tsquare

geddy lee

XHooker

Your comments demonstrate you understand this is strictly an academic exercise, so I'll play. The fact you don't care where you live is a positive. I've seen guys ignore strong carriers because of their domiciles and go with weaker carriers that had bases someplace they want to live. Living where you want doesn't matter if you're furloughed or your company goes TU. Don't go too far with seniority and projected time to upgrade. Fleet plans are almost meaningless more than a couple of years out and the same principle applies to retirements that applied to domiciles. Who cares if you're in the left seat when the company goes out of business or you're getting paid less than your buddy in the right seat at another carrier? Don't chase today's contract. That's just a snapshot, though it does have some relevance to the most important factor... the strength of the company. How do you determine that? Well, if you figure it out, tell the boys and girls on Wall Street, because they can't do it and that's supposedly their job. In this industry today's darling is tomorrow's dog. Rehash: Do your research about the carrier's economic strength, my bet would be UPS, FedEx, SWA, just remember those were most peoples last choices a decade ago. Long story short...find another line of work, or do what most of the rest of us did...go with the first one to hire you.

tsquare

THAT koolaid picture is the thing I needed. Herk is the one that is mainlining koolaid, but you are all too myopic to see that. And notice that I did not put down SWA. What I would be telling this person who is seeking advice that there are different places that he/she might find more attractive. Going up and down all day long in a 737 might be YOUR cup of tea, and for him it might not be. For me, it is not. It doesn't matter that SWA has better pay, yada yada yada.. it's about the job too. For ME.. I did that for awhile at DAL. I was a 737 captain for 5 years. That is the pinnacle at SWA. I have friends there.. they love it. They like the ups and downs. It's OK, but not what I wanted to do for the rest of my flying career. I'm just saying that it's not for everyone, so take off your cheerleader outft for a minute, put down your pom poms, and give the guy some real advice, not a lecture on why you think SWA is sooo much better than everybody else.

Xhooker's post is far more valuable than YOUR's ever will be for this guy.

For Bull: Good luck. My advice whatever you do is to have a really good backup plan. If you are in school now, PEASE get a degree in something that you can use that is NOT aviaton related. Business, engineering, get your stock broker's license, something...because if the furlough thing happens, you need to pay the rent. And I know these SWA guys tell you that tey are the strongest, never furloughed, pay the best and all that, but we said all those things once at DAL. They said them at UAL and other airlines too. SWA is not bulletproof as much as they think they are. Take my advice for what it's worth, but like hooker said, you will more than likely do what most of us did, and go with whoever calls first. Best of luck in the future.

Herman

up down up down up down...hey! get your hand off my knee.

Ralphie

That's easy, FEDEX. My God, their tri-motor captains make over 200 an hour. Great benefits, work rules, commuter stuff.

1Seat 1Engine

An airline career is like a pyramid scheme. The single most important variable is getting half of that pyramid underneath you as soon as possible. Most of the major pyramids look great from the top.

It's almost impossible to bet which airline will get you to Captain first. That's the gamble that could pay off or be a big loser.

Right now Fedex, UPS and SWA are the best bets for a stable life style with good FO pay rates and a smaller chance of being furloughed (smaller chance, there's never zero chance). But right now there's no guarantee of ANY growth at those companies in the near future.

Ask yourself, would you rather be a Captain at Airtran or a stagnated FO at one of the above companies (academically speaking, any company has a chance at stagnation in the future)? Throw in your own personal preferences about where you want to live and how well you tolerate commuting and the answer becomes very personal.

I'm a SWA FO living in domicile and very happy but frustrated by the lack of growth/seniority. Personally I think SWA is poised to grow as well as any passenger carrier. But my large number of furloughed friends at United and American are a constant reminder that there are ZERO guarantees of future performance.

Herkulesdrvr

[quote=tsquare;751486]THAT koolaid picture is the thing I needed. Herk is the one that is mainlining koolaid, but you are all too myopic to see that. And notice that I did not put down SWA. quote]

Tsquare,

Sorry, I didnt know your ego was so fragile. The man asked a question and I gave him an answer. If you put your feelings aside for just a second and look at SWA's performance since 1971 they are hands down the best choice. This is a fact not an opinion that they have outperformed every airline in the last 40 years.

XHooker

Herk, not to steal Tsquare's thunder, but I'm not a SWA basher, far from it, I think it will continue to be the most stable passenger carrier. Well managed, good debt level, however, for most of its history, its contracts have lagged the top legacies. The last 40 years are not necessarily indicative of the future. I think your debt level makes you the safest choice, but I'm not convinced a business model focused on domestic travel is a better choice than a flag carrier. Time will tell. Lesson for Bull: Your most important airline job isn't the one you start at, it's the one you retire from. If you're lucky, they're the same one. Until you retire you won't know how well you played the game. In the long run, it's mostly luck.

Swedish Blender

Why the hang up on upgrades/seniority?