oldboyroy

Can any former SWA pilots here at Delta give me some insight? I have a little bit of “Stockholm Syndrome” jumping ship. I have a few questions about, Delta Training, PBS vs Line Bidding, QOL, and general questions. Reserve rules and scheduling is what also peaked my interest. Things at SWA have changed a lot for the better since most have switched. I get 17-19 days off with tons of flexibility as a 2 yr FO. I have never been a grass is greener and both have pros and cons. Its a huge financial loss already and I just need to ease the nerves with some learning of the many things that I don’t know. I realize this is a 1st world problem. Any kind of insight on the transition or PM to me would greatly be appreciated.

sailingfun

Where do you live or want to live would be the most important question.

Han Solo

I agree 100% with SF. There are pluses and minuses of both companies, but the only way I'd ever consider jumping ship from one to the other was if I absolutely had to live in a specific city and that city was a domicile of the "other" airline.

EDIT: btw, I answered as if you haven't made the decision. If you're dead set on the swap then if you ask specific questions they would be easier to answer.

gloopy

This.

The OP has either made or is considering making this particular decision. That must be based on at least some semi-educated guess as to what things will/would/could be at DL.

The thing about DL is that there is so much variety that basic questions like "how many days off will I get" or "what about commuting to reserve" etc. will vary tremendously with individual circumstances, seat, plane, base and other factors.

For example, how long will I spend on reserve? There are lots of recent DL pilots who could truthfully answer "about a month or two" yet that may not even come close to applying to you. You could spend much longer than that on reserve, while those a couple percent senior and a couple percent junior to you enjoy the best case depending on timing. For example the break in hiring we're seeing will see current "plugs" experience much different circumstances than just a few classes senior to them, as well as the future classes when hiring resumes. How long til upgrade? The answer to that was: six months!....until it wasn't anymore.

So even looking for an apples to apples source of info, like a former SW to DL pilot, may or may not truly answer your specific questions relative to your circumstances. OP will need to establish an educated picture of what to expect at DL, including variables of what to expect, and then run multiple scenarios from best to worst case realistic outcomes to see what to expect.

Hank Kingsley

Hats, do you like them? I commute on LUV, I think I'd get tired of the 737. But you guys run a good profitable operation that can handle downturns.

LandGreen2

I think comparing SW to DL is very difficult. The only way IMO to come close would be to compare 737 flying at SW to 737 flying at DL. An apples to apples comparison seems best. When u throw in widebody flying, the small NB flying, and large NB flying... one person's trash is another's dream flying! One thing DL has is SW type flying; while SW does not have the variety of flying DL has. But i mostly agree with the comments about where u want to live as being most important. Good luck with ur decision, either choice will be a great career.

SideSticker

Ask yourself, "where do I want to spend my working hours?"




VS.

qball

I seriously doubt you will get 17-19 days off at DAL as a new hire. But with the hiring that will come at DAL in the future you would have a lot of options including Intl wide body flying. You just might have to pay some penance doing NYC domestic to get there.

Vincent Chase

Have you seen that new 737 MAX?!!!

badflaps

The first thing you do is, SMASH the Stab Trim Cut Out switchs.