Of those 3 years, hiring didn’t really happen for 2, so realistically wont it down?

Uhhhh huh ?! 😂

🤣 frantic typing

So as a retiring military guy with offers at both (but can't start until January)...

My main focus is time at home, but when I am working, I don't mind working. At first it will be a two-hop commute to either coast (OAK or EWR), but after about 4-6 months, I'll be moving to within a 3 hour drive of ORD/MDW for family reasons. I know not close enough to sit short call, but close enough to pick up pop-up trips with reasonable notice.

With a 20-year horizon and a pension as a backstop, does this change the calculus any?

With a twenty year career ahead of you do you want to only ever fly 737s the rest of your life? Or at all? Or would you like the option to change it up?

I’ve only flown various models of one airplane to this point in my life…so I don’t even know what variety is like.

Not really, but your seniority would obviously be less at a more senior UA-domicile like ORD. Longer time on reserve, bottom-feeder lines that are built to high credit with at or near min days off for several years. At a junior UA domicile, at current hiring rates, your seniority will rise like a rocket ship and you'll be able to bid min credit (more days off) much sooner. So, drive three hours to work after about a year on reserve for more days, or commute to a better line at a junior domicile. No one can predict what January will look like this far out, though--probably better to revisit what the landscape looks like in 4 months.

Not sure if SWA offers a paid move after probation like United, but certainly keep extending your mil move and get them to pay for it. It's nice to keep that company paid move for the future if you can.

Good point.

But it depends on the perspective;

Do you wanna work somewhere that’s furloughed multiple times in the last 20 years? Or one that’s never furloughed?

Sometimes career planning ISNT about what kind of plane your arse is in, AS LONG AS IT’S IN A SEAT.

None of us know what’ll happen, not until we set the brake the last time walk off…

Good advice to wait out the contract process/economic developments. I feel the pressure to make a decision, but I've got (relatively) all kinds of time.

Also sound advice to think about.

SWA guy here—I’ll add that our MDW domicile is relatively junior for FOs. We also serve ORD from various places if it helps with a commute.

In addition, OAK and BWI are junior bases.

SWA does not have airport ready reserve, but a two hour callout to check in for an assignment. We have AM and PM reserve blocks and line flying.

You can pick up flying in any domicile, and there are many ways for a newhire to make 2nd year pay for certain flying.

We fly pretty hard, maybe the UAL schedule is more lenient/commutable.

Of course, no wide body flying here, but you can fly your arse off if you want to.

Of course, we are also deep into contract negotiations.