single month. It's more noticeable over holidays and bidding for vacations, or switching to a w/b FO job, or upgrading, or upgrading to a w/b Captain job. I did great but guys hired a year ahead of me often made 20% more than I did AND had Christmas off and a summer vacation while I didn't. I had it better than 95%+ of the guys I flew with. The guys hired ahead of me who were younger made out like bandits. What secret sauce did they have? They got hired younger/sooner/quicker which resulted in better seniority. NO ONE WISHES THEY WERE LESS SENIOR. NO ONE.

Originally Posted by rickair7777

It doesn't, if you live a bohemian lifestyle with no SO, or your SO is also bohemian. If there are school-age kids anywhere in the picture, it matters.

Actually I agree that I don't like summer heat, humidity, and crowds so we've done a lot of fall vacations, and just pulled the kids out (man those educators squeal when you impact their attendance and budget numbers). But my last kid is big on both sports and academics in HS, so we can't take that one out anymore.

Originally Posted by Bahamasflyer

Not everyone wants kids, I certainly dont and never have, and I have a lot of company with a rapidly growing child-free segment of the population. Its annoying (not you in particular Rick) that so many are presumptive that people will want kids. Just like college...kids are not for everyone!

As a SINK or DINK with just a partner, or a solo artist, so many more doors open up with non-reving and flexibiliy overall traveling last minute off peak.

Not even counting the flexibility to P/U premium, move to a junior base on a whim to upgrade or go WB, comfortably live in a smaller home without caring about schools.

Originally Posted by rickair7777

Most people here are males who either have wives and kids, or will before too long so those are the generalities we speak of.

Without such encumberances, yes you have a lot more flexibility. That will be nice in retirement.