TED74

I was going to make the point that hourly rate on a 717 after year one has to be significantly lower than 737 at SWA. But in year two it's actually higher by $3/hr?! By year five, it's $10 lower than SWA...but by then you could have decent seniority in a Delta 737 and make $6 more, or maybe be a 717 captain and earn $71/ hour more? Of course you could also accept the 5-year FO 717 pay deficiency and make up for it with sweet seniority in the upper 25%.

I'll concede that touching trips for vacation at SWA are probably a huge multiplier for vacation value, but other than that and domicile preference, I just don't see the draw.

saturn

I think its clear that both airlines are good places, and have their strengths. As far as which group is paid more for their time on duty/block, its Delta with their generally less intense duty days. As to who gets paid more for their time away from base (time spent at work), its Southwest with their better trip and duty rigs.
If its important to have easier days at work and longer layovers, edge Delta. If you want to maximize your efficiency of days off vs monthly pay, edge Southwest.

WHACKMASTER

Not true. We get really good to good schedules right off the bat. Our trips are very efficient when compared to Legacy narrowbody trips, so therefore we get our flying squeezed into less days at work per month.

Our min paying 3-day is rigged at 19.5 TFP and my buddy just got awarded a 3-day paying 30.7 TFP! There are a plethora of 3-days paying 24+ TFP and I’m scheduled to do a 4-day paying 35.5 TFP. Divide by 1.15 to convert to block/credit hours.

That said, to the OP......go to Delta.

Skyward

What’s that old saying?.... “The grass isn’t really greener on the other side, it’s just different grass.” The only true way to know which one you prefer is to work for both companies for a sustained period of time. That’s not realistic, so to me it’s all about what makes me happy. For the first time in my life, I really enjoy my job. To the OP, don’t sweat the details. Go for the big picture.... what will make you happy, and what’s the best fit for you and your family. You can’t go wrong between the two, IMO.

LumberJack

Nicely put. Both are great places to be right now.

TED74

The trouble for many pilots leaving 10 or 20 years in the military behind them is that they have no idea what kind of airline flying will make them and their families happy. In that case, the benefit of Delta over SWA is the variety...everything from 4 legs a day in one time zone to 1 leg (and an inflight nap) every 4 days. Variety also comes into play as our lives change. The preferred work environment when one has little kids at home may not match that for an empty nester... which again may not match what one might want with aging parents to care for.

I think Delta is good for those of us with career ADHD.

sailingfun

The widebody option has been overlooked in this discussion. In the right category combined with DH deviation it’s a game changer on QOL.
The other thing is when comparing QOL and pay the initial bid is meaningless. You need to compare both after the month is complete.

oldboyroy

I am in the same boat, I live in Atlanta. WN called first, Delta called second....ATL domicile is now going very junior at WN, less than 18 months away. But I am able now to pick up trips and reserve in Atlanta being BWI based (flexibility of flying 737s). WN has the best balance sheet and profit for over 45years. 16% profit margin to Deltas 8%. Forbes top 10 for over 23 years....it goes on and on. They are both the best airlines to work for, but one has furloughed and Chp7, lost retirements, etc. They all now TOO big to fail because we learned that after 9/11. Though things are never guaranteed, it’s the worst dilemma I’ve had. Now FedEx, UPS, and United emailed me last week....I’m paralyzed with a little fear and making the wrong decision. I have about a month to decide. Good problem, both multimillion dollars career, but sick in the stomach every day about making the decision.

RJSAviator76

I've noticed some tidbits about JV's and Delta... maybe someone can share if it's overblown, but realistically, how much is a Delta pilot's career affected by the JV's in terms of available widebody flying?

tennisguru

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