SWA or AA
 

Looking for reasons to select one over the other.
PHX or Dallas is where I want to live.

I completely understand that the industry can change on a dime. Based on your current knowledge and past experiences/future expectations, who would you select and why?

Thanks for your time.

Julio

AA for far better opportunities and advancement. But this is a moot point until you have an offer from both. It's not like SW and AA are knocking on everyone's door these days.

AA seems like the obvious.

Multiple A/C types, higher pay, better retirement and MASSIVE retirements

ShyGuy. Appreciate your response. Lucky enough to have offers from both. Was leaning SWA but wanted to get advice from the experienced men and women on this forum.

Do a little research and decide for yourself. There's plenty of info available to make a decision instead of asking others where to go. I never understood that part...

I would say SW from a cultural standpoint . Seems like a more enjoyable place to work compared of the two . I am sure AA will get better now that they appear to getting treated better .

However I can't deny the fact that American has massive retirement numbers and southwest doesn't have much of any in comparison .

For that reason alone I would prob have to go with AA . The amount you ll move up over the next ten years at AA versus SW is significant to say the least .

Congrats on getting offers from both, many would kill kittens to have that chance ...


#iseewhatyoudidthere

AA by a mile! With the retirements at AA within the next ten years you will be a line holding Captain versus a middle of the pack co-pilot at SWA. You throw in the B plan and the better workrules (especially after the next contract when they match Delta and UA) and it isn't even close. Even if the seniority were the same you would do a lot better at AA in the long run.

Take the offer at AA and leave me that open spot at SWA!!! I would be happy to go there, even if I never did upgrade.

SW, short sighted answer says AA but the history of them is terrible, and they are bound to repeat it. Unless you live in a domicile of one I would go with SW.

It would be an absolute privilege to work at any Airline. I'm grateful for this opportunity for my family. Best of luck to you. Just a matter of time I'm sure.

SW has lengthy upgrade compares to AA in the future.

if it were me and I could live in base at either, I'd chose AA. Wider variety of aircraft to fly, lots of variety in routes, Intl widebody if you want it, upgrade to left seat much faster, and most importantly - first class crew meals 😃

Thanks for the kind words Julio. Just a matter of time, is what I am hoping for. Good luck with either place you decide!

Julio I was also fortunate to have an offer from swa and another legacy. I went with swa, live in domicile and am constantly amazed by the flexibility I have with my schedule. Phx and Dallas are big enough bases that there are plenty of trading opportunities.

Swa and AA could not be more different airlines and I suspect you are aware of the pros and cons of each. That said since they are so different you really need to ask yourself what is most important to you and go with your gut. Good luck.

Since both have pretty stable pilot bases in both places that you want to live, how about keeping all your options open. Maybe don't turn down either one, go to the first one to offer you a class date. See how you like the airline by actually working there first hand. Then when the second one offers you a class make your choice from a more educated position. It's just business and you will not cause any problems at either airline by leaving after a few months. Just an option. Good luck, you're in an very enviable position.

Southwest was always my number one due to the culture, MCO base, and job security and I was fortunate to have been hired by them, but I have started to realize that Southwest is best if you live in a junior base. American never appealed to me, but now that I see how senior Orlando is I'm starting to consider pursuing American for the Miami base. With that said if you want to live in Dallas or Phoenix you can plan on having a great quality of life as both those bases have gone pretty junior. Best of luck with the decision. It's not an easy one to make!

^^^^All mostly true which makes me incredulous that this is even being ask!

Bologna. It's called CRM. Why wouldn't you bounce a major life decision off of your peers?

SWA seems like it'd be more fun and you'd work with more upbeat people, but then again I had a lot of fun and worked with great people at the regional I used to be at.

The purpose of a job is to make money, then you go home to your friends and family. As a purely business decision I'd say American is the easy choice.

Didn't Yoda say something about not letting emotion cloud your mind?

Relax, Mr CRM. It's the same **** over and over on here! Just do a little research and come up with some answers. My reasons for choosing an airline are different than others. If it was my choice, I'd pick AA because of the bases and pay. Is that important to him?

The mythos that exists around SW - while it may have been true at one time - just doesn't exist today. It is just another airline with the same labor/management drama that exists at every other airline.

Trips are not commutable, so if you intend to commute I would definitely look elsewhere. The SW CBA may have at one time offered industry leading flexibility, but today they lag the industry due to the fact that you can not drop trips, and trading with the company is extremely limited due to lack of reserve coverage and duty-to-cover limits. Trading with other pilots is available, but if you are junior not many will want to trade with you or take your trip.

