I am pretty sure he was asking because he was trying to figure out NOW whether or not he should invest thousands of dollars in a 737 type. So sure, it does matter.
No type rating required to apply.
Gup likes to brag that they have high W2's now, and that could be matched or better at Delta in the future. In the future? Let's bet on the now, not the come. Delta actually has pretty good first year pay. He also states days off is important, and picking the right plane at Delta could give the same result, being a line holder quicker on a narrowbody at Delta vs a widebody early on. No argument.
I say look 5 to 10 years down the road. He's asking now, not 5-10 years down the road. After the merger is complete with Airtran, the young guys there will merge into the SWA list and upgrades will likely slowdown. Not likely, guaranteed. Delta has scheduled retirements in the thousands over the next 10 years. Southwest does not, and their own pilots are famous for trying to extend their employment as long as the can. Delta has more retirements in the future.
Then look at the flying. The intial poster said he didn't really care what he did at work, rather looking at what he can do at home. If he doesn't care about the layovers, the SWA is the airline for him, because after that many legs per day and per trip, he honestly won't remember where he's been. 3 day trip, 10 legs, 22 credits. It won't really matter. At Delta, there are plenty of productive trips, but memorable layovers in some exotic places also. Last time I checked your MD80's overnight in Birmingham too big boy. It may take a few years to get there, but 5 leg days ending in El Paso won't be there, year after year, after year. Think about 30 years of El Paso and St Louis? How about one word: LUBBOCK. And before you throw Africa stuff in there, you can bid away and never do it again. It's a base thing. Certain bases never do it. Two bases do. You can bid away and stay away. Or, you can bid the plane when you are senior enough not to bid it. I still haven't done Africa, and won't. Just remember: LUBBOCK.
Just remember $250k last year........ on reserve.
Bye Bye---General Lee