Originally Posted by Freds Ex (Post 3965366)

Okay… I’d like to see the average earnings per day worked of a group of hustling legacy FOs at say 80% seat seniority vs a group of hustling SWA FOs at the same seat seniority. Is it the same? Or is there a notable difference? I would not be surprised to see a difference.

Originally Posted by ImSoSuss (Post 3965372)

Okay. Not arguing FO against FO. At the Legacies (At UA and AA at least) in some bases you can be a line holding CA sometime in year 3. Are you saying a year 3 SWA FO makes more?

Originally Posted by Cyio (Post 3965350)

No offense, but you have been spouting this since I was hired, and we have done just fine. The airline is still here, it's actually making the changes you long sought it to make, and yet here you are once again trying to turn people away. At some point, admit that you hate it here and that you were acquired against your will, which is the reason for this. There are a ton of reasons one would choose WN over AA, just as there are reasons for the opposite, and your comment is short-sighted at best, arguably deceitful at worst.

Originally Posted by WHACKMASTER (Post 3965414)

Try again. I was referring to the ability to upgrade MUCH sooner at AA or go to WB FO. Also their seniority progression will make your head spin compared to SWA.

So perhaps go back to the drawing board or better yet, digest the fact that AA has a lot more to offer than SWA does under the current circumstances in the industry.

Did I mention that you won’t potentially be stuck in a 737 for your career flying domestic & near-international?

Originally Posted by Thumper7 (Post 3965334)

You can upgrade basically a decade earlier at AA. That certainly affects earning potential.

Originally Posted by flyguy81 (Post 3965436)

How much can you credit a month at AA before you get shut down? Last I heard, they limit what you can credit to spread it around and this hire/upgrade more. Buddy of mine hit Vmax or whatever you call it and they sent him home for the rest of the month a few days ago.

Got a buddy on yr 4 FO pay at SWA who’s gonna clear $400k for the year, which is more than a 4 yr CA who credits 90/mo, but he gets rid of trips and pick up premium/double time. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Now if said FO works the same as said CA, then yeah, the CA will obv outearn the FO and the quicker upgrade will make a bigger difference long term, assuming you take the quick upgrade to sit rsv vs enjoy a good QOL. So it depends on if you just want to do the bare minimum or don’t mind a little hustle.

Originally Posted by Turbosina (Post 3965367)

At the beginning of '24 I had a similar dilemma as the OP. I had CJOs and class dates at SWA, AA, and UAL (admittedly UAL was my first choice since I live in SFO.) I eventually went to UAL, but if I hadn't had the UAL option, it would have come down to SWA vs. AA. It was a tough decision that I ended up not actually having to make, because United hired me.

I showed up for the SWA class since it was 5 weeks before my AA class. Then SWA cancelled all remaining classes, which made it obvious we'd all be at the bottom of the SWA list for quite a while.

The challenge, as we all know, is how quickly things change in this business. Today's ultimate destination career choice can become tomorrow's stagnant, shrinking airline almost overnight. We all have to make assumptions about the future that are often just wild guesses. Like the UAL guys who left for FedEx during covid, as just one example.

My choice between SWA and AA would have been a tough one, since I'd have been a lifetime commuter at AA, but I live close to OAK. I assumed that at SWA I'd get OAK out of training and probably upgrade in 8-ish years, while at AA I'd get a much quicker upgrade but have to commute to LAX for the rest of my career. SWA definitely seemed like a better cultural fit (by far). So based on those assumptions, it was a tough call.

Those assumptions, however, were not entirely correct. All of us in my SWA class got BWI or MCO out of training; we had west coast folks who assumed they'd get OAK. Everyone in my class is still at the bottom of the list and is commuting to reserve in BWI or MCO. If I had stayed at SWA and turned down AA, and United hadn't called, I'd really be regretting my decision right now. A transcon commute to short call reserve, with no end in sight (especially given the 2025 displacements) would be utterly miserable.

If I were the OP, I would go to AA. Simply because the seniority progression is going to be so much better. Then again, that's an assumption based on historical data, which may or may not be the case going forward. But I don't see too many scenarios in which AA's progression slows to match where SWA is at currently. A major recession might do it, I guess.

Just one pilot's viewpoint...

Originally Posted by RippinClapBombs (Post 3965438)

For the OP— ORD 737 CA lineholder at AA is roughly 4 years (12/21 hire).

Originally Posted by RippinClapBombs (Post 3965438)

I’m at AA. Lineholder VMAX for October in my base/seat/equipment was 94h credit, but I’ll be around 130h credit this month with 15 days off. You can’t pick up open time trips above the VMAX in TTS, but you can pick up trips pilots are attempting to drop above the VMAX. I’m usually awarded around 80h credit with 17-18 off—pick up a few high crediting day turns to be strategically just under the VMAX. Any DelAAys in said month leading to more credit that goes over the VMAX forces scheduling to pull your next trip (pay protected)—which then you can “double dip” by picking up another trip on top of it.

All the senior FO’s drop everything and pick up premium 31xxx sequences all month—which are basically 1 leg a day with a leading or trailing DH. Those guys clear as much are our jr reserve CA’s, but it’s a lot time spent working the system. You also have the IMAX strategy. Personally I think it’s a lot easier to just be a lineholding CA.

Edit:
For the OP— ORD 737 CA lineholder at AA is roughly 4 years (12/21 hire).