SWA or UAL
10-21-2022, 06:53 PM
#74
On Reserve
Joined APC: Jun 2019
Posts: 17
CJO from SWA, upcoming UAL interview if I choose to schedule. Is the general consensus that DEN is a junior base for SWA and a senior base for UAL?
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
10-21-2022, 07:00 PM
#75
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2017
Position: 737 FO
Posts: 989
Go over to the United forum. I believe they had unfilled CA vacancies at DEN. Also, the TK instructor gig is available with UAL. They have the same gripes SWA guys have, but they eventually do that complaining in a 777.
Good luck, either way. You’re in a good spot!
Good luck, either way. You’re in a good spot!
10-21-2022, 07:27 PM
#76
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,264
Once again the newest vacancy bid has unfilled vacancies. This time instead of just being on the coasts, they are also in DEN and ORD. So DEN, ORD, LAX, SFO, EWR and DCA have unfilled Captain bids. Only IAH has filled all the bids, with the most junior Captain a bit over a year on the property.
I don’t know that “new bases” are going to solve the problem, because as pilots lateral from other bases into these new bases, they just create backfills that have to be filled. I personally know people that turned down United and went to Southwest because they lived in DEN and were told at United it took 20 years to hold Captain in DEN at United, and now they are telling me its at least 10 more years before they can hold Captain at Southwest and here we are with unfilled Captain slots.
The problem is they already turned down or left United to go to SWA, so I don’t think United would hire them again.
I don’t know that “new bases” are going to solve the problem, because as pilots lateral from other bases into these new bases, they just create backfills that have to be filled. I personally know people that turned down United and went to Southwest because they lived in DEN and were told at United it took 20 years to hold Captain in DEN at United, and now they are telling me its at least 10 more years before they can hold Captain at Southwest and here we are with unfilled Captain slots.
The problem is they already turned down or left United to go to SWA, so I don’t think United would hire them again.
10-21-2022, 08:36 PM
#77
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2015
Position: Gear slinger
Posts: 2,963
CJO from SWA, upcoming UAL interview if I choose to schedule. Is the general consensus that DEN is a junior base for SWA and a senior base for UAL?
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
Most opportunities avoiding commuting and upgrading ASAP in DEN? UAL.
10-22-2022, 04:24 AM
#78
weekends off? Nope...
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,021
CJO from SWA, upcoming UAL interview if I choose to schedule. Is the general consensus that DEN is a junior base for SWA and a senior base for UAL?
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
SWA is known for long upgrade times, but considering that the above is true for DEN, then is there a possibility that you could actually end up upgrading faster here at SWA vs UAL?
Taking the more complicated factors like “no hat culture,” variety of aircraft, variety of flying, company finances, flight benefits, etc out of the picture…where would you choose to go to if maximizing time at home (avoiding commuting) and upgrading in DEN the soonest were your priorities? Not that those other things are not important (they are), but I’m trying to keep my question simple.
What I’ve seen so far points me towards SWA if these are my priorities, but maybe I’m missing some information.
You'll work more at SWA, but you'll have more more days off on reserve and more schedule flexibility once you hold a line. Yes seniority progression is faster at United, but there's a reason there are unfilled captain vacancies at the bottom of the list. And it's not because field standby is so great...unless you count that as "time at home". Good luck!
.
10-22-2022, 06:02 AM
#79
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2015
Posts: 312
I was in the same boat 6 years ago. At the time, SWA would get me into Denver within a month or two. My neighbor had been commuting to Denver for United for years and said he would “never” upgrade to Denver captain at United. Flash forward to 2022 and I can probably upgrade next year in Denver (in my 7th year at SWA). Meanwhile, United friends hired at the same time as me who were looking at 2-3 years commuting to Denver and 15+ years for an upgrade are now all Denver captains for a couple years and/or working in the training center.
Who knows what happens in the next 5 years, but I would take the fleet diversity and training center options at United over SWA if I had to do it again.
Who knows what happens in the next 5 years, but I would take the fleet diversity and training center options at United over SWA if I had to do it again.
10-22-2022, 08:20 AM
#80
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,920
I was in the same boat 6 years ago. At the time, SWA would get me into Denver within a month or two. My neighbor had been commuting to Denver for United for years and said he would “never” upgrade to Denver captain at United. Flash forward to 2022 and I can probably upgrade next year in Denver (in my 7th year at SWA). Meanwhile, United friends hired at the same time as me who were looking at 2-3 years commuting to Denver and 15+ years for an upgrade are now all Denver captains for a couple years and/or working in the training center.
Who knows what happens in the next 5 years, but I would take the fleet diversity and training center options at United over SWA if I had to do it again.
Who knows what happens in the next 5 years, but I would take the fleet diversity and training center options at United over SWA if I had to do it again.
Fast forward 18 mos and a friend hired at UAL 3 yrs ago was just awarded DEN 737 CA…and is pretty sure he’ll turn it down if he gets into their TK as an instructor.
Friends at my seniority at UAL are still FO’s for QOL reasons even though they can hold pretty much any NB CA base and 757 on the coasts.
Unless our new CBA is out of the world great…I’d throw all my eggs at UAL…you’ve got more options and it’s not the same UAL it was years ago.
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