You may have a point. But PSA starts out at $1875/mo whereas ExpressJet starts out at $2775 or $3000/mo. And commuting to ATL even on Reserve (depending on how long) seems worth the extra $1K/mo. Especially, since I really don't know how long I will have to earn my stripes in the minors. And I don't expect to be able to keep the signing bonus if I turn around and leave after 6-9 months.

Maybe the big PSA question is how long do I have to stay if I take the $15,000 signing bonus? And/or how long do I have to stay if I take the $2500/quarterly bonus? This quarterly bonus would push the pay up to about equal. But driving 1.5-2hrs to reserve is a great point...

Anybody know how the signing and retention bonus rules work?

JDFly,

Speaking as a guy who quit the Army 3 times (1. Regular Army - 1992; 2. AGR - 2000; 3. USAR Mobilization - 2008), spent the intervening years at the airlines, and later got recalled for 3 years to round out a 20 year active duty retirement: my military retirement is much better than anything any of the airlines are offering. Health benefits, alone, allow you to take the job that offers the most cash without regard to insurance programs. If you get a good job, even at a regional airline, you can be comfortable. Then you can investigate all the ways to invest and save for your final retirement, or even plan a career after 65 doing something you can give your passion to, like starting a business (it's a lot more stress free with a monthly income for a safety net). I don't recommend counting on the Air Force to take you back as many times as I quit.

As a side note: I am glad my airline didn't have a defined benefit plan (although we campaigned hard to get one). The Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation eventually took all of those over, and pays pennies on the dollar. Better to have an account that belongs to you. If the company provides a match, it's usually worthwhile to participate in their program, otherwise, there is a bunch of folks out there who can help you plan for your retirement. Good luck.

Hacker15E has very good points-seniority means everything!
A friend of mine from college days was in a similar situation. He stayed 20 because he enjoyed his assignments and was lucky enough to fly most of his career. When he retired, he wasn't able to land a job with the majors mainly because of his low hours. As you know, the major airlines don't cut you any slack like they used to just because you have mil time. You can thank the flowery PC world of HR. I digress. Anyway, he got a job flying for a small corporate gig and in less than 2 years, he got on with a major.
The point is, the airlines still like mil time and if you keep plugging away (and you're not a complete dork), you will land a job at a major carrier. Don't give up and keep the faith!

JDfly...Check PM.

I retired at 20, flew freight for a year and then spent 18 with UAL. I have passes based on my 18 years. I use Tricare as my medicare supplement. I get a few bucks from the PBGC for what was my United retirement. I assume new guys get nothing. Just get as much money in your B fund or whatever they call it now as you can. My miles retirement is my main source of income. It also really helped the first few years of airline pay. I have never been worse for money than when on active duty although I suspect that mil pay is a lot better now than when I was in.

Small point that won't matter to the OP. There is no limit on years of service for the B fund at UPS. The 30 year limit is for A fund.

As far as airlines losing the A fund, at UPS, it is tied to the management retirement. If we lose ours, so do they. Anybody want to take a guess on that happening?