Major contractual deficiencies exist in little areas like bidding for training (you can't), vacation (senior guys bid all of the desirable weeks and use them as currency to trade for what they want), crew meals (none even on transcontinental trips or international turns), parking (none), uniforms (none), etc.

Vacation overlap is one positive area. Trips that touch vacation are dropped, often with partial pay. It's easy to create three weeks of vacation from one.

Do your research and make the best business decision you can with the information that you have. Don't decide based on some romantic fantasy about "Herb's airline". This isn't Herb's airline anymore.

Way better than any regional, don't get me wrong. Love my job, love my coworkers, but if AA called I'd be hard pressed not to go. (And I was formerly a USAir furloughed guy, so it pains me to say that!)

AA
filler filler..

Well said!

He is doing research. You would be happier to just shut the forum down?

History is relative. AA was celebrating its 35th birthday as an airline when Swa was dreamt up on a cocktail napkin by Herb.

This industry shows that when the airline is growing and people are getting paid morale is there. When there is shrinkage or wage cuts the morale goes right along with it.

Your dads Swa vs Aa experience may not be the same as this generation, could be better could be worse.

AA: Thousands of retirements in the next decade plus. 787s, 777s, 767s, A330s. You and your family can non-rev/vacation all over the globe (free airfare).

SWA: No where near as many proportional retirements. 737s. Non-rev to Flint Michigan.

Speaking of free travel, our CEO just announced this week there will be FREE non-rev First class travel anywhere American flies for all employees/spouses/kids with no annual fee. (Starting in June)

AA without question. Always opt for larger, more variety as long as one isn't just about to go the way of the dinosaurs.

AA without a doubt.

At the legacy I work for I've been based all over the world, flown wide bodies into London, flown RNP approaches to a 5,000 foot runway in the pacific islands, done a day turn to Narita, had a 30 hour layover in Tulsa, non-revved to Europe for a two week vacation etc etc etc.

I often think to myself, when I strap in my 737, if I worked at Southwest I'd be saying hello to the rest of my career.

AA hands down if only for the variety. I'd go crazy sitting in a 737 for 30 years.

I worked at American Eagle before coming to SW.

Any moron basing the decision on how fast you will upgrade in 10 years is just stupid. American tends to hire right up to the point they furlough. There were people in class that just got hired both time AA furloughed. When they were half the size they are now they furloughed 2,500 pilots that are just now making it back after how many years? Just think the next time they furlough how many it will be and will you be far enough from the bottom to make the cut.

Basing your decision on when you will upgrade in 10 years is a fools errand as that is a moving target. Stick with the stuff that is known. If like people said you desire wide bodies or more international flying then go with AA. But to base your decision on the possibilities of the upgrades that may happen in the future is ludicrous considering the past history of how AA has grown then shrunk.

WN has never furloughed pilots that I am aware of. Just sayin...
So nice to have that difficult decision...

Congratulations on receiving job offers from both SWA and AA! I'm a 4th yr F/O at SWA and am a United furloughee and prior military. Shoot me a PM if you want to talk about life at SWA living in domicile. I'm Vegas based -- PHX is about the same seniority wise as Vegas. Would be happy to share with you my insights on your decision. Congratulations again.

Thunder1

Stuff that is known like AA has more than 4000 retirements over the next 10 years; they have a 16 % B plan in addition to hourly pay ; and a 777 Captain will make more than a 737 Captain.

Stuff that is known like LUV has been in contract negotiations with it's pilots for more than THREE years; the upgrade to Captain is now long; and Randy Babbit is not your buddy.

Funny, that's what Delta used to say for their first 60 years, right up till 1996!

Where's the little slap yo' face emoji? Changing airlines is a disease. Get yourself some flyagra so you will last over 4 years at just one!

That said folks, listen to him - he's been around. AA isn't the holy grail (I hoped for decades that it was) either, but the OP is truly blessed to have two great options. Personally I'd say AA for the movement and variety, but make no mistake: it's a worldwide LCC (at least it's rapidly heading that way), and will NOT be your daddy's AA.

Coincidentally, I am faced with the same dilemma as I have class date offers from both JetBlue and Southwest. However, I think that is an easier decision to make than AA vs. SW (but I agree, AA would be my choice as well).

Best of luck.

I don't think it's that easy. Who you going with?
A bit higher pay, or fast upgrade......of course living in base trumps all

Yes, perhaps "easy" is not the correct verbiage to use, "less difficult" might be a better statement. In any event, 'at this point' (subject to change without prior notice, lol) I am heading to SW. Unfortunately, I will have to commute to either of them as I live in S. FL. and JB is now well over a year to get FLL and SW is over 3 for MCO. Higher pay at SW but quicker upgrade at JB (for the moment)...