I haven’t done 5 legs in years and they’re all up and down the CA coast with no sits. New CBA has us done at 13.5 hrs duty no matter what. Any day like that is gonna pay a lot.

Work me at work…when I’ve had enough I can make a phone call. I don’t go to work to sit in a hotel all day…I’m here to make $ and go home. Prob more gentlemanly to sit in first and eat ice cream/watch movies on a 10 hr flight to the EU, but UAL didn’t call me til it was too late so play the hand you’re dealt.

Can’t go wrong either way. UAL isn’t the same company it was 10 yrs ago…and neither is SWA.

 

That’s regional airline ish thinking here…. I’ll take the longer layovers and soft-pay, less legs.

 

Holy crap… I was exaggerating for effect, but 5 leg days actually exist over there? And I hate doing 2…. good on you guys.

 

very rare but they exist. Most are 2-3 leg days.

finishing a 4 day with 10 total legs, 2 days had 3 legs, 2 days had 2. Shortest overnight was 13:45. Longest was 20:30.

Pays 27.5 tfp or 24 hrs to compare.

 

Nothing "regional" about being productive at work and getting the most pay for the least amount of time at work. Soft or hard time...total trip credit is the goal. I'd rather have a 20 hour 3 day than a 15 hour one which would mean more time home...but thats just me. I'm glad there are people who like 28 hours in JAX and inefficient pairings, less competition for the good ones.

 

I'll chime in on this one. I was at SWA for over 6 years and I left last fall. Even under the new contract which is good but SWA still has many flaws. Take United and don't look back. I'll break it down for you.


At SWA you probably could get MCO fairly quick. However you need to get hired first and then get a class. When will that happen? A hell of a lot later than United. SWA is not hiring and there's a good chance they don't hire anyone in 2026. If they do it won't be near the numbers that United, AA and Delta are trying to hire and it won't be till later in the year. They will have a net loss of 10 airplanes for retirement this year. The retirements at SWA are only a fraction of what the legacies are retiring. SWA doesn't really know what they are going to do with themselves. They talk about adding more to the product etc... If they are going to mature to a legacy airline level its going to cost them billions of dollars. We are talking seating configurations, galleys being rebuilt, ground equipment for diferent aircraft, gate space, IT overhaul etc... If they announced a new airplane today it would take several years for it to be on property. They just announced TYS as STT and a few new routes within but they also suspend about 30 routes. So is it real growth? When you compare it to United- no way!


With all this in mind the career progression at SWA is extremely slow. It will be a long time to upgrade to Captain over there. Easily 9 years at the current trajectory. The SWA pilot will tell you how much money they make and will compare it to someone at a legacy. They'll also mention flexibility that they have. They're right but proceed with caution on that. A SWA FO will make more than United FO trip for trip, month for month, year for year. But look at it career for career. You'll find a United pilot will make more due to the quicker upgrade time. You might hear a SWA captain say he made more than his 777 buddy at United. Follow that up by asking "How many days off did you get to accomplish that? It will be somewhere between 8-10 days off while there United buddy is getting 18 days off. Also a lot of times they might say, I got 17 days off. If they got a lot of double then maybe. But it doesn't happen year after year. They probably say 17 days off but they are counting reserve days they picked up and didn't get used. Sometimes they pick up out of base and chase trips all over the system by commuting to another base on there days off. That's exhausting. The thing is that its extremely time consuming on your days off to build a schedule like that. Each base as far as staffing is a little different at SWA. I think some bases are more overstaffed than others. Somebody at LAS can get more premium and flexibility than maybe someone at MCO. So not everyone has the same experience regardless of seniority. Now, that being said SWAPA is an excellent union. The pilot group there is great. I had many great experiences at SWA. There are a few arrogant a-holes but everyone has them. Fortunately its rare regardless of what airline you end up at. A lot of SWA pilots I spoke with when I was thinking about leaving said that if they had to do it again they wouldn't come to SWA. It isn't Herb's airline anymore and with that the case they wish they had a chance to fly something different. SWA is very high paced. Your always in a hurry over there. You're dodging people and standing in long lines to get food. I felt like at SWA it was hurry hurry hurry. It is more calm over here. I can't really describe it in a forum. I just don't feel as tired at the end of the day like I did over there. But that's how SWA defines productivity.


Now that I mentioned the money put that aside for a just a minute. You get paid similar enough regardless of where you go. Put the contracts aside for a minute because they don't stay constant either. If you want comprehensive travel benefits they aren't at SWA. If you want more "airline" then go to United. If you feel like at some point in your career you may want to fly something different than a 737 then do not go to SWA. They may get something different at some point but that's not a guarantee. As far as schedule I have enough flexibility to where I've been on two 7-day cruises so far and a 5 day trip to Jamaica. I don't think its quite as flexible at United but its flexible enough. Everyone has their systems to work.


I'm not saying SWA is bad. There are a few of things I miss about it. It wasn't an easy decision. But the longer I've been over here the more happy I am I made the switch. One of these days I will be able to fly a wide body if I choose. Not saying I will but its nice to have the opportunity. I DH everywhere in first class. I am not stuck next to some obese person taking up some of my seat. It seemed like I always had that at SWA. I've been able to nonrev in first class a few times. I can buy tickets on a discount in any cabin as well. You would be happy there if that's what you ultimately choose but I just want to make sure you ask yourself the right types of questions. I think United is a better airline experience overall. The people you work with at both airlines are overall the same.


United is more poised for the future. They've spent the money. They continue to invest. SWA passed on many opportunities and they've fallen behind. Not saying they won't get where they want to be but it will be an uphill battle in comparison. They'll be around. They might be behind but they aren't going anywhere.


Whatever you choose I wish you all the best and be happy and blessed you got to this level. If I didn't say it, you could be MCO based at United before you could even start at SWA.

 

100% agree with everything in the post above! I'm similar, left SWA after 6 yrs and I don't regret it for one second. There are a few small things that I miss (i.e. being able to have a mixed reserve/line schedule), but 97% it's better at UAL. Yeah, the opportunity is there to make good money at SWA, but you will work hard to make those big dollar months. I've done it, and decided pretty quickly that it wasn't worth it. Also ran some career numbers, decided that the difference between $3.8M and $4.2M at retirement wasn't worth the pain (hypothetical #s, but you get the point). Plus, SWA's growth plans are pretty much all-in tied to the Max7 which, as we all know, is perennially delayed.

Culture is a very subjective topic, but I'm definitely much happier at UAL than SWA. People generally seem more content here, less complaining, and more apt to treat others with respect. (I'll just leave it at that, but feel free to PM if you want more details.)

THIS RIGHT HERE. I preferred the PM schedule at SWA, which meant that we were usually 45+ min late by the time I reported to the airport. There was always a push to make up some of that time, but it was impossible, given the point-to-point network, shortage of ground crew, lack of communication, etc. I'd regularly get done with a SWA 3-day and get home super late, very exhausted, sleep til noon the next day, essentially turning it into a "4-day". At UAL, I get back early on day 3 and feel much more normal, ready to make the most of the rest of the day (more like a 2.5-day trip).

 

Don’t worry mate, there is a subset of United pilots that think anything other than Delta and United are regionals.

 

I’ve been here for 2 years. I have NEVER seen a schedule with 5 legs on it. Most trips have 2-4 legs a day depending on the length. Not saying they don’t exist but they are more like unicorns. Odds of you flying 5 legs in one day now are extremely slim. I prefer to be a little more productive while I'm at work so I have more days at home and make more money. Flying 1-2 legs a day with low credit and more days on the road does not appeal to me. I don’t need 24+hrs in DCA or MCO but to each their own. I’m blessed to be here at SWA and I’ll retire here. I have zero interest in flying long haul, mainly because I hate being in the cockpit for more than 4 hours and I can’t sleep on a plane. This is also a second career for me and I’m 42 now. If I got hired today at United in IAH I would never hold Captain on a 777. So I’m on a NB for the next 23 years regardless if I was at United or SWA. If I were talking to a friend in his 30’s that wanted to fly WB I would hands down tell him UA should be at the top of my list. I’ll never say my airline is better than your airline. United has more fleet options and it sounds like it’s a bit slower paced. I have friends there and they seem to like it. One is a 13 year Captain on a Airbus and he loves that plane. All I’m saying is if someone comes to SWA they will have a great career too and be compensated well. Fly Safe

 

More like 24 hours in AUA, JAC, SJU, etc…