fiftyfourtyten

Hey everybody,

I know there have been other threads on this topic, but I wanted to get some separate opinions on this situation. I'll also preface this post by saying that I am extremely grateful for the oppurtunity that I have with both companies and I'm simply trying to make the best decision between the two.

I'm currenty at Delta (hired in mid 2023). I live about 1hr 20m from EWR and anywhere between 2-3 hours from JFK/LGA (depending on traffic). Despite living in SE Pennsylvania, Delta was always my top choice airline. However, once I started working here and making the drive to NYC last fall, I realized that it might not have been the best choice for me. At my regional airline, I was making a 30 minute drive to the airport with barely any traffic and $0 in tolls. At Delta, my drive to JFK/LGA has been anywhere between 2-3 hours with signifcant traffic and about $300-400/month in tolls. I may have spoiled myself at my regional, but it definitely taught me the value of living close to base. Needless to say, driving past EWR every time I go to JFK/LGA had me thinking that my QOL could be a whole lot better at United since the drive to EWR is about half the time and half the cost in tolls with very little traffic.

Fast forward to today- I currently have a CJO with United and a class date scheduled for the first week of March. I've spent countless hours over the past 6 months trying to make a decision whether to stay at Delta or make the move over to United. I am not necessarily tied down to SE Pennsylvania (currently 23, no wife, kids, etc.) but would prefer to stay around here if possible. I've considered other base options with Delta (namely Atlanta and SLC) but it feels a little crazy to purposely move away from the NYC area with the seniority boost here.

Here are some of my other factors I've considered:

Delta
- Already employed with 6+ months of seniority (about 1k from the bottom on the list)
- Flexibility to commute in the future with better reserve rules
- Better premium pay oppurtunities
- Better profit sharing
- Better bases if I end up living somewhere besides the NE (personal opinion)

United
- Easier drive to EWR compared to JFK/LGA
- Significantly more widebody flying and better route network than Delta
- Better seniority progression (assuming growth plans materialize)
- Better technology for employees (employeeRes, Crew Companion, etc.) (Delta tech is painfully bad)
- Quicker ability to upgrade on NB for hold WBFO


Is there anything else I should be considering? I'm open to any and all advice/opinions. I have been mulling over this for months and I'm finally at the point where I have to make a firm decision in the next few days. I'm being very careful to avoid a "grass is always greener" mentality. Any help is greatly appreciated!

MindFuzz

Dude, you're 23. Just move closer to the city if that would increase your quality of life.

cal73

Bird in hand?

Turbosina

First of all, congratulations on having such amazing opportunities. Especially at age 23. That's just incredible.

Secondly, if you go to UAL you'll be senior to me by a month. So I definitely suggest not giving up your seniority at DAL 😎

Seriously though, whichever decision you make, you can't go wrong. You'll have an amazing career either way. If it was me I'd just move closer to NYC and enjoy the single life, and stay at DAL with the knowledge that you've got significantly more furlough protection if and when the economy throws a tantrum.

Good luck with your decision!

MrIncredible

You're young, if the drive is bothering you that much. Make the hop. Nows the time to
make the move. You listed all the pros. Except one. We won't make you wear that hat all year around lol or make the move close to the city.

GoodJet

Never assume that growth plans will come to fruition. Make the decision based on known retirement numbers and the existing fleet. Personally I'd just move to make life easy than give up any seniority and I'm in my 30's.

webecheck

If you want to remain living in the area you currently are, this is a no brainer. Just switch. 6 months is nothing at your age. The WB flying is significantly better, and you will curse everytime you're abeam Ewr with another 1.5 to travel, and you will do that for 40 years, or until you move. Take it from someone who didn't switch airlines, and has also had that no toll 20 min drive. I would give up money for that again without question.

Otterbox

If you don't want to move, go to United. You may be a WB CA longer at UAL anyways.

PK387

Agreed, I think it's worth making the switch if you think you'll be in SE PA for the medium to long term, especially being so young. I would hate driving past EWR for the next 40 years knowing that the worst part of that drive is still to come, but could have been avoided by taking the leap.

BlueScholar

You could move and make this a non issue. If you absolutely can't move, take a look at the pay difference (which is pretty much negligible), factor in the number of trips you're going to work a month, and figure out how many hours of extra driving you're going to spend+ the tolls, throw on a certain percentage for the stress and hassle, and look at the money difference per hour. Assume 5 trips a month and that's ~10 hours in traffic and $400 in tolls + the famously cheap gas prices in the urban areas, and you're doing that to do the same job, for the same pay, for the sake of 6 months of seniority numbers when you're going to retire as single or double digit seniority on a SL that is going to be 20,000+ deep? Also reserve goes junior at United, so you can be getting paid pretty well to stay home and not work. DAL might have a tiny edge in pay/financials/work ruels now, but realize that you will see probably a dozen CEO's and 8-10 contracts over the course of your career. I'd bet anything over the course of your career you'll spend about decade being thrilled that you're at Delta, a decade mad that you didn't go to AA, and a decade mad that you didn't go to United.

My advice is you're super young, and you cannot go wrong with staying or going. There may be a difference between DAL and UAL, but it ain't much. You're so young the seniority difference is negligible, and on retirements alone you'll make up that 6 month difference. UAL will be hiring more and you will make that up quickly, especially when you factor in the WB opportunities out of EWR.
I think it's a no brainer to come over to our side, but sticking at DAL isn't the worst fate in the world.