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SWA or DAL

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The World thing was a joke, but thanks.
I do understand that the SWA thing involves more work on the days that you do work. A 20 hr three day. No big deal I do a 21 hr three day followed by a 6 hr day line most weeks. Yes it does get old, but it pays the bills quite nicely at a regional.
DAL has some of that flying too. You are correct. I would love to fly long haul and ultra long haul if possible. I am not sure if being able to give my wife what she wants is worth waiting for that. DAL is in a position for kiss a$$ and take names. The have a very aggressive business plan and I think that they can make it as a stand along. They may choose not do down the road, but for now I think they can prosper.
The only negative I see about DAL is that I would be commuting out of DFW to ATL. This is bar none one of the most difficult commutes with Dallas closing in early 05. Tack on the fact that I will loose a decade of seniority on my pass bennies. It is not fun
I will of course interview at SWA and make a decision if one is to be made.
 
General Lee said:
7 years ago SWA captains were leaving for UAL. That is a fact.


Bye Bye--General Lee
Click to expand...

You are correct. Two captains total. At least one called to see if he could come back.

And you complain about 25 minute turns? That is an eternity (there were several 15 min. turns when I was hires). You still don't get it. Last I heard most pilots don't get paid for sitting on the gate.
 
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ACL65PILOT said:
The World thing was a joke, but thanks.
I do understand that the SWA thing involves more work on the days that you do work. A 20 hr three day. No big deal I do a 21 hr three day followed by a 6 hr day line most weeks. Yes it does get old, but it pays the bills quite nicely at a regional.
DAL has some of that flying too. You are correct. I would love to fly long haul and ultra long haul if possible. I am not sure if being able to give my wife what she wants is worth waiting for that. DAL is in a position for kiss a$$ and take names. The have a very aggressive business plan and I think that they can make it as a stand along. They may choose not do down the road, but for now I think they can prosper.
The only negative I see about DAL is that I would be commuting out of DFW to ATL. This is bar none one of the most difficult commutes with Dallas closing in early 05. Tack on the fact that I will loose a decade of seniority on my pass bennies. It is not fun
I will of course interview at SWA and make a decision if one is to be made.
Click to expand...


One note off the beaten path on this trail: DO NOT take the interview at SWA, get the job, and then turn it down. It will close that door forever, according to my SWA buddies. Find a reason not to take the interview if you are not going to take the job...if offered.
 
Deltoid here. Born and raised in the ATL, always wanted to fly for DAL and have enjoyed my time at Delta over the past eight years. Never even considered SWA. Not because I thought it was a bad airline. I did not want to commute and wanted options that SWA could not offer. I think I would be perfectly happy at SWA. I like the 737 and love quick turns. Nothing sucks more than long sits. I would interview with SWA and then make the decision. Either way, you will work with alot of great people and just enjoy the ride. Practice saying "wind check" and "we are going as fast as possible". Whichever one sounds most comfortable may help you with your decision:) If you end up at DAL, first round is on the general!
 
The world comment was mean as a joke. I do know a lot of people there that love it though, and make more than enough money.
I do understand what the SWA life style is like. I fly a 21 hr three day followed by a 6hr day line most weeks. It is a lot of work but the money is good for a regional. Now doing it for the next 30 years is a little scary. I do know that I am a very big fan of fewer legs.
I believe that DAL is on it was up. With its business model that is in place it will kick a$$ and take names. USA and B6 must be shaking in their boots about now. I have always wanted to do the ultra long haul and I know that I will get that at some point in the future at DAL. I am just not sure if making my wife live in a state that she hates is worth it. I have commuted and the DFW ATL commute is one of the worst in the industry, especially with no pass seniority. I am giving up a decade worth of seniority if I went to DAL.
Either way I am going to take the interview and make a decision if there is one to be made.
 
ACL65PILOT said:
The world comment was mean as a joke. I do know a lot of people there that love it though, and make more than enough money.
I do understand what the SWA life style is like. I fly a 21 hr three day followed by a 6hr day line most weeks. It is a lot of work but the money is good for a regional. Now doing it for the next 30 years is a little scary. I do know that I am a very big fan of fewer legs.
I believe that DAL is on it was up. With its business model that is in place it will kick a$$ and take names. USA and B6 must be shaking in their boots about now. I have always wanted to do the ultra long haul and I know that I will get that at some point in the future at DAL. I am just not sure if making my wife live in a state that she hates is worth it. I have commuted and the DFW ATL commute is one of the worst in the industry, especially with no pass seniority. I am giving up a decade worth of seniority if I went to DAL.
Either way I am going to take the interview and make a decision if there is one to be made.
Click to expand...


Where do you live in ATL? Why does your wife hate it? I am not a fan of Dallas. I live in VA Highlands and love it. Not a fan of downtown ATL but, VA Highlands, B'Head, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Midtown and E. Cobb are great places. What is the commute like from DFW to SLC ot LA? Good luck.
 
You are in tuff pickle! Couple of folks at my airline have been hired at SouthWest without Types. Southwest gives you 6 months after the thumbs up to go out and get your type.
Unless you want to live near any of the Southwest bases, I would just save the Type money and go with the Delta thing!
Good Luck! And Congrats!
 
Look at the facts:

SWA=Great Airline,Financial powerhouse

Delta=Good Airline,In BK, but with 3B in cash.

SWA hired 2000+ guys within the last 4 years.

Delta hired 11 within the last 6 years.

And Trust me, SWAPA was the biggest supporter of the age 65 rule.

You do the math.
 
Definitely interview at SWA while getting on at Delta.

Wait to get your type if you are still on the fence. After you get your type you will still have to wait a month or two for class.

You should be able to make up your mind in 6 months. You will see whether or not Delta has a great emergence from BK in that time. IMHO, I don't see Delta beating the pants off of JetBlue in that time, but it gives you a chance to see that happening. I foresee a more positive future for JetBlue and Airtran.


If you want to keep SWA an option as you give Delta a shot for a few years, go ahead. (I would rather stay at home in Dallas) Then decline the interview. Be prepared to reapply, with type and humility, if you need them. They will respect you more if you don't decline class.
 
I know I have looked at the numbers and when I would retire at SWA I would only be in the 64-66 percent. IE a long way from the top. It does not really matter though since they all fly the same equipment and get paid the same. It would just be a QOL issue. I do know that they have 131 more aircraft that need to come, but frankly I think that after that their rapid growth and business plan will hit a few potholes.
With DAL I would be in the top 15-30 on the seniority list. Even if we merged with NWA it would be the same since NWA has a very top heavy list. Upgrade would be about the same at either place. Somewhere around the 10 to 15 year mark
 
Just remember that if you do get the job at SWA, and you don't take it, You close that door for life. Just like world, Jetblue, and whoever else you turn down. Eaither way I'll see you in class soon.
 
Go to DAL, you dumba$$. Do you really need flightinfo to help you make the biggest mistake of your life?
 
ACL65PILOT said:
Why do you say that SWA?
Click to expand...


Disregard him. Every airline has their 10% of jahgoffs. He is one of ours. Good luck with the interview at SWA. I would take SWA but I am biased. I have friends at DAL who have been through a lot in the last 6 years but still like their jobs.
You can easily make $55000 first yeat at SWA as well and do part of the flying out of Dallas. Line holder in Dallas as FO is 1 year + 9 months. RSV in Dallas in about 10 months from DOH.
Good luck.
 
In my humble opinion...

I think you are into the minutia of the choices when your focus should be further away. Making comparisons of these two airlines is quite difficult because they have different missions. SWA flies domestic versus DAL flies both. There is a good reason for this (Government). You will make enough money to retire at either airline as long as you make good financial decisions along the way. A retirement and top pay are ways to augment less than stellar financial planning, so I don't believe they should be used in the go/no-go decision unless your broker is E.F. Nutton.

As far as bases and markets to make a decision...YIKES! I would never make a decision on where to go based on where a US carrier flies today. The only exception to this rule is if you are moving to where the carrier is based. In other words, ATL-DAL and DALLAS-SWA. Any other cities can be changed dramatically in five years time. Moving a corporate headquaters is much more costly in many cases. Of course, this too is not a hard rule.

The seniority issue is the one thing that I believe is overlooked and yet the most important. As you said, you would be in the top 1/3 at DAL but only the middle at SWA at retirement. Seniority is the one thing that you cannot control except when making this exact choice on where to go.

In conclusion, I would choose DAL because of senority and the opportunity to fly both domestically and internationally. The pay and benefits are not great, but I can make good financial decisions on my own to take care of myself.

Good luck

P.S. If you don't intend to take the job at SWA, then I agree you should not waste their time or your future bridge.
 
I've been here at DAL since 2000, furloughed for 3. I've seen the company at its best, its worst, and right now we're somewhere in the middle. I truly believe there is a bright future for our new hires. BUT, a good friend of mine from the regionals is now a Captain at SWA...hired in 1999.

There is no doubt there is a ton of stability at SWA, but nobody can predict the future. You've done your own seniority analysis and I think that's a pretty good excercise in forecasting your future lifestyle. I will retire (God willing) at just under 30 on the seniority list here. If we never buy another jet, I'll be a 777 captain for 8-9 years, and an 767 captain for 10 before that. Sounds similar to where you are at. Heck, even if you decide INTL is not for you, you'll decide that at a young age and can hang out as a super-senior narrowbody captain.

Right now upgrade here is 10 years (NYC MD88). IF we get the mystical growth airplanes we keep hearing about, that will come down a bit. If it doesn't, upgrade will increase to probably 15 years. But if you have a 30+ year career ahead of you, who cares...after a while you'll still be making over 100k, flying your choice of planes, bases, and having a nice life.

I'm junior and really enjoy my life here at Delta. People are fun to fly with, the planes and mx. are great, the operation is generally well-run, etc. BUT, why not take the SWA interview and check them out too... at least when you finally make a decision you can feel like you left no stone uncovered.

Good luck!
 
ACL65PILOT said:
Quite true.
I have never really wanted to go to SWA as weird as that sounds. I love the pilots and all, but hate the legs and the cattle care mentality. I do like the diversity that DAL has to offer. Now if they would open up the DFW base again all would be right in the world.
Click to expand...

Look at your avatar and reread this post. There is your answer. Please don't waste an interview slot at SWA if this is how you really feel.
 

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