Oh and if a class date or even interview comes along please pass on your stats and thoughts on what got you selected for the interview. Thousands of people are trying to figure that piece out.

There is no use making decisions that aren't in front of you now. Of all the pilots I know, I think the ratio 100:1 describes pilots that still don't have legacy interviews (anywhere) to pilots that have to worry about a choice between carriers. Good luck though!

That said I'd go United.

 

Here is a reason AAL could be a wise choice..,.

One thing to add is seniority progression. UAL has hired more pilots the last 2-3 years than AAL has. I am fairly certain someone who is 30 yrs old hired today at AAL vs UAL will be a senior/widebody Capt longer at AAL vs UAL due to the numbers UAL has already hired. This could mean much more earnings at AAL vs UAL over a career which could negate the few more dollars per hour UAL pays. Of course contracts will change over time so whichever airline pays more now might not pay more in the future.

 

Average fleet age is only 2.9 years older at United. The average age will probably the same in 2 years when all the 747's are parked. United and American are getting lots of new ac over the next few years. This is not a reason to pick one vs. the other.

United pays more now, American will pay more in 2 years, United more 2 years after that. Pattern bargaining. Again, not a good reason to choose one over the other.

I wouldn't pick a wholly owned like Envoy to get to American. Probably the slowest way. Skywest guys have been going to American with half the hours Envoy pilots have.

Go to the regional that will give you the best quality of life, then go to the first major that calls. After a year at the first major, most likely it will no longer be worth it to leave for another major for quality of life reasons. You would be giving up a lot of seniority to do it. It could make sense though to be based where you live.

 

One more thing to consider. United has more wide bodies and more pilots on the highest pay scale. Delta has the least wide bodies out of the big 3.

 

from apc's airline profile data -

w/b percentage -

UA 24%
DL 19%
AA 16% (AA approx. 17% next year)

Larger than 767 w/b percentage (ie 330/747/777/787) -

UA 17%
AA 12% (AA approx. 14% next year)
DL 7%


If UA's fleet average is 11 years, and the 747 fleet age averages 30 years, parking all the 747's would only drop the fleet average age by .6 of a year.

Using that assumption AA's younger fleet gap of 2.9 years would become 2.3 years.

 

Fleet totals (apc data) -

AA 930
DL 841
UA 717

Figure 22 pilots per large w/b. 16 per 767.

Should give approx. how many jobs there are in each category.

With 17% vs 7% large w/b a/c a guy at DL with a seniority number of 700 might have the large w/b bidding power that a UA with 1700 seniority has.
And what flying is done at what base? So the in depth analysis of which airline is 'better' gets tougher. And that's a snapshot of today. Will the differences balance out or are there network reasons for the different fleet groups that might not change.

Another issue is no US airline is buying 767's. What would the fleets percentages look like in 10-15 years when all the 767's have been replaced by 787-8's or larger a/ c??

 

After you get a CJO, post.

GF

 

CJOs with both AAL and UAL. Both are great options and I'll likely commute to either: UAL - LAX or SFO, and AAL - LAX or PHX. Seems like AAL will have slightly faster progression, but UAL has more opportunities to progress to widebodies. Right now, UAL has slightly higher pay and better profit sharing and work rules. AAL will probably be comparable after its next contract is signed, so not sure pay and work rules are differentiators. My plan is to go with the first one that offers me a training date.

What big reasons am I missing for one over the other?

 

What city will you be commuting from? At AA you can reserve the jumpseat on mainline flights. That’s about as stress free as it gets. I don’t think you can do that at united.

 

You’re missing NOTHING.

Choose one, you’re gonna have a really really really really really great career. Choose the other, you’re gonna have a really really really really career.

Know why one has 5 “really” and the other 4? NONE OF US DO. And you won’t know yourself till you set the parking brake and walk off for the last time in your career.