Im at the U. You’d be a moron to move from DAL in the position you’re in.

 

This thread has already been beat to death but yeah another vote to stay put.

Delta has its known issues but it's a well run company that makes a crap ton of money. Kirby has big plans but UAL is playing catchup and may or may not pull it off before the music stops in the economy. I wouldn't want to be left standing at the only legacy airline that has furloughed twice in my nearly 30 year career. Sure they have tons of jets on order but they also have tons of old clunkers that could get parked very quickly if things go south. Don't believe airline promises until you're sitting in the cockpit of them.

Throwing away 1500 numbers and going back to the bottom of a very very long list would be nuts. Another thing to think about is that comes with going through probation again and the schoolhouse at a new airline. Success is never guaranteed and I've heard United's probation is a little more serious than Delta's

Also as others have said read the room and get some perspective. At your age back in the 90s most of us were begging for instructor jobs at $10/hr or less or flying checks in the middle of the night in a broken down POS that you hoped would make it (do you even know what a check is or why we flew them?). You won the lottery getting hired at Delta in your 20s with low time. Stop being greedy and accept the gift you got and be happy with it. You're going to have an amazing career and retire from the left seat of a WB as a millionaire. That's something us old fart lost decade pilots will never see. Don't blow it by hopping around for no good reason.

 

am in a similar spot to OP. I've been with SWA for 1.5 years and have a CJO with UAL. With 1400 pilots beneath me at SWA (although hiring is currently frozen due to MAX issues), I'm in a relatively good position, especially considering my seniority and 58% in base seniority in LAX, living and driving from north county SAN.

Despite this, I'm torn about making the move. I've already postponed two class dates with UAL this year due to uncertainty. If I do decide to join UAL, I'd need to start class by January. Initially, I was attracted to UAL for the possibility of wide-body (WB) flying, but I've previously disregarded it as I like to stay on my own time zone and I value flexibility and QOL.

While UAL offers the opportunity to fly WB international and sit on reserve, I'm unsure if it's worth leaving SWA. Our contract and setup for 737 flying seem superior, and I enjoy the flexibility, vacations, premium pay, and ease of schedule changes at SWA. Although we're facing issues with Elliott and uncertainty about the future, I don't feel my job is threatened. I think SWA is just going through a realignemnt phase in their business model. We don't have the premium cabins that UAL and DAL have been benefitting from in the post-covid travel boom.

Seniority-wise, SWA will likely remain stagnant for the next 2-3 years, depending on when we get planes from Boeing. Our retirement wave is further in the future, and assuming 0% growth, it's looking like a 9-10 year upgrade. I'm 30 and currently on year 2 pay at SWA, with a year 3 raise in May '25.

I'm rethinking UAL because of the variety but I'm unsure if it's worth jumping ship. Comparing apples to apples (737 to 737), SWA seems to have the better contract. UAL's retirements and growth plans are exciting, but I don't want to miss out on a potentially better opportunity. Is variety something really improtant to consider, or is an airplane an airplane at the end of the day?

What I value the most is schedule flexibility, and the ability to make great money for the most time off. Trying to collect information to make an informed decision! I know the grass isn't always greener. Thanks.

 

If you're 100% sure you're happy flying a Guppy the rest of your life than stick to SWA. Yes you can upgrade quicker here, especially being on the West Coast but nobody knows what the upgrade times will be next year. But keep in mind while the Guppy may be fun now, there's something to be said for getting 20-21 days off and paid 80+ hrs (40% or so of it paid to sleep) flying a WB. $$ to time off is where the WB shines.

 

Only you can answer that. I like the Guppy at UAL because we do a mix of flying, from short hops to transcons to Etops (Hawaii) and Central/ S America (if you're IAH based.) Personally, at about the five hour mark, I kinda want to be off the airplane, so our Hawaii and transcon flying is perfect for me. But we're all different. Some guys love the WB flying and some can't handle the circadian rhythm adjustments. Personally, once the excitement of a new type wears off, I think an airplane is generally...an airplane. But you might feel differently.

Then you should stay right where you are. I was at SWA for a hot second (left for UAL in the middle of training) and I'm amazed at how much control my forner classmates now have over their schedules. We have plenty of trip trading at UAL but it's not anywhere near as game-changing as ELITT/ etc.

I never cease to be amazed at how little flying my WB buddies at UAL do. A few good friends are junior Triple FOs on reserve, and they're making Year 2-4 FO pay while flying one trip a month (or less.) One of my buddies hasn't flown an airplane outside of landing class (sims) for the past 6 months. Me personally, I'd be bored out of my mind sitting at home. And when you do get a trip as a junior WB FO, you're a bunkie...so you're not doing the takeoff, landing, or really much of anything in terms of actually flying the airplane. That existence, for some, is paradise. Me personally, I'd be bored ****less. But, the point is -- no matter the type of flying you want, we have it here at UAL.

And, of course, since you're only 30, you'll have plenty of time to get more senior and be able to hold a decent flying line on a WB. This, of course, pretty much means that you're gonna need to either live in, or commute to, SFO or EWR.

If you were one of my former SWA classmates with only 7 months on property, I'd say 'come on over, the water's fine.' But just realize that if you apply today, and are hired, you will be giving up *a ton* of seniority at SWA. Currently at UAL it's about 6-8 months from CJO date to indoc, so if you applied tomorrow and snagged a Dec/Jan interview, you're looking at fall of 2025 before you'd be on property. That's not a decision I'd be too eager to make.

But if you really want to do the longhaul stuff, then you've gotta apply. Is it worth the hit to your seniority? Only you can answer that...

 

He said he already has a CJO and he's LAX based. LAX 787 is pretty good widebody flying as well. He could even sit reserve from his house.

 

Yeah I’ve had the CJO since January, would just need to be in class by January ‘25.

 

Bingo Agreed

 

I'd make the jump personally. Having options is great. Our flexibility may not be as good as swa? I dunno. I'll say though.....I flew a couple trips with a dude who is a trade/drop wizzard. I learned a lot and have been really successful with improving my schedule. You're in good shape either way I think.

 

For people in your situation, I'd say go to United unless you're in the 50+ age range.