1) You'll end up with 11-12 days off per month at CAL with even less during training months. We have a minimum of 5 days er year of trng so that's 5 months a year with less than 11-12 days off per month.
2) Our PBS system will kill you over time. 1/3 of our pilots are fatigued because of this.
3) Bigger aircraft? Come on. If you need to define your success based on the plane you fly, well you're a tool. Plain and simple.
4) Different equip types, international flying? Who cares? It's all about the schedule. A productive shcedule makes you money and gets you days off. SW has productive schedules. More days off give you the time to go overseas on your days off and see countries they way their suppose to be seen. Flying to Europe to visit Milan for 24 hrs is not really learning the culture, etc.
5) Fly more legs at SW? So what? Didn't we all get in this business to fly jets? Flying is the fun part. It's the bs mgmt, hotels and crew sched puts you through that makes us all hate the biz. If someone told me I would have to fly 8 legs a day to get a more productive sched that led to more days off, I'd do it. Flying is easy.
6) The pay at CAL sucks the first year.... and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. You won't start making money again until you're past 5th year. So don't just look at getting through the 1st yr. In fact, your SW buddies will beat your pay by at least 1/3 for the 10 years that occur after the first, unless you upgrade. And if you upgrade at CAL it will only be to be on rsv.
7) Rsv at CAL sucks. You are their bitch. They will roll your days off. Work you until 0330 into your day off but not restore it. They will deadhead you to Europe only to tell you to come back, then give you 24 hrs off and send you right back out. Oh, and you will not make any money on rsv. You don't want to fly rsv at CAL... unless they are understaffed on that equip, which they are not on any right now.
8) 787. Come on... is this really an argument? 640+ of these airliners have been ordered. CAL is not the only carrier getting them. If you really want to fly what will be the most common airplane in the future, there will be opportunities at many other carriers... perhaps even SW. Besides, for the first 5 yrs, the 787 will be senior even for F/Os. So coming to CAL just to fly this plane is a bit ignorant. Like i said above, it's all about SCHEDULE! Forget the airplane.
9) Hiring. While it's true CAL will hire 500 pilot in the next 6-9 months, more than 1300 were hired in the past two years. It's not like you're getting in at the ground floor of a boom. Once this next 500 is hired, age-60 will change and the hiring will slow considerable for 5 yrs (though I suppose hrng will slow at all the carriers as well).
10) Staffing. CAL has never been staffed properly and, from what I'm told, probably never will be. This severly affects the ability to trade/ drop trips. Sure trades and drops get done but it is more often like pulling teeth with crew shced to get a trade or drop done... unless it benefits them. We are ALWAYS below min coverage so they are not obligated to drop/ trade if it takes them below.
imp:
You know, using the "P" word, among other things? 
