Originally Posted by Fly90

From what I've seen sounds like QOL is much better at Delta though. I have some buddies at UA stuck on reserve in SFO and it sounds like hell. At least there are several bases at Delta that I wouldn't mind living in. UA...maybe Houston?

My priority isn't WB at all. More so long term viability of the company, company performance/financials, job stability. You guys are killing it at Delta. Seem to have sensible leadership too. SWA is a rudderless ship. Significant stagnation, back to 10 year upgrades, etc. I really don't know if we will be a great place to be in 5, 10 years.

Originally Posted by DeltaboundRedux

No one can say if they've made the "correct" career decisions in this business until they look back after retirement anyway.

No guarantees, only good days on the job with amazing views out the window.

Originally Posted by PilotBases

You'd be fine coming over, some folks like to play the "you missed the boat!" game so they can feel they timed it perfectly. As others said, we just don't know. I went from a major to DL and it was an excellent move for me. Good luck on your choices and if you come over here, I'm sure you will enjoy it!

Originally Posted by LifetimeCFI

What this person said. First of all: comparison is the thief of joy. Some guys timed it nicely but we can't control that. Some people didn't do anything other than aviation prior to their airline careers and it shows. Some of us can't or couldn't control that. These same folks want to make it sound like they're special for having gotten lucky timing, when in reality your career earnings will generally be comparable.

Can you drive to work at Delta? Will the paychecks show? Great. Enjoy the long career and don't look back. "You'll be junior to X people hired since YYYY year" is the crap that people say to justify staying at their non-legacy employer (like my own), and hell - no shame in that! Those are good places to work. And I understand why folks choose not to move on, sometimes. But don't let their personal fears or decisions sway your own. A 34 year legacy career is insane. Yeah you won't do 15 years of WBA flying, you'll still earn a good living. Upgrade times on widget show about 8 years to jr upgrade but that assumes no growth. Sure some 25 year old nepo hire in 2021 got to upgrade in a year..so what? So should all the mil guys in their mid-upper 30s give up because they wont have the golden ticket to 10+ years in WBA?

I'm so tired of this mentality from people online. You and I are similar ages.. I used to stress about what I'd retire at at one of the legacies, I simply don't care anymore. The pay will be more than fine, the stability hopefully there, and I'll be able to drive to work in one of the two or three cities I'd love to live in. Seems like that should be enough.

Originally Posted by tennisguru

All I know is this: you may or may not make it to WBA at DL, but you 100% won’t at WN…

Originally Posted by Hangman

I'm at UA and sit reserve by choice. I've flown 1 trip in the last 2 months. I average 1 trip a month. SFO and other base are probably different, but right now I get paid to pretty much do anything BUT fly while I credit 85-90 picking up short calls.

Originally Posted by Valar Morghulis

Experiences are highly variable. UALs new reserve rules just kicked in, so that end of it may be considerably different.

QOL takes many forms. UAL has an arguably better front end pilot experience. Better DH, better crew meals, smoother IT, and better pay integrity. Looking on Googlemaps, their training center looks pretty nice, and I wonder if they have some of the food/hotel issues we have. More variety in WB flying. If those kinds of things matter to you, then it might be part of your calculation, especially over 35 years.

Originally Posted by Fly90

Yea for sure. My biggest fear would be coming over and getting stuck in NYC due to a stoppage in hiring or something. I drive to work right now, so it's definitely somewhat of a gamble. That said, I'd move to ATL or SLC if I could get in one of those bases.

Originally Posted by Fly90

From what I've seen sounds like QOL is much better at Delta though. I have some buddies at UA stuck on reserve in SFO and it sounds like hell. At least there are several bases at Delta that I wouldn't mind living in. UA...maybe Houston?

My priority isn't WB at all. More so long term viability of the company, company performance/financials, job stability. You guys are killing it at Delta. Seem to have sensible leadership too. SWA is a rudderless ship. Significant stagnation, back to 10 year upgrades, etc. I really don't know if we will be a great place to be in 5, 10 years.

Originally Posted by PilotBases

You might get NYC based, it's possible. People are able to bid out on their first AE after being hired, typically (AEs are monthly). Hiring stoppage, again, anything is possible, but I think we will hire around 1,000 a year for a few years, with 500 retirements. That's solid consistent movement. Any plane you get in NYC, you can bail and get to SLC or ATL. Only jet NYC has that ATL doesn't is A220, but it has an SLC base. 717 goes very junior when offered to class, and that's 100% no NYC basing.

If you're curious, throw your app in and see. Can't make too many decisions until you know the options in front of you. Good luck either way, you're at a major and enjoying life!