Hard to answer....You are not making an equal comparison....Alaska is a small domestic west coast regional airline and United is a very large international major airline. Those are the choices you need to make...

Except at UAL or DAL you can have the Alaska lifestyle of 737/320 flying AND/OR also have the opportunity to fly large widebody International. Alaska is a stepping stone, why would you hold yourself short? There are 10 year pilots at Alaska wondering if they should make the jump.

Baja.

I’m not sure the lifestyle at Alaska is comparable to United or Delta even given the same equipment. An earlier post stated Alaska really is a regional airline which looks like a major because of the equipment and almost the pay. The rest of the contract lags several of the regionals nowadays.

As far as the same equipment goes. I’ve been told the exact opposite from my buddies at UAL. They’ve shown me their schedules and told me they’re doing the same type of flying they were doing at the Regionals. Alaska’s flying is far better then the 4 and 5 legs a day I was doing in RJ’s. I wouldn’t base my decision on narrow body flying, I’d base it on the eventual wide body flying. That’s where the gains are exponential.

By definition, Alaska is a legacy. In reality, it's something between a regional and a legacy. For a "smaller" medium sized airline, it has many faces. Pay is okay, QOL is okay depending on seniority, and career expectation is just okay. In its current form, it's a mediocre career airline at best. No one has a crystal ball. How times have changed. I remember friends from the big 3 knocking on my door, mainly after 9/11 for obvious reasons.
The flying and trips are better than most narrow body flying at the big three, in my opinion. We don't fly more than 3 legs a day in most cases. Most days are 1 or 2 legs, which depends a lot on the base and seniority, as always. There are 5 leg days through the southeast and a few 4 leg days but that's still fairly rare. Alaska is still a west coast airline so we stay in the same time zone more often than not. The most you will see is 3 hours either side. The layovers are fairly decent; no Lubbock or Amarillo layovers. With some seniority and/or luck, you could be laying over in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and resort towns in Mexico. That's something you won't see too often on a narrow body at the big 3.
Our pairings and schedules are some of the worst in the industry, in my opinion. This is where QOL takes a huge dip. We have inefficient trips and lines, which means more time away from base with less pay. Trip trading is almost nonexistent here. There is very little, if any, flexibility once you are assigned your schedule.
Upgrades are at about 4-5 years. Being junior will suck, especially in Seattle. The company runs a very lean operation and management will never adequately staff the company.
We have 5th year FOs (normally younger/newer) leaving for the big 3, FedEx, UPS, and even SWA. This should give you an idea whether you want to come here or not. The reasons for leaving range from better pay, scope, career advancement, scheduling, and commutability. We've lost some sharp FOs to greener pastures due to company's negligence.
Alaska will always be a small fish that constantly needs to check its six to survive. This management does not have the balls, vision, or the skills to be the premier west coast airline. Their huge egos, unwillingness to change, and inability to lead through cohesiveness seem to always be their downfall. If I were looking for a job today, Alaska would be my last stop, just short of a job with a regional. I wouldn't come here just to be able to drive to work. It is, however, a premier stepping stone "major" airline.

Thank you.....................

Probably the most accurate thing I’ve ever read on apc. Well said dude!

A very good and brief description of Alaska Airlines for those considering working here. Rewind 18 years ago, this would be my last stop as well. Although some diehard “Arctic Pigeons” would disagree.

Rewind 25 years and AS Captains made $40 MORE an hour than UPS. $154 vs. $111. How times change.

And times will change again. The one constant in this industry is the never ending change. I’m confident AS will take another turn for the better. The old mindset is being replaced. This is why I’m comfortable hanging my hat here.