There are so many individual likes/dislikes, etc that questions like this are really difficult to answer with any sense of objectivity. In my opinion, the goodness of WB flying has almost nothing to do with the destinations. In fact, I'd rather spend the evening in San Diego, LA, Seattle, etc. WB flying crushes domestic because I'm flying one leg over, one back, done; trip complete. As long as you can sleep and manage your rest, I can't imagine a better work:$ ratio in any aviation job. So, the fact that you cross an ocean in the mil, to me, has no bearing on whether you should want to do it or not on the 121 side. It is a hard decision because you're getting into seniority that's tough to give up, and the questionable future hiring pace.

I hear you talk about being happy. I really don't think a move would make you "happier" quite honestly. This job, while an awesome job, doesn't give me a huge sense of personal gratification (happiness..?). It's a great job in which I get paid really well to do very little, but as far as gratification - meh...

I had a previous career that was a lot more gratifying, but also had a lot more headaches, a lot more stress, less money, and a lot more of my time - all consuming at times. This job gives me the time and money to focus on gratification in my personal life. Maybe this job - at either location - won't necessarily make you happier per se.

 

I mean SWA pilots always tout how much they get paid and how many days off they get per month so to me it sounds like they have the best NB flying on the planet. So in your situation the ONLY reason you would ever leave right now from your position is because you want to do WB flying. No other reason for leaving makes sense unless you are concerned about SWA's long term viability. Whatever you do you will know you made the right decision in 35 years.

 

I guess it depends on what is gratifying to you. Were you a paramedic or something? Firefighter? Then yeah, I can see that.


I can say the exact opposite, this second career is much more gratifying than my first. We do something that is highly technical and very important to the national economy. You can’t just replace us willy nilly. Never got why people never saw the impact of our career.

 

Your decision involves risk. How much risk are you willing to tolerate? It's tough but that's why you get paid the Big bucks.
I don't mean to be DOOMSDAY like with my correction above, nor do I forecast furloughs with the amount of retirements at UAL....however it is a possibility albeit in my opinion very remote.
I also do not advocate one or the other. That really is a YOU decision.
I'm not sure I totally understand your logic of 4 or 5 months later of a class date makes it a definitive No Go. Sure 4 months of people under you versus above you is huge.....but the differences of a career at SW and UAL remain the same.
I was in a similar situation as you (4.5 years at JB)....I will offer this piece of sobering advice: Giving up that amount of seniority is going to involve several if not many things getting worse before they get better.
Do not expect to see an improvement for a while.
For me, my first year at UAL, generally speaking I had fewer days off, was working more (legs per day), and all for a 48% discount in my labour for doing the same job. (NB FO)
I wasn't expecting it to be better right away....so I am not disappointed. It's the long GAME...remember that.

 

All solid advice…very true on things getting worse before they get better. I think at this point what makes sense is that I continue to enjoy my time until United offers me a class and then re-evaluate.

 

Also I picked the Year 4 May timeframe because of my seniority and also I have mil leave I gotta do next summer for a few months. So if I can’t get started before that, I’ll have to push back my availability until fall of 25. So now it becomes even more time pushed back.Timing is everything. I was hoping United could get me started sooner than later. I know other guys have been waiting on class dates for a while.

My concern is that, all it takes is for something in the Middle East to pop off or another black swan event and then all of us who got hired this past year are on the chopping block. If this was 2022/2023 again and things were moving, I think the risk would be less, but the hiring environment has changed and it’s a different decision today than it was a year or two ago.

is it still worth it? That I’m honestly not sure. Life is just different when you have responsibilities. I’m not 23 anymore with no kid. I also don’t want to work my whole life trying to climb the ladder. Definitely a tough decision.

 

For sure, everything is relative. If my previous career was killing myself 80 hours a week just to make a rich guy richer, then yeah, this job would seem much more gratifying for some of the reasons you mention. I see the replacement thing a little differently. The seniority system, with almost zero attached to performance or capability seems pretty willy nilly to me; the hiring practices seem pretty similar. Meeting a coworker for a few days and then never even seeing them again for... years, ever... again, pretty willy nilly/isolating.

Don't get me wrong, I love many of the things I just stated at this point in my life - being extremely detached from my employer and being able to almost exclusively focus on me and my family. However, when I look back, albeit sometimes with rose colored glasses, I'm glad I had other experiences throughout my earlier years.

 

Think a lot will be what you value/ romanticize. If it's money there's plenty of it and opportunities to make it at SWA by working harder. No idea how things will change as SWA goes through its market transformation/stock price bump but at UAL WB the opportunity will be there make money for less work. I know plenty of UAL 737 guys who claim they make more money than they would be making as a WB guy because they fly their butts off and there's chaos on UALs on the domestic side of the operation and chaos = more money with the new contract.

Total $ making opportunities will probably favor SWA
More $ for less work will favor UAL WB life.

 

The big question is though, how long would it take to hold UAL WB life if you were to start class in the spring?

 

No matter the answer, it is sooner than holding WB at southwest.