Originally Posted by md11pilot11

I’ve never seen this, that is extremely interesting. Maybe I should have gotten that degree in aviation management…

Originally Posted by Bob Squad

Also in a similar situation to all these potential UAL hopefuls. I was hired at AA a year ago and never got the call despite UAL being my first choice - but hey, I had a job and I'm grateful. AA has been good so far but I've noticed the writing on the walls at AA. We've been shrinking in popular hubs, missing earnings, and hemorrhaging money ($143M this quarter) while still having a mountain of debt. It all points to trouble ahead. That combined with the union troubles and the push to join ALPA just makes me think the next contract might have concessions - I'm probably just being extremely paranoid. Overall I just don't feel confident. Moved recently from MIA to ORD and my seniority has been stagnant since we went on a hiring freeze this summer. UAL's presence here is much larger than AA's and it's the location I'd like to make long-term. The WB flying opportunities are also much better at UAL. I kept updating my app and was lucky to secure a CJO earlier this month. Still awaiting a class date but was wondering if the "stay where you are" dogma still applies if leaving American.

The plan is to focus on remaining in Chicago or possibly the West Coast in the future. I like the WB opportunities that UAL provides and I'm not confident in AA's finances, leadership, and aircraft fleet opportunities.

Originally Posted by jerryleber

The S-curve effect is a phenomenon in airline competition that describes how a dominant airline can attract more passengers than expected with additional frequency. This is because service-oriented passengers, like business travelers, tend to favor airlines with a more frequent flight schedule.

The S-curve effect can be measured by using frequency share on the x-axis, which is the driver of preference for time-sensitive travelers. The effect can be seen at both the airport and route level.

Airlines can use the S-curve effect to their advantage by building dominant positions at airports and on routes. For example, Delta has a strong S-curve position in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle. In these markets, Delta has a far larger scope and depth of service than its competitors, which means that business travelers tend to choose Delta almost exclusively.

https://www.m2p.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/S-Kurve_RGB-400x400-1.png

Originally Posted by CRJCapitan

United is headquartered in Chicago so kind of unreasonable to expect AA to have as much skin in the game in terms of winning market share, especially with high costs.

Originally Posted by ImSoSuss

The price of ORD is too much for the penny pinchers in Skyview 6 and they wrongly decided to stuff too much through CLT and DFW.

Originally Posted by Request20Right

You’ve been at SWA for 10 years?

Originally Posted by Fly4FunAA

I know this thread is about leaving Delta to UAL, but as a Southwest guy who posted earlier in this, I can’t help but bring the discussion back up. More so is it worth coming to United solely to fly WB?

Both Southwest and United work for my lifestyle. I have one kid and an ex-wife, so I have some mobility, but still want time off for my kid. I could drive to work for both airlines. I’m on year 3 at SWA and making about 20k a month minimum with a great schedule. I know I’ll be taking a pay cut if I jump to United for a while. I’m 30 so I have time, but is it worth the financial hit and seniority loss to go to United to have the options to fly WB some day? Or is WB flying not as glorious if I already have the quality of life and WB FO equivalent pay that I’m getting at SWA?

As of now I’m still waiting for a class date with UAL. It sounds like potentially the spring is when things will start ramping up again. I hit year 4 with SWA in May so I’m hoping UAL can get me in before this becomes an even harder decision. Although, I can see myself happy at either airline